To hire a technical college instructor, name the program of study and lab load, set pay from national wage data, and test a live teaching demonstration plus a written lab exercise. BLS counts this role within Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 reports 114,110 wage-and-salary workers nationwide and a median annual wage of $63,820.
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BLS occupation | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1194) | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| U.S. employment | 114,110 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Median annual wage | $63,820 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Median hourly wage | $30.68 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Annual 10th–90th percentile | $41,960 – $108,620 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
How to hire a technical college instructor: the short answer
Write the course load, shop or lab setting, and extra duties (student advising, program review, advisory committee) before you advertise. Set a pay range from the BLS percentiles for SOC 25-1194. Screen for trade depth and the ability to teach adults. Check references on technical competence, training others, and showing up on the published schedule.
This hire is not a generic faculty search. The instructor teaches adults, many of them working or changing careers, in a program of study that must track what local employers need. Industry practitioners may bring the trade depth the program needs. Test instructional practice, current shop skill, and safe supervision directly.
Hiring a high school career and technical education teacher is a different process. This page is for the postsecondary instructor at a community college, technical college, or career school.
What a technical college instructor does
O*NET OnLine (accessed September 24, 2026) describes the occupation as teaching vocational courses below the baccalaureate level in subjects such as construction, mechanics/repair, manufacturing, transportation, or cosmetology, primarily to students who have graduated from or left high school. Teaching takes place in public or private schools whose primary business is academic or vocational education. Sample titles include Automotive Technology Instructor, Cosmetology Instructor, HVAC-R Instructor, Welding Instructor, and Flight Instructor.
Core duties from the O*NET task list for SOC 25-1194:
| Duty | What it looks like on campus |
|---|---|
| Teach in lecture, lab, and shop | Present lectures and discussions; supervise students' use of tools and equipment; conduct on-the-job training sessions |
| Build and refresh the course | Develop curricula, outlines, lab exercises, and methods of instruction; select books, materials, and equipment |
| Evaluate and advise | Observe student work, give feedback, administer oral, written, or performance tests, and advise on course and career decisions |
| Keep the program current | Acquire, maintain, and repair laboratory equipment; attend field training; integrate new practice into the program of study |
| Share program work | Serve on faculty committees on curriculum and diploma requirements; prepare grades, attendance, and training records |
Skills, knowledge and tools to look for
O*NET lists Instructing, Learning Strategies, Speaking, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking among the skills for this occupation. Knowledge areas include Education and Training, Mechanical (machines and tools, including design, use, repair, and maintenance), English Language, and Customer and Personal Service. Those map directly to mixed-experience adult classes in a working shop.
Software named in O*NET includes learning management systems (Moodle, Sakai CLE, Common Curriculum, Google Classroom), Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Blackboard, and Turnitin. Pair that with the industry equipment and diagnostic tools for the specific program—welders, lifts, HVAC trainers, or salon stations—not a generic classroom kit.
O*NET education respondents said an associate's degree or other 2-year degree is required (42%), a bachelor's degree (20%), or a post-secondary certificate (16%). The occupation sits in Job Zone Three: related work experience is expected. Work context figures: 68% reported constant contact with others; 66% reported public speaking every day; 67% reported e-mail every day.
| Must-have before the start date | Train in the first term |
|---|---|
| Current technical competence in the trade you teach | Your LMS, gradebook, and attendance process |
| Safe supervision of students on tools and equipment | College committee work and program-review calendar |
| Clear instruction and performance-test scoring | How your campus runs work-based learning with employers |
Write must-haves into the posting as observable skills. Leave LMS and campus process language in the onboarding plan, not as a filter that drops strong industry practitioners.
Setting the pay range
These are the BLS figures for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary. Use them as the market reference when you set the range, then place the offer by experience and the scope of duties (course load, evening sections, program lead, equipment upkeep).
Screen for current trade competence, safe supervision on tools and equipment, clear instruction, and performance-test scoring. Train the hire on the LMS, gradebook, attendance process, committee calendar, and local work-based learning process.
