Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Salary
The median career/technical education teachers, postsecondary salary in the United States is $63,820 per year ($30.68/hour). Salaries range from $41,960 at the entry level to $108,620+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 114,110 career/technical education teachers, postsecondary jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 0.7% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Median Salary
$63,820
per year
Hourly Rate
$30.68
per hour
Employment
114,110
jobs in the U.S.
Salary Distribution
10th percentile
$41,960
25th percentile
$50,320
Median
$63,820
75th percentile
$82,360
90th percentile
$108,620
Job Growth (2024-2034)
+0.7%
Slower than average
Annual Openings
8,800
jobs/year (growth + replacements)
Education Required
Bachelor's degree
+ Less than 5 years experience
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for career/technical education teachers, postsecondarys.
CTE instructors at community colleges and for-profit trade schools teach the skilled-trade curricula that produce welders, HVAC techs, electricians, nurses, culinary graduates, and IT technicians. Day-to-day: lecture, lab supervision, curriculum development, student advising, industry advisory-board work, and program accreditation cycles (ACCSC, ABHES, COE, ACEN, ACOTE). BLS median $63,820; entry (p10) $41,960; top (p90) $108,620; ~114,110 employed nationally. Community college systems (LACCD, Miami Dade, Ivy Tech, Tulsa CC) offer tenure track + pension + healthcare; for-profits (UTI, Lincoln Tech, Empire Beauty) pay competitive base with no tenure and enrollment-driven job security. Industry credentials (Master Electrician, RN + MSN, ASE Master Tech, CCNP) matter more than a PhD in most CTE hiring.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
Deep trade / industry expertise
You cannot teach welding without being able to run a 6G pipe test on a Sunday. Journeyman-level credential (Master Electrician, ASE Master, RN + MSN, CCNP, Chef with 10+ years line experience) is the actual hiring gate β an EdD without the trade means nothing to a CTE dean.
Curriculum design + program-level outcomes
Backward design from industry credential (NCCER Journey Electrician, EPA 608, NCLEX-RN, ASE, ServSafe, CCNA). Program-level SLOs mapped to course SLOs mapped to lab assessments. Advisory board approves the curriculum annually.
Hands-on lab safety + demonstration
Live-arc welding, live-electrical trainers, patient simulators, mercantile kitchens, working networks β you're supervising students with real hazards. OSHA discipline, PPE enforcement, and demo mastery are non-negotiable.
Assessment design (formative + summative)
Skills demos with rubrics, competency-based checkoffs, written exams, and third-party credential testing. NCCER, NIMS, NATEF (auto), and NLN (nursing) all have prescribed assessment protocols.
Student advising + retention
CTE students are often first-generation college, working adults, or GI Bill veterans. Retention is a personal-relationship function β knowing when a student is falling behind because of childcare vs. because they're struggling with the material.
Advisory board + industry engagement
Every CTE program has an advisory board of local employers (plumbers, contractors, hospital HR, restaurant owners, IT department heads). They tell you what to teach and hire your grads. Two meetings a year minimum; strong programs run four.
Accreditation + program approval
Regional accreditation (HLC, SACSCOC, MSCHE, WSCUC, NECHE) plus programmatic accreditation for specific fields (ACCSC, ABHES, COE, ACEN, ACOTE, ABET). Understand your program's approval cycle and self-study timeline.
LMS + digital teaching tools
Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, Moodle. Padlet, Kahoot, Quizizz for engagement. Simulation tools (Trane HVAC, Amatrol, Miller virtual welder, Laerdal SimMan) β increasingly required as lab-capacity extenders.
How to Become a Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
- 1Build 8-15 years of journey-level trade experience with named credentialsYou cannot skip this step. CTE hiring managers screen for real trade depth β Master Electrician (state license), RN + MSN, ASE Master + L1, CCIE / CCNP, Certified Executive Chef (ACF), NCCER Instructor Certification, EPA 608 Universal. The classroom credential you build later; the trade credential you cannot fake.
- 2Earn a bachelor's + a state CTE teaching credentialCommunity college systems increasingly require a bachelor's for full-time faculty in most states; some vocational areas (welding, cosmetology, culinary) accept an associate degree + trade credential + years-of-experience substitution. State CTE credentials: California CTE Credential, Texas T-STEM CTE, Florida Vocational, Ohio Career-Technical, Michigan Vocational Authorization. Typically 1-2 semesters of pedagogy coursework plus 3-5 years documented trade experience.
- 3Adjunct first, get feedback, then apply full-time$28-52 / classroom hour adjunct at community colleges; $2,500-4,500 per course at for-profits. Teach 1-2 nights a week while keeping the day job. This is how you find out if teaching is for you and build a track record before jumping to full-time.
