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Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Also called Cosmetology Instructor, HVAC-R Instructor (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, And Refrigeration Instructor), Instructor, or Professor

What Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary do

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary teach vocational courses intended to provide occupational training 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.

Who tends to enjoy it

Helping

People who like teaching, caring for, and working closely with people.

Curious

People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.

Hands-on

People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.

What you'd actually do

  • Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress, provide feedback, and make suggestions for improvement.
  • Present lectures and conduct discussions to increase students' knowledge and competence using visual aids, such as graphs, charts, videotapes, and slides.
  • Supervise and monitor students' use of tools and equipment.
  • Administer oral, written, or performance tests to measure progress and to evaluate training effectiveness.
  • Provide individualized instruction and tutorial or remedial instruction.
  • Prepare reports and maintain records, such as student grades, attendance rolls, and training activity details.
  • Develop curricula and plan course content and methods of instruction.
  • Determine training needs of students or workers.

A typical day involves

Email Indoors, climate controlled Face-to-face with people

Skills that matter most

  • Active Listening
  • Learning Strategies
  • Instructing
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning

What you'll need to know

  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Mechanical
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Mathematics

Where to study for this

College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.

Related careers

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 25-1194.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.