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Job outlook for vocational instructors in the United States
Are vocational instructor jobs in demand?
Vocational instructor job and salary trends over time
Vocational instructor jobs over time
Vocational instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,408 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,413 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,498 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,474 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,522 | 0.00% |
Average vocational instructor salary over time
Vocational instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $41,610 | $20.00 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $40,862 | $19.65 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $39,740 | $19.11 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $38,603 | $18.56 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $37,900 | $18.22 | +2.4% |
Vocational instructor jobs by state
Most common states for vocational instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 492 | 9% |
| 2 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 52 | 9% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 81 | 8% |
| 4 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 678 | 7% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 585 | 7% |
| 6 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 335 | 7% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 67 | 7% |
| 8 | Alaska | 739,795 | 51 | 7% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 677 | 6% |
| 10 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 255 | 6% |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 464 | 5% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 328 | 5% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 288 | 5% |
| 14 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 161 | 5% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 61 | 5% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 40 | 5% |
| 17 | Vermont | 623,657 | 32 | 5% |
| 18 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,711 | 4% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 236 | 4% |
| 20 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 58 | 4% |
Vocational Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of vocational instructor experts
Tiffin University
Mercy College
Grambling State University
Shaw University
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
AGWA - American Grant Writers' Association, Inc.
The University of North Carolina Greensboro
Texas State University
Youngstown State University
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What will help Vocational Instructors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Unfortunately, teaching as an adjunct does not pay well. Students should keep their full-time jobs and teach part-time until they find a full-time job at a college or university. That part-time teaching provides them valuable experience and connections that make them more competitive candidates for full-time positions because they'd also be competing with candidates who have PhDs. So adjunct work is more of a long-term investment rather than an immediate return. Also, even full-time teaching jobs don't pay particularly well, so they'll really need to love teaching if they want to do it full-time. If they don't like teaching as an adjunct, they won't like doing it full-time.
Dr. Eric Martone
Interim Dean of the School of Education, Associate Professor, History/Social Studies Education, Editor, Global Education ReviewMercy College
School of Education
What skills will help Vocational Instructors earn the most?
Dr. Eric Martone: Educators who are compassionate, with strong leadership skills, willing to make take chances to make a difference.
What Vocational Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: Training to be essential is critical. Increasing skills in using technology are necessary. Keeping students engaged and actively learning through technology is a crucial tool that will be extremely important to a teacher, whether teaching in person or virtually. Additionally, the gap year should be used to identify an area of interest for work. Once the site is specified, the graduate should build professional relationships and learn the site's culture.
What type of skills will young Vocational Instructors need?
TaVshea Smith: As a professor of education, I have noticed that there are a variety of skills that young graduates will need to enter the workforce. Young graduates should collaborate with others by building collaborative relationships that represent diverse cultures, lifestyles, races, genders, religions, and viewpoints. It is essential for young graduates, who enter the teaching profession, to be able to work in a team structure and know-how to manage conflict. The pandemic has shown us that technology is critical in education. As teachers, young graduates should know existing digital technologies and demonstrate significant adaptability to new technologies to integrate into their design of lessons and curriculum content. Young graduates must have a strong work ethic, demonstrate personal accountability, and establish effective work habits.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Vocational Instructors to find work opportunities?
TaVshea Smith: As an educator, graduates should be able to find many work opportunities to teach. The pandemic has highlighted the need for educators to share their immense talent with students and key stakeholders.
What Vocational Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Suzanne Kemp Ph.D.: They need to stay engaged in some level of working with people with disabilities. If they do something that isn't relevant to the field, they won't be as marketable as a new graduate.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Vocational Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
John Porter Ph.D.: There is not a lot of technology required in grant writing. The most critical and prevalent skill in grant writing, which is lacking, is appropriately writing. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in abbreviation and slang. When put into a standard text, these expressions can become confusing.
The technology is that younger, individual writers may like to stay up on the most recent software and communication methods. Whereas funders, private, corporate, and government, tend not to keep up as fast and have older software versions. This means that the newest and glitziest software may not be compatible with the funder's software when submitting grant proposals and applications.
April Dawkins Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorThe University of North Carolina Greensboro
Library & Information Science Department
What experience really stands out on Vocational Instructor resumes?
April Dawkins Ph.D.: Across the United States, most school librarians are required to have a graduate degree in either education or library and information science with licensure as a school librarian (school library media coordinator). The most likely experience to benefit them in their job search is a previous experience as a classroom teacher. Teaching is one of the significant roles that school librarians play in schools, through direct and indirect instruction with students, and professional development for classroom teachers.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Vocational Instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.: There are large vacancy rates all over the country. This is a good news/bad news issue. However, with a degree in medical laboratory science (also known as a clinical laboratory science) AND certification, one can find employment anywhere in the U.S. One of the great things about this career is that graduates honestly can decide where they "fit best" with regard to geography and employer (urban, rural, large, or small).
What experience really stands out on Vocational Instructor resumes?
Dragana Crnjak: Real-life - outside of the classroom - experiences always stand out, such as exhibitions, internships, museum assistantships, public art projects, community projects, etc. We encourage students to participate in many different activities throughout their college years with a range of experiences provided from exhibiting independently, in group exhibits, working on collaborative projects, community public art projects (such as the mural class this semester where students were involved in all stages of decision-making, from sketching and ideation, communication, site preparation, and painting, writing art proposals, etc.), internships, etc. Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are essential to all art projects and processes, and these skills not only contribute well to so many professions and fields, but they are also life-lasting skills that develop creative, engaged, and open-minded thinkers and citizens.