- 4Land a full-time faculty position (tenure track or non-tenure)Community college: $52-85k for a 10-month contract with pension + health + tuition benefit; tenure track requires 4-6 years to full tenure. For-profit trade school (UTI, Lincoln Tech, Empire Beauty, Universal Technical Institute): $48-78k with no tenure, enrollment-driven job security, but often higher take-home in year 1-2. Miami Dade, LACCD, Ivy Tech, Tulsa CC all hire full-time CTE faculty every hiring cycle.
- 5Advance to Sr Faculty β Program Director β Dean of CTE$68-108,620 Sr Faculty / Full Professor with tenure. $85-125k Program Director (owns one program's curriculum, budget, and enrollment). $115-165k Assistant Dean or Dean of CTE (owns 4-15 programs and advisory boards, reports to VP Academic Affairs). Public-sector pension + healthcare add $15-30k / year in effective compensation vs private trade schools.
Career Progression
Adjunct Instructor
0-3 (typically alongside a day job) yrs$28-52 / classroom hour (~$18-42k for a 2-course load per semester)
- β’Teach 1-3 sections per semester on nights or weekends
- β’Deliver instructor-of-record duties: lectures, labs, grading, office hours
- β’Follow curriculum built by program director; contribute to course improvement
- β’Attend semi-annual advisory board or program review as availability allows
Next: Full-time instructor at 2-4 years once a full-time posting opens and you have positive student evaluations.
Full-Time Instructor / Assistant Professor (non-tenure or tenure track)
0-6 in role yrs$52,000-$78,000 (10-month contract for community college) + benefits
- β’Full teaching load (15-24 lecture / lab hours per week depending on institution)
- β’Own 2-5 course sections per semester across day + evening
- β’Curriculum development for assigned courses; contribute to program review
- β’Student advising, retention outreach, industry credential prep
Next: Sr Instructor / Associate Professor at 3-6 years with tenure or with positive review cycles.
Sr Instructor / Associate Professor (post-tenure)
5-15 yrs$68,000-$95,000 (10-month) + summer teaching + benefits
- β’Lead specialty tracks within the program (advanced welding, cardiac care, network security, pastry)
- β’Chair or co-chair the program's industry advisory board
- β’Mentor adjunct and new full-time faculty
- β’Lead one accreditation self-study cycle per 5-7 year period
Next: Program Director / Department Chair at 8-15 years.
Program Director / Department Chair
10+ yrs$82,000-$108,620 salary + summer teaching option + benefits
- β’Own one CTE program end-to-end: curriculum, budget, enrollment, faculty hiring
- β’Lead the advisory board and industry engagement (grants, apprenticeships, capstone hosts)
- β’Own program-level accreditation and state approval cycles
- β’Manage 4-12 faculty (mix of full-time and adjunct) and 60-350 enrolled students
Next: Assistant Dean or Dean of CTE at 15-20 years.
Dean / Assistant Dean of CTE
15+ yrs$115,000-$165,000 12-month salary + LTIP or supplemental retirement
- β’Own a school-of-CTE or division (4-15 programs, 20-80 faculty, 800-4,000 students)
- β’Grant writing (Perkins V federal + state workforce grants + industry partnerships)
- β’Executive-level relationships with local employers, workforce boards, and state agencies
- β’Report to VP Academic Affairs / Chief Academic Officer; sit on college leadership team
Next: VP Workforce / VP Academic Affairs or move to a state workforce agency role.
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through how you'd design a new HVAC-R program for our community college.case
Start with backward design from the two industry credentials students need on graduation: EPA 608 Universal (federal) and NATE Core + specialty (industry). Then map the state's Perkins-eligible CTE program-of-study framework β most states have 3-4 semester credit-hour ranges for a certificate + AAS pathway. Build the courses: fundamentals (theory, tools, safety), electrical for HVAC, refrigeration cycle, residential systems, commercial systems, controls, and a capstone practicum. Lab equipment: minimum 4-6 working trainers (heat pumps, split systems, gas furnaces, commercial packaged units) + refrigeration recovery / recharge stations + electrical trainers. Advisory board of 8-12 employers (local Trane / Carrier dealers, mechanical contractors, national chains like Service Experts) meeting twice a year. Articulation with local high school CTE and with 4-year programs at ECPI, DeVry, or a state university. Perkins V funding of $80-180k / year should cover initial capital equipment. Faculty: one full-time program director (Master HVAC-R license + EPA 608 Universal + NATE) + 2-3 adjunct industry instructors. Miami Dade, Ivy Tech, and Tulsa CC all run this model β the difference between a good program and a mediocre one is the industry engagement and the equipment currency, not the classroom.
