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

Consider Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to 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…. Consider Elementary School Teacher if you would rather teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level. 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, Postsecondary (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary and Elementary School Teacher. 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
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

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

Elementary School Teacher

National median pay (2025)
$63,970
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
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 teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
87,500
Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Elementary School Teacher brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Elementary School Teacher has the edge on annual openings

Elementary School Teacher is at 87,500 annual openings, compared with 8,000 annual openings for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary.

2

Typical preparation differs.

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

3

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

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary is at -0.3% projected growth, compared with -0.4% projected growth for Elementary School Teacher.

4

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

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

48.8/ 100

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

vs
55/ 100

Elementary School Teacher

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, Postsecondary vs Elementary School Teacher

DimensionCareer/Technical Education Teachers, PostsecondaryElementary School Teacher
Median pay (2025)$63,820$63,970
Pay percentile55 percentile55.3 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)-0.3%-0.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)8,00087,500
2025 employment123,1001,419,300
How you qualifyBachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 yearsBachelor's degree
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 3Job Zone 4
Related work experiencePrior related experience: less than 5 years.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingBLS 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, Postsecondary briefRead Elementary School Teacher brief

Try another comparison

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

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
$63,820 · -0.3% growth
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
$65,030 · -0.5% growth
Compare careers →

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

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
$63,820 · -0.3% growth
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
$66,270 · -0.4% growth
Compare careers →

Elementary School Teacher vs High School Teacher

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Elementary School Teacher
$63,970 · -0.4% growth
High School Teacher
$72,040 · -0.2% growth
Compare careers →

Elementary School Teacher vs Preschool Teacher

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Elementary School Teacher
$63,970 · -0.4% growth
Preschool Teacher
$38,140 · 4.5% growth
Compare careers →
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