How to hire a vocational training instructor

How to hire a vocational training instructor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step vocational training instructor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a vocational training instructor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new vocational training instructor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a vocational training instructor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the vocational training instructor you need to hire. Certain vocational training instructor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A vocational training instructor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, vocational training instructors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents vocational training instructor salaries for various positions.

   Type of Vocational Training Instructor	Description	Hourly rate
   Vocational Training Instructor		$17-41
   Curriculum Developer	A curriculum developer is responsible for managing instructional materials, providing recommendations to the teachers, and making adjustments to the current student's curriculum to adhere to the highest educational standards and policies. Curriculum developers also facilitate and offer assistance for any implemented procedures... Show more	$17-37
   Presenter	A presenter is a professional who is responsible for providing information or media to the general public through a live or pre-recorded broadcast. Presenters should research the topics and background information for items that are to be featured on the program and at the same time, rehearse lines that are going to be presented... Show more	$13-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Curriculum Development
   • Training Materials
   • Training Programs
   • Customer Service
   • Course Content
   • CPR
   • Course Materials
   • Training Courses
   • Training Sessions
   • DOD
   • Instructional Methods
   • Logistics
   • Instructional Materials
   • Training Curriculum

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a team of 10 instructors; provide basic classroom instruction and practical hands-on firefighting instruction training.
   • Manage the problem identification and resolution process regarding hospital-wide Cerner issues and monitor progress toward resolution.
   • Propose and coordinate the implementation of training projects DoD wide.
   • Troubleshoot and maintain windows base network to include one secure network.
   • Instruct new instructors about CPR techniques and methods and classroom management skills.
   • Perform and educate individuals on CPR and the use of an a.

   More vocational training instructor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your vocational training instructor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A vocational training instructor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, vocational training instructors' average salary in alaska is 46% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level vocational training instructors 58% less than senior-level vocational training instructors.
   • Certifications. A vocational training instructor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a vocational training instructor's salary.

   Average vocational training instructor salary

   $56,294yearly

   $27.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level vocational training instructor salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average vocational training instructor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$76,823	$37
   2	District of Columbia	$68,602	$33
   3	Massachusetts	$66,819	$32
   4	Virginia	$65,195	$31
   5	West Virginia	$64,309	$31
   6	Delaware	$63,911	$31
   7	Missouri	$60,946	$29
   8	California	$60,897	$29
   9	Ohio	$57,152	$27
   10	Indiana	$57,088	$27
   11	Alabama	$55,421	$27
   12	Colorado	$53,604	$26
   13	Texas	$53,528	$26
   14	North Dakota	$52,317	$25
   15	Illinois	$49,688	$24
   16	Arkansas	$49,346	$24
   17	Nebraska	$48,528	$23
   18	Florida	$47,993	$23
   19	Tennessee	$47,094	$23

   Average vocational training instructor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Oracle	$92,710	$44.57
   2	Eversource Energy	$81,159	$39.02	4
   3	Change Healthcare	$77,020	$37.03
   4	Memorial Hospital	$73,195	$35.19	1
   5	Inter-Con Security Systems	$72,482	$34.85	2
   6	Mine Safety Appliances	$71,797	$34.52
   7	Kratos Defense & Security Solutions	$69,170	$33.25
   8	PGT Trucking	$68,101	$32.74
   9	SAIC	$67,909	$32.65	119
   10	University of Massachusetts Amherst	$64,471	$31.00
   11	Emerson	$64,131	$30.83	12
   12	University of North Dakota	$63,636	$30.59	53
   13	Leidos	$62,497	$30.05	62
   14	CACI International	$62,189	$29.90	43
   15	Navy Federal Credit Union	$61,793	$29.71
   16	Protective Life	$61,294	$29.47
   17	Martin Marietta	$61,105	$29.38
   18	Hawthorne Cat	$59,357	$28.54
   19	Northern Virginia Community College	$59,166	$28.45
   20	Us Army Reserves	$58,920	$28.33

4. Writing a vocational training instructor job description

   A job description for a vocational training instructor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a vocational training instructor job description:

   Vocational training instructor job description example

   SAIC has contingent job opportunities for **Tier I Junior Instructors** to support the U.S. Navy Surface Combat Systems Training Command (SCSTC) program. This position will be located in **San Diego, CA** .
   This position is contingent upon contract award, expected in Late 2022/ Early 2023.
   
   The Tier I Instructor provides instruction for Surface Combat Systems Training Command (SCSTC) training programs.
   
   **Duties Include:**
   
   + Instruction and technical training for operations and / or maintenance of Aegis Combat system, Ship Self Defense System (SSDS), SQQ-89, Tactical Data Links, and other systems that can be used in the ships Combat Information Center (CIC).
   
   + Develops, directs, plans and evaluates training programs or activities to meet external customer or internal employee learning objectives.
   
   + Assignments may include needs analysis, development of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of course objectives, evaluation and learning assessments of instruction and curriculum, supporting development and evaluation of technical docs and pubs.
   
   + Where instructing within a certified educational institution-- responsible for determining the organization, communication and delivery of the course content and materials, and for developing learning activities and demonstrations.
   
   + Collaborates with customer or internal functional organization to develop, enhance, and/or evaluate new or existing learning objectives and course content.
   
   + Assists and supports creation of course content, training materials, visual aids and documentation to support a variety of instructional formats such as lecture, lab exercises, field training, computer-based training (CBT), and/or web-based training (WBT).
   
   + May develop exam materials and may be responsible for testing and qualitative evaluation of participant's attainment of learning objectives.
   
   + Monitors and evaluates training programs, assesses results, and implements enhancements as needed.
   
   + May require support to administer training programs to meet student needs, which may require post-training follow up to determine applicability of course material or training approaches.
   
   + May support the evaluation and/or oversight of contractors or vendors to develop and/or administer instructor-lead training teams and programs.
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Required Qualifications and Experience:**
   
   + Active Secret Clearance
   
   + Five (5) years' experience as either a maintenance technician or operator with responsibility for teaching the applicable system or function task to others in an apprentice level training environment.
   
   + One (1) year experience as an instructor or facilitator in a Navy Training Environment, to include:
   
   + Curriculum maintenance
   
   + Writing learning objectives
   
   + Preparing test items
   
   + Evaluating instructional materials and the results of instruction and counseling students on academic learning problems
   
   + Minimum education of High School Diploma (or GED)
   
   **Desired Education, Experience, and/or Certifications:**
   
   + CompTIA A+, CompTIA CTT+, CompTIA Security+ Associate's degree
   
   + NEC 805A within the last 3 years
   
   Covid Policy: SAIC does not require COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters. Customer site vaccination requirements must be followed when work is performed at a customer site.
   REQNUMBER: 2205570
   
   SAIC is a premier technology integrator, solving our nation's most complex modernization and systems engineering challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see Working at SAIC. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right vocational training instructor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find vocational training instructor candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit vocational training instructors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new vocational training instructor

   Once you've selected the best vocational training instructor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new vocational training instructor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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