Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
Instructional Coordinators
Instructional Coordinators develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.
Table of contents
What they do
Instructional Coordinators develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.
- Observe the work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.
- Plan and conduct teacher training programs and conferences dealing with new classroom procedures, instructional materials and equipment, and teaching aids.
- Interpret and enforce provisions of state education codes and rules and regulations of state education boards.
- Conduct or participate in workshops, committees, and conferences designed to promote the intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Instructional Coordinators advise and teach students. They observe the work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.
A typical day for an Instructional Coordinator will also include:
- Interpret and enforce provisions of state education codes and rules and regulations of state education boards.
- Organize production and design of curriculum materials.
- Research, evaluate, and prepare recommendations on curricula, instructional methods, and materials for school systems.
- Recommend, order, or authorize the purchase of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and visual aids designed to meet student educational needs and district standards.
- Develop instructional materials to be used by educators and instructors.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Instructional Coordinators also confer with members of educational committees and advisory groups to obtain knowledge of subject areas and to relate curriculum materials to specific subjects, individual student needs, and occupational areas. They may also conduct or participate in workshops, committees, and conferences designed to promote the intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Instructional Coordinators develop instructional materials to be used by educators and instructors. They might also coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging, distributing, and maintaining educational materials and equipment in curriculum libraries and laboratories.
In addition, they recommend, order, or authorize the purchase of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and visual aids designed to meet student educational needs and district standards.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them advise teaching and administrative staff in curriculum development, use of materials and equipment, and implementation of state and federal programs and procedures.
To some Instructional Coordinators, it is also their responsibility to observe the work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
77% said they were satisfied with their job and 66% said they found their job meaningful.
As a Dean of Program Development, I am responsible for creating an exceptional student experience. Coach Training EDU (CTEDU) is a fully virtual coach training program. To this end, I created the online Coach Portal and continuously look for ways to improve it. This includes curriculum development such as recording and editing new video content, curating resources from third parties and developing CTEDU branded resources.
In addition, I am also responsible for launching all-new cohorts once students are enrolled in our program. I created the course in the Coach Portal, share login credentials with the students, moderate online forums, and provide ongoing support to students outside of class.
Our trainers serve as the link between my role on the backend and the students enrolled in our program, so I also ensure that trainers have all the resources to successfully lead their courses. This includes continuously enhancing our Trainers’ Hub, which houses the most up-to-date Trainers’ Guide, resources for various in-class activities, and training best practices. We also host monthly professional development for our trainers, which I am a part of leading.
Since I have shifted into more of a “non-traditional educator’s” role with a very quickly growing organization, my days have become far less typical than when I worked in a traditional educational setting. With this said, I typically start my day by responding to emails from students and trainers. Once all students and trainers are taken care of, I shift into daily tasks such as adding any newly enrolled students to the Coach Portal and uploading replays of the previous day’s class sessions. Then I spend the bulk of my day working on special projects that are aimed at enhancing the student experience. Some recent projects have included adding community forums to the Coach Portal, building out our Train the Trainer program, developing curriculum for a new Team & Relationships Coach Training course, and collaborating with other team members to ensure accurate programmatic information is included in the launch of our new website. Throughout the day, I might meet with our co-founder, a trainer, or a few students, but these meetings usually only