Demonstrate a tool safely
Show the safe way to handle a tool first, then watch while students practice the method themselves.
Career profile
High School Career and Technical Education Teacher
Career and technical education teachers teach teens job skills, from car repair to culinary arts.
First you show how a job is done, then you watch students try it and help them see why each step matters.
A day in the life
Reteach the step a student missed
When a student's project fails, watch how they work through it, then teach the problem step again.
Ready the room between classes
Set out supplies and go through the inventory list before the next class walks in.
Track each student's skills
Grade finished projects, update student files, and talk with either a parent or a counselor about stalled progress.
Quick facts
Degree + field experience
United States
$66,270/year
United States · May 2025
Nearly flat employment
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Degree + field experienceA bachelor's degree and related experience are typical. Some states offer an industry-experience route without a bachelor's degree.
Pay
$66,270/yearNational median for secondary-school career and technical education teachers; not a starting salary.
Outlook
Nearly flat employmentSecondary-school employment is projected to decline 0.4%, with about 6,400 openings annually.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy showing someone how a practical task works.
- You notice mistakes without losing patience.
- You like adjusting an explanation.
Things to weigh
- Preparation and meetings can extend beyond the student school day.
- In a shop or lab, you must watch behavior and equipment use while teaching.
Where AI may help
Online lesson systems and presentation software help you organize instruction.
What people still lead
You watch practical performance and decide when a student needs another demonstration.
What we can’t predict yet
How much practice moves onto screens will depend on the specialty and the skills students must demonstrate physically.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median gives you a reference point; an individual school's offer can differ.
Read the annual figure first
The May 2025 median was $66,270 for secondary-school career and technical education teachers. Dividing by 2,080 gives about $31.86 an hour for comparison only; it is not a measured hourly rate or a teacher work-year estimate.
The national spread
In May 2025, the 10th-percentile annual wage was $50,040 and the 90th-percentile wage was $101,340. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior salaries.
Pay differed by workplace
In May 2023, annual pay averaged $71,110 in elementary and secondary schools and $60,090 in technical and trade schools. Both figures cover teachers working at the secondary-school level. These are historical averages, not medians or a guaranteed gain from changing workplaces.
Ask how experience counts
New York City Public Schools bases salary placement on experience and education. Some career and technical education teachers can receive credit for qualifying industry work. Ask the district to evaluate your records before assuming those years will count.
Getting started
Combine college study with teacher preparation
- What the route involves
- Earn a relevant bachelor's degree, build field experience, and complete teacher preparation with student teaching.
- What it can lead to
- This prepares you for the state's teaching-certification process.
- What to check
- Required experience, tests, and background checks vary by state and subject; a degree alone does not establish eligibility.
Bring industry experience into teaching
- What the route involves
- In California, ask an approved program sponsor to evaluate your diploma or equivalent and three years of relevant experience. Limited substitutions are allowed, but at least one year must be actual work experience.
- What it can lead to
- With the remaining requirements met and sponsor recommendation, the Preliminary Designated Subjects Career Technical Education Teaching Credential lets you teach its named subjects while completing further preparation.
- What to check
- California requires recent qualifying experience, fingerprint clearance, an application and fee. The preliminary credential lasts three years; complete the Clear credential requirements during that period. Other states set different rules.
Choose the field you want to teach, then check your state's career and technical education (CTE) requirements.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Build reliable routines for demonstrations, practice time, and cleanup.
Keep your field knowledge current
Learn how employers' methods are changing and use that knowledge to improve projects and workplace learning.
Help other teachers improve
With experience, you may become a mentor or lead teacher.
Where you can work
Comprehensive high school
Your career courses sit alongside academic classes. Coordinate student progress with counselors and other teachers.
- Indoors
Dedicated career center
At some centers, students split the day with their home high school. You plan career projects around their scheduled time on your campus.
- Indoors
- Lab
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Teach a friend to build a simple spreadsheet that totals a pretend shop's supply costs. Demonstrate once, then watch them try without taking over. Notice which instruction you need to change—and whether you enjoy helping them figure it out.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Career and Technical Education Teachers. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Designated Subjects Career Technical Education Teaching Credential. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Career Technical Education Quick Facts. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- New York City Public Schools. Benefits and Pay. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- New York City Public Schools. Career and Technical Education. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Plano Independent School District. Career & Technical Education Center FAQ. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages: Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Tables. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national estimates. Accessed 2026-09-29.