What do Fashion Design Instructors do? Where do Fashion Design Instructors work? FS takes a look:
Aspiring fashion designers may work in a variety of different jobs as they claw their way to the top. Some choose to work in retail, while others might wait tables. These jobs offer flexible schedules that leave a significant amount of time for aspiring designers to earn a degree, sharpen their skills, or promote their lines. Retail jobs and waiting tables might pay the bills, but they don’t offer enough income for much else. If you already have a degree and you want to earn full-time money, while working part-time as you work your way up in the industry, becoming a fashion design instructor might be the way to go.
Becoming a Fashion Design Instructor:
Learning centers, companies, and related organizations may be a bit more relaxed with requirements for fashion design instructors than colleges and universities. This means, many of them will accept a bachelor’s degree in fashion design plus several years of solid experience in the industry. Community colleges and colleges that offer part-time positions may accept a bachelor’s degree as well. The bar for full-time positions at community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities is much higher. To become a full-time fashion design instructor at a community college, you’ll need a master’s degree in the subject(s) you plan to teach.
To become a full-time fashion design instructor at a 4-year college or university, a master’s degree is the minimum requirement, but a doctoral degree is preferred. Dual degrees may also help get your foot in the door because you can teach more subjects. In addition to a degree, most institutions require teaching experience or experience in distance learning environments.
Fashion Design Instructor Jobs & Careers:
Many fashion design instructors continue to teach long after they’ve established a name in the fashion industry. Their primary responsibility is to teach fashion design courses according to established curriculums. Fashion design instructors might teach courses such as fashion design, introduction to the fashion industry, fashion history, apparel construction, patternmaking, history of textiles, and others.
Fashion design instructors work at colleges and universities, technical schools, art and design schools, community colleges, design centers, learning centers, extension centers, consulting firms, and even at retail companies.
Fashion Design Instructor Salaries:
Fashion design instructor salaries vary based on field, rank, type of institution, and geographic area. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports average salaries for postsecondary teachers overall. This will give you an idea of what to expect. Keep in mind that 4-year colleges pay the highest salaries for teachers, and professors earn more than all other types of teachers.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings of all postsecondary teachers in May 2008 were $58,830. The middle 50 percent earned between $41,600 and $83,960. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,870, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $121,850. Salaries for full-time faculty averaged $79,439. By rank, the average was $108,749 for professors, $76,147 for associate professors, $63,827 for assistant professors, $45,977 for instructors, and $52,436 for lecturers. In 2008–09, full-time faculty salaries averaged $92,257 in private independent institutions, $77,009 in public institutions, and $71,857 in religiously affiliated private colleges and universities.
Job Trends for Fashion Design Instructor:
Aspiring fashion design instructors can expect significant employment growth in the postsecondary teaching field. The Bureau reports that growth is expected to average 15 percent for the 2008-2018 decade. This is faster than average for all occupations. Even better is, most opportunities will be for part-time and non-tenure track positions, mainly at community colleges. However, teachers holding a Ph.D. will have the best job opportunities overall.