Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between trainees and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $39,185 average annual salary of a trainee.
The top three skills for a trainee include customer service, CDL and training programs. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Trainee | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $39,185 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $18.84 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 51,490 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
Trainees' general responsibility is to familiarize themselves with the best practices and processes of their chosen careers. Some of the trainee's duties include shadowing with a tenured employee to understand various tasks, taking practical examinations to test knowledge extent, maintaining the eagerness to learn and a positive working attitude, assisting with customer inquiries, escalating concerns, and maintaining record progress. A trainee should be a team player, a fast learner, and the ability to handle constructive criticisms for improvement.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Trainees and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Trainee | Associate | |
| Average salary | $39,185 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $55,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Clifford Chance | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a trainee and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Trainee | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between trainees' and associates' demographics:
| Trainee | Associate | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |