Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary: Similar Median Pay, Different Work

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School if you want to teach occupational, vocational, career, or technical subjects to students at the middle, intermediate, or junior high school level. Consider Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather 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…. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School (less than 5 years) and Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School and Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

National median pay (2025): $65,030
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School brief

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $63,820
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress, provide feedback, and make suggestions for improvement.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 8,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary is at 8,000 annual openings, compared with 1,000 annual openings for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School.

Typical preparation differs.

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary is at -0.3% projected growth, compared with -0.5% projected growth for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School.

32.9/ 100

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

48.8/ 100

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$65,030	$63,820
Pay percentile	56.9 percentile	55 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-0.5%	-0.3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,000	8,000
2025 employment	16,600	123,100
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School brief Read Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Try another comparison

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary vs Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School