You teach a skilled trade — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, welding, machining, or similar — covering theory, technique, code, and the hands-on skills students need for entry-level employment. Half teacher, half working tradesperson running a shop where students actually build.
Most days tend to involve a blend of classroom instruction, shop demonstration, and supervised hands-on work — walking students through theory and procedures, demonstrating technique, and supervising students working on actual projects. You'll often spend part of the time on the equipment and curriculum fabric — keeping the shop maintained, ordering materials, and managing project scope.
The harder part is often the safety responsibility of running a shop with experienced hand and power tools and inexperienced students. You'll typically adapt instruction across students with very different prior experience and motivation, while keeping the shop functional and projects achievable.
People who tend to thrive here are technically grounded in the trade, patient teachers, and comfortable supervising hands-on work. The trade-off is the resource constraints common to vocational programs and the cumulative responsibility for shop safety. If you find satisfaction in putting graduates into real careers in the trades, the work can be deeply rewarding in fields that are always in demand.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
You teach a skilled trade — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, welding, machining, or similar — covering theory, technique, code, and the hands-on skills students need for entry-level employment. Half teacher, half working tradesperson running a shop where students actually build.
Median pay for a Skilled Trades Teacher is about $63K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $39K to $107K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Instructing, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Learning Strategies.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 0.55% through 2034, with roughly 215,600 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Accounting Teacher, Marketing Teacher, and Marketing Education Teacher.
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