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Trainer vs instructor

The differences between trainers and instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructor has an average salary of $53,426, which is higher than the $47,574 average annual salary of a trainer.

The top three skills for a trainer include PET, training programs and leadership. The most important skills for an instructor are customer service, CPR, and course curriculum.

Trainer vs instructor overview

TrainerInstructor
Yearly salary$47,574$53,426
Hourly rate$22.87$25.69
Growth rate8%12%
Number of jobs40,65039,273
Job satisfaction44
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age4442
Years of experience4-

What does a trainer do?

A trainer is responsible for instilling knowledge and process techniques for a specific business role. Duties of a trainer include facilitating engaging classes, identifying areas of improvement and opportunities for the learner, evaluating skills and attending to the learner's challenges, organizing training materials and scheduling training sessions, and submitting timely reports to the management on progress. Trainers are required to have excellent public communication skills and extensive product knowledge to provide effective learning methodologies and maintain strategic project management.

What does an instructor do?

Instructors are responsible for imparting knowledge to students. They are well-versed in different topics related to their area of teaching. They prepare lessons, create presentation materials and other collaterals, and present these to the students. They manage the classroom and ensure that students are attentive. Instructors are also responsible for creating ways to check the students' knowledge retention through schoolwork and examinations. They also evaluate their teaching style as well to further improve their skills for the next batch of students. Instructors should be patient, creative, and well-versed in classroom management.

Trainer vs instructor salary

Trainers and instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

TrainerInstructor
Average salary$47,574$53,426
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $73,000Between $30,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyConnecticut
Best paying company-Kern Community College District
Best paying industryTechnologyGovernment

Differences between trainer and instructor education

There are a few differences between a trainer and an instructor in terms of educational background:

TrainerInstructor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Trainer vs instructor demographics

Here are the differences between trainers' and instructors' demographics:

TrainerInstructor
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 48.6% Female, 51.4%Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between trainer and instructor duties and responsibilities

Trainer example responsibilities.

  • Manage orders through the drive-thru.
  • Instruct representatives on how to maximize functionality of relational database to effectively manage their sales territories and expenses.
  • Process customer drive-thru orders and run the different stations to prepare food.
  • Demonstrate complete knowledge of all GMP's and other applicable standards.
  • Validate and process in approve batches suitable for consumption with regulatory requirements for FDA approval.
  • Train production operators and personnel in alignment with GMP concepts/methodology.
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Instructor example responsibilities.

  • Discipline kids when necessary, and manage lifeguarding duties during swimming portions of the camp.
  • Own and manage a small business as a CPR and first aid instructor and consultant for diverse clients.
  • Instruct all areas of massage therapy program including anatomy, physiology, pathology, contraindications and ethics.
  • Teach a broad range of ESL classes, such as pronunciation, grammar, and conversation classes.
  • Develop curricula for college-level philosophy and ethics courses with clear expectations and objectives in mind.
  • Plan and provide human anatomy and physiology course instruction and laboratory activities for students in the nursing program.
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Trainer vs instructor skills

Common trainer skills
  • PET, 23%
  • Training Programs, 19%
  • Leadership, 15%
  • Bonds, 10%
  • Training Sessions, 3%
  • PowerPoint, 3%
Common instructor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • CPR, 11%
  • Course Curriculum, 8%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Classroom Management, 5%
  • Student Learning, 4%

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