🏫
Public K-12 Schools
New York City Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
Career and technical education teachers in secondary schools teach students job-ready skills through labs, demonstrations, and hands-on practice. The work is different from a typical academic classroom because you also have to manage equipment, safety rules, and students who may be learning a trade, health skill, or technical subject for the first time. The tradeoff is that the job can be very rewarding and practical, but it also comes with paperwork, planning, and a lot of in-person supervision.
Also known as Career and Technical Education TeacherCTE TeacherVocational Education TeacherCareer-Technical InstructorTrade and Industrial Teacher
Median Salary
$63,910
Mean $70,550
U.S. Workforce
~104K
6.2K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+-1.8%
103.4K to 101.5K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ Less than 5 years experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School sits in the Education category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~104K workers, with a median annual pay of $63,910 and roughly 6.2K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to decline from 103.4 K in 2024 to 101.5K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's degree, and employers typically expect less than 5 years of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around CTE Program Assistant and can progress toward Senior CTE Teacher. High-value skills usually include Instructional Planning & Demonstrations, Curriculum Design & Lesson Sequencing, and Student Assessment, Grading & Progress Tracking, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, and Learning Strategies.
Core Responsibilities
- Design lessons that mix direct teaching with demonstrations and hands-on practice.
- Show students how to use tools, machines, or materials safely and correct mistakes before anyone gets hurt.
- Watch students as they work, answer questions, and change the lesson when the class is struggling or moving too fast.
- Meet with other teachers and staff to coordinate schedules, follow the curriculum, and support student needs.
Keep exploring: more Education careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Design lessons that mix direct teaching with demonstrations and hands-on practice.
02 Show students how to use tools, machines, or materials safely and correct mistakes before anyone gets hurt.
03 Watch students as they work, answer questions, and change the lesson when the class is struggling or moving too fast.
04 Meet with other teachers and staff to coordinate schedules, follow the curriculum, and support student needs.
05 Keep attendance, grades, behavior notes, and other required records organized and up to date.
06 Stay current on changes in your subject area by attending trainings, conferences, and workshops.
Industries That Hire
🛠️
Career and Technical Education Centers
Tulsa Tech, Pima JTED, Erie 1 BOCES
📚
Charter School Networks
KIPP, IDEA Public Schools, Success Academy Charter Schools
🤝
Workforce Development Nonprofits
Job Corps, Goodwill Industries, Junior Achievement
🎓
Private and Parochial Schools
Notre Dame High School, Christian Brothers Academy, St. Agnes Academy
Pros and Cons
Advantages
+
The work is concrete and visible: students are learning skills they can use in a shop, clinic, kitchen, office, or technical workplace right away.
+
Pay is respectable for a school job, with a mean annual wage of $70,550 and a median of $63,910.
+
There are still about 6.2K annual openings, so replacements and retirements create regular hiring opportunities even though the field is shrinking.
+
You get to use real-world experience from a trade or technical field instead of teaching only from a textbook.
+
Students often respond well to hands-on classes, so it can be satisfying to see them gain confidence quickly.
Challenges
-
Employment is projected to fall from 104,450 to 101.5K by 2034, a -1.8% decline, so this is not a growth field.
-
The median wage of $63,910 can feel modest once you account for a bachelor's degree, certification rules, and the amount of unpaid planning time that often goes into good lessons.
-
The job is mostly in-person because labs, tools, and student supervision cannot be done well from home, so remote work is rare.
-
A big part of the job is paperwork, meetings, and compliance, not just teaching, which can be frustrating if you want to spend most of your time with students.
-
Career growth can hit a ceiling unless you move into department leadership, coordination, or administration, and those steps usually mean more bureaucracy rather than more classroom time.
Career Progression
CTE Program Assistant
0-2 years
$34K-$45K
Supports classrooms, labs, and equipment setup while learning how technical courses and school procedures work.
Early-Career CTE Teacher
2-5 years
$46K-$60K
Takes on full classes, builds lesson plans, and gets comfortable managing hands-on instruction and student safety.
Career/Technical Education Teacher THIS ROLE
5-10 years
$61K-$76K
Runs a full secondary CTE classroom or lab, teaches practical skills, and handles grading, records, and parent communication.
Senior CTE Teacher
10-15 years
$77K-$92K
Leads larger or more advanced programs, mentors newer teachers, and helps shape curriculum or equipment purchases.
Education Paths
Bachelor's degree
The most common entry point, held by 40.12% of workers in this role, usually paired with a state teaching license and subject-area experience.
Master's degree
A common upgrade, held by 22.57% of workers, often used to strengthen classroom expertise, move into leadership, or qualify for higher pay scales.
Associate's degree plus industry experience
An alternate path used by 13.09% of workers, especially for people coming from a trade or technical field who later add the teaching credential required by their district.
Post-secondary certificate or vocational credential
A smaller route, held by 8.11% of workers, can work for experienced tradespeople who already have strong hands-on expertise and then complete the state or district teaching requirements.
Key Skills
Technical
Instructional Planning & Demonstrations 88%
Curriculum Design & Lesson Sequencing 83%
Student Assessment, Grading & Progress Tracking 79%
Canvas, Google Classroom & Schoology 78%
PowerSchool, Infinite Campus & Student Records 77%
Shop, Lab & Equipment Safety Procedures 75%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningSpeakingLearning StrategiesCritical ThinkingSocial PerceptivenessMonitoring Job Outlook and Trends
+-1.8%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
6.2K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 103.4K to 101.5 K over the next decade, representing -1.8% growth. Around 6.2 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.