Show it first, then watch
Demonstrate the method first, then watch students use the tools and correct unsafe handling so everyone stays safe.
Career profile
Career and Technical Education College Instructor
Career and technical instructors teach college students the hands-on skills trade and technical jobs require.
Your field experience becomes course material. Demonstrate a technique for the class, watch students try it, and help them spot what to adjust.
A day in the life
Rework a step that isn't clicking
If one student keeps repeating a mistake, watch them try, find where they stall and reword the step.
Grade a finished project
Score a finished project against course standards, tell the student why it earned that mark and record it.
Plan what the class learns next
In a welding course, you might schedule blueprint-reading practice before the class starts a fabrication project.
Quick facts
Occupational experience + education
United States
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Check whether an offer pays an annual salary or pays separately for each teaching unit.
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Some colleges recruit part-time instructors into pools, then hire when classes need staffing.
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Occupational experience + educationAn associate or bachelor's degree can be part of the route; the college and subject determine the requirements.
Pay
Not displayedCheck whether an offer pays an annual salary or pays separately for each teaching unit.
Outlook
Not displayedSome colleges recruit part-time instructors into pools, then hire when classes need staffing.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy explaining a skill you know well.
- You notice confusion and are willing to change your explanation.
- You can give clear feedback without making the learner feel foolish.
Things to weigh
- Shop teaching can mean standing, bending, and working around noise and dust.
- Class time is only part of the workload. Lessons and grading need attention too, and some classes meet in the evening.
Where AI may help
In welding, virtual practice tools can track hand movement and replay an attempt, giving you specific points to discuss with a student.
What people still lead
You interpret the results, choose the next exercise, and judge performance with real equipment.
What we can’t predict yet
How much practice moves into simulation—and how much coaching software takes over—will depend on the skill being taught and how well practice transfers to real work.
Pay in context
Earnings
These national figures cover career and technical education teachers across postsecondary settings, including colleges and noncollege vocational schools. Use them as a benchmark when comparing offers.
National median
The 2025 median was $63,820 a year, with an hourly equivalent of $30.68. Half earned more and half less. The hourly figure is not pay for each hour spent teaching a class.
The national spread
In May 2025, the 10th-percentile annual wage was $41,960 and the 90th-percentile wage was $108,620. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior salaries.
Pay by workplace
May 2023 average annual pay was $70,830 in junior colleges, $72,990 in colleges, universities, and professional schools, and $66,950 in technical and trade schools. These are historical averages for this occupation, not starting offers.
Openings despite little growth
For the broader postsecondary occupation, employment is projected to fall 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,000 openings a year on average. These national projections do not tell you which colleges will be hiring.
Getting started
Technical associate degree and industry experience
- What the route involves
- Complete an associate degree in welding/manufacturing and build relevant industrial expertise.
- What it can lead to
- This meets the education and experience baseline for a full-time welding/manufacturing role at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
- What to check
- A related bachelor's degree is preferred there. Other colleges set their own requirements.
Bachelor's degree and occupational experience
- What the route involves
- Earn a bachelor's degree and gain experience in the field you want to teach.
- What it can lead to
- In California community-college disciplines such as automotive technology and welding, a bachelor's in any major plus two years of relevant experience can meet the minimum qualification.
- What to check
- This route applies to specified disciplines where a master's is not generally expected or available. Districts can add hiring criteria.
First build skill in the occupation you want to teach. Compare faculty requirements before choosing a degree: colleges use different combinations of education and work experience.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Turn course objectives into lessons and grading criteria. Build a reliable routine for attendance and student records.
Improve your teaching
Develop more ways to explain difficult skills and refresh lessons as industry methods change.
Help lead the program
Take on curriculum planning, coordination with part-time instructors, or meetings with industry advisers.
Where you can work
Community-college degree and certificate programs
A full-time role can combine teaching with student advising, curriculum meetings, and work with industry advisers.
- Indoors
Part-time assignments across college campuses
You may teach at more than one campus, including evenings or weekends. Assignments can be temporary while still requiring office hours and student records.
- Indoors
- Travel
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Teach someone to read a ruler and mark a target length on paper. Demonstrate once, watch them try, then change your explanation if needed. Do you enjoy figuring out why another person's attempt went wrong?
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Postsecondary Teachers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 wages: 25-1194. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Southwestern Oregon Community College. Welding/Manufacturing Instructor (Full-Time, Tenure Track). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Cabrillo College. Welding — Associate Instructor. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Rogue Community College. Welding Instructor (Adjunct Faculty Pool). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. Minimum Qualifications. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Realityworks. guideWELD VR Instructor Guide. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national estimates. Accessed 2026-09-29.