Q2. A student in the third week of your welding program has failed the first two skills demos and is on the edge of academic probation. How do you handle it?situational
One-on-one office hours conversation within 48 hours. Understand what's happening β is it skill (they haven't developed the muscle memory for the technique), knowledge (they don't understand the theory), personal (childcare, transportation, work schedule conflict), or motivation (they realized welding isn't for them and they haven't said so). Diagnose without judgment. If it's skill, prescribe extra lab time (most community college welding programs have open-lab hours) and pair them with a stronger peer for practice. If it's knowledge, targeted homework on the specific gap. If it's personal, refer to the student success office and the financial aid office for support services. If it's motivation, an honest conversation about whether a different CTE path (electrician, HVAC, plumbing, or a non-trade path) makes more sense. Follow up in writing so there's a paper trail if academic probation escalates. Retention is a personal-relationship function in CTE β I've kept students in the program who would have washed out without a 20-minute conversation, and I've steered students toward better fits when welding wasn't going to work. Miami Dade and Tulsa CC both track retention KPIs at the instructor level; this is the work.
Q3. Tell me about a time your industry advisory board pushed back on your curriculum.behavioral
STAR. Situation: my electrical program's advisory board reviewed our residential wiring emphasis and said the local market was hiring aggressively for commercial and industrial techs β 3-phase, motor controls, PLC basics β and our grads weren't ready. Task: rebuild the program to shift emphasis without breaking accreditation. Action: I met with 6 board members individually to understand specifics (which credentials, which employers, what tasks). Rebuilt the AAS to add a required 3-phase / motor controls course and a PLC fundamentals course, reduced two of the residential courses to electives, and mapped everything to NCCER Industrial Electrician credentials. Ran the change through the college curriculum committee and the state Chancellor's Office. Result: three of the employer partners on the board hired 12 of our next graduating cohort at $22-28/hr, up from the $17-20/hr residential rate the previous cohort was placing at. Placement rate went from 68% at 6 months to 87%. Interviewers screen for you listening to industry, driving the internal curriculum-approval process, and measuring the placement outcome β not just teaching what you know.
Q4. How do you handle a lab where a student ignored a safety instruction?situational
Stop the lab immediately. Address the individual student and the safety violation privately β pull them aside, don't shame them in front of peers. First-time violations: verbal counseling, note in the student file, retrain on the specific skill under supervision. Second-time same violation: written warning, mandatory retraining, potential removal from lab for that session. Third-time or willful violations (removing PPE, disabling machine guarding, working under influence): removal from the program per the safety policy. Document every step in writing. In parallel, look at whether the safety brief was clear enough β sometimes a student violation is really an instructor communication gap. Retrain the whole class if the miss suggests a broader issue. Serious injuries in a welding or electrical lab end programs, kill careers, and expose the college to lawsuits. Bear-safe when in doubt β I've stopped labs three times in six years for violations and every time it was the right call.
Q5. Why teach CTE and where do you see yourself in 5 years?closer
The honest answer: I've done the trade for 12 years, I love it, and I get more satisfaction from watching a student pass a licensing exam than from finishing a job in the field. CTE teaching is one of the few careers where you can transition a mid-career trade skillset into a stable, benefit-rich role with a real ladder β instructor to program director to dean. In 5 years I want to be a full-time associate professor with tenure at a community college like Ivy Tech or Tulsa CC, chair of my program's advisory board, and starting on program director track. Longer term, dean of CTE is a real target. Naming the fork (tenure track community college vs for-profit private) and the credential path (NCCER Instructor Cert plus my Master Electrician license renewed on a 3-year cycle plus a Master's in Career and Technical Education) signals you know the industry and have planned the trajectory.
Resume Template β Full-Time Instructor / Assistant Professor (0-6 yrs in role)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
Full-Time Instructor / Assistant Professor (0-6 yrs in role)
- βΈFull-time Electrical Trades Instructor at Ivy Tech Fort Wayne; teach residential + commercial wiring and NEC code across 6 sections per semester (24 lab hours / week).
- βΈDelivered 92% NCCER Journey Electrician credential pass rate in FY24 (state avg 78%) and 88% 6-month post-graduation placement rate at $22-28/hr.
- βΈRebuilt the AAS curriculum to add 3-phase + motor controls + PLC fundamentals in response to industry advisory board input; approved by Indiana Commission for Higher Education Q2 2024.
- βΈIndiana Master Electrician license + NCCER Instructor Cert + Master's in CTE (in progress, Ball State). $63k base (10-month) + full Indiana Public Retirement System + health.
What Gets You Rejected
- βPhD without trade credential β CTE deans reject academics who don't have journeyman-level industry depth. The credential is the trade license, not the doctorate.
- βLapsed industry credential β a welding instructor whose CWI is expired or an electrician whose Master's license didn't renew is a hiring knockout.