BLS also prints an annual mean of $72,060 and an hourly mean of $34.64 (hourly median $30.68). Read the state row for the campus. A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that area's employment than nationally. The table below is sorted by annual median.
| Rank | State | Employment | Annual median | Hourly median | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | 2,000 | $82,620 | $39.72 | 0.93 |
| 2 | South Carolina | 1,980 | $79,610 | $38.27 | 1.17 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 1,660 | $78,780 | $37.88 | 0.62 |
| 4 | Washington | 3,610 | $77,530 | $37.27 | 1.39 |
| 5 | Alaska | 1,120 | $77,310 | $37.17 | 4.7 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 1,510 | $76,920 | $36.98 | 0.7 |
| 7 | California | 11,040 | $76,630 | $36.84 | 0.83 |
| 8 | New York | 5,250 | $75,170 | $36.14 | 0.74 |
| 9 | Wyoming | 360 | $74,210 | $35.68 | 1.74 |
| 10 | North Dakota | 430 | $73,570 | $35.37 | 1.36 |
Texas employment is 12,620 (annual median $65,180; location quotient 1.22). Oklahoma's location quotient is 2.43. Put the state median next to the national median when you brief the dean or HR, and align the posted range with both. For a full pay walkthrough, see how much to pay a technical college instructor.
Writing the posting and finding candidates
Use a title that matches the program and schedule: Welding Instructor, HVAC-R Instructor, or Automotive Technology Instructor, not a vague “Faculty, Technical Studies.” State lecture versus lab hours, day versus evening sections, and extra duties (advising, equipment upkeep, advisory committee). Industry candidates will not guess those from a generic teaching ad. Start from a technical college instructor job description template and swap in the career pathway and shop.
Look past current teachers. Experienced practitioners who have trained apprentices or new hires already do a large part of this job. Post where career and technical educators look, including ACTE Job Bank. Name the tools and LMS you actually use so applicants can self-select.
Screening and interviewing
Run the same work sample for every finalist: a teaching demonstration of a lab skill to adult learners, followed by a short written lab exercise with an answer key. Score safety, technical accuracy, and whether mixed-experience students could follow the steps. A candidate who can run the skill but cannot explain it will struggle in an evening section of working adults.
| Work-sample part | What you score |
|---|---|
| Live lab demonstration | Safety, sequence, and whether adult learners could copy the skill |
| Written lab exercise and answer key | Clarity of steps, alignment to the skill, and a usable key for grading |
Interview for depth of industry experience; teaching adults and mixed-experience classes; curriculum and assessment design; and work with employers and program advisory committees. Ask every candidate the same job-related questions. Under the laws enforced by the EEOC (accessed September 24, 2026), it is illegal to discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. Do not ask about those topics. If you use a test, it must be job-related. This guide is general information as of September 24, 2026, not legal advice.
A longer question bank is in the technical college instructor interview questions guide. Keep the panel's notes on a single scorecard so the offer rests on the work sample and the same themes, not on who “felt like a teacher.”
References, verification and the offer
Call references about technical competence, teaching or training others, and dependability on the published schedule. Ask how the person handled shop safety and incomplete work from learners. Verify any degree, license, or credential the candidate lists with the body that issued it, and follow your college's own clearance process, before the start date.
Put duties, schedule, and pay in writing. Include lab load, evening or weekend sections, advising, equipment upkeep, and advisory-committee work so the start matches the posting. Walk the new instructor through the LMS, lab inventory, and advisory calendar, then provide instructional coaching.
More hiring guides
FAQ
What does a technical college instructor do?
Technical college instructors teach vocational courses in lecture, lab, and shop; develop course outlines and assessments; evaluate students; and keep equipment current with industry practice. O*NET lists those tasks for SOC 25-1194, and typical employers are community colleges, technical colleges, and postsecondary career schools.
How much should I pay a technical college instructor?
Use the BLS median of $63,820 as the national market reference and the 10th-to-90th percentile spread of $41,960 to $108,620. Check the BLS state table for the campus location and place the offer by experience and scope of duties.
Can I hire someone from industry with no teaching experience?
Yes. Many strong instructors come from industry with little formal teaching background. Screen for technical competence and the ability to teach adults; plan to coach instructional methods, your LMS, and college processes after hire.
How do I test a technical college instructor candidate before hiring?
Use a work sample: a teaching demonstration of a lab skill to adult learners, then a short written lab exercise with an answer key. Score safety, technical accuracy, and clarity of instruction.
What should I ask a technical college instructor in an interview?
Ask every candidate the same job-related questions on industry depth, teaching mixed-experience adult classes, curriculum and assessment design, and work with employers and program advisory committees. Do not ask about age, family, religion, national origin, disability, or other EEOC-protected characteristics.