- βWeak student evaluations from adjunct terms β CTE administration checks Rate My Professors and college evaluations closely; sub-3.5 / 5 tanks a full-time application.
- βCannot facilitate an advisory board meeting β a program director job requires running a room of local employers, and shy or defensive instructors don't get promoted.
- βHistory of safety incidents in lab settings β a documented welding burn, electrical shock, or kitchen injury from a prior teaching stint is disqualifying.
- βNo LMS fluency β Canvas / Blackboard / D2L basics are table stakes; instructors who won't move materials online after 2020 are effectively unemployable.
- βCultural fit problems with adult learners β CTE students are first-generation college, working adults, veterans. Instructors who talk down to students or run programs like a boot camp don't retain enrollment.
- βCannot show retention or placement outcomes β CTE hiring committees now ask for numbers on retention, credential pass rate, and 6-month placement. Instructors without data are outbid by ones with it.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βTrade credentials add real dollars β Master Electrician (state) adds $4-8k, ASE Master + L1 adds $3-6k, RN + MSN adds $8-15k, CCIE adds $10-18k, Certified Executive Chef adds $3-7k. Refresh them on schedule.
- βSummer teaching (optional) adds $8-22k on top of the 10-month contract at community colleges β this is a huge lever most new instructors underestimate.
- βOverload / extra-course pay ($1,500-3,500 per additional section) β negotiable at some colleges, especially in high-demand fields (nursing, welding).
- βCommunity college pension (CalSTRS, TRS-IL, INPRS, OTPS, TRSGA, etc.) is worth $18-32k / year in effective compensation vs private-sector β always compare 10-month + pension + health against a for-profit 12-month + 401k match.
- βFor-profit trade schools (UTI, Lincoln Tech) pay competitive base + performance bonus tied to student outcomes; negotiate performance bonus definitions carefully β enrollment-driven job security is real.
- βProgram director stipend ($3-8k / year) is standard at most community colleges once you're chair; ask for it in writing when you take on the role.
- βTuition benefit for family (spouse + children) at the community college is worth $10-25k / year if you have college-age dependents; state institutions often extend to the state system.
- βSabbatical / professional development leave β every 6-7 years at tenure-track community colleges; use it to refresh industry credentials or to sit exams (Master Electrician upgrade, CCIE re-cert).
- βGrant-funded release time β Perkins V, NSF ATE, state workforce grants can buy you course-release to write curriculum or run industry projects. Ask about the grant activity in your division.
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Resume Review β $29
Personalized resume review from someone who has hired career/technical education teachers, postsecondarys. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.
- β Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
- β Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
- β Missing skills / keywords flagged
- β Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
- β 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Career Kit β $19
- β All 15 interview questions with expert answers
- β 10 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
- β Interview format intel for 9 top employers
- β 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
- β Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
- β 30β60β90 day plan for your first role
- β Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
- β Detailed salary negotiation script
- β Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
- β Downloadable PDF for offline access
- β Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
β 7-day money-back guarantee β no questions asked
One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.
Sample reviews β real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.
βThe interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.β
β Anonymous, Financial Analyst
βCopy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.β
β Anonymous, Software Developer
βThe 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.β
β Anonymous, Registered Nurse
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
$49K$83Kβ No data
Top Paying States
Wisconsin
$83K
+29%
South Carolina
$80K
+25%
Massachusetts
$79K
+23%
Washington
$78K
+21%
Alaska
$77K
+21%
Minnesota
$77K
+21%
California
$77K
+20%
New York
$75K
+18%
Wyoming
$74K
+16%
North Dakota
$74K
+15%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | $82,620 | +29.5% |
| South Carolina | $79,610 | +24.7% |
| Massachusetts | $78,780 | +23.4% |
| Washington | $77,530 | +21.5% |
| Alaska | $77,310 | +21.1% |
| Minnesota | $76,920 | +20.5% |
| California | $76,630 | +20.1% |
| New York | $75,170 | +17.8% |
| Wyoming | $74,210 | +16.3% |
| North Dakota | $73,570 | +15.3% |
Showing 1β10 of 51
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Chico, CA | $162,300 | +154.3% |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $108,400 | +69.9% |
| El Centro, CA | $106,620 | +67.1% |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | $106,370 | +66.7% |
| Lebanon, PA | $105,090 | +64.7% |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $104,190 | +63.3% |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $97,440 | +52.7% |
| Appleton, WI | $96,900 | +51.8% |
| Worcester, MA | $96,840 | +51.7% |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $96,780 | +51.6% |
Showing 1β10 of 271
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A career/technical education teachers, postsecondary earning $63,820/year would need 934 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 1003 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries βπ See how career/technical education teachers, postsecondary salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary salary trend (2011β2024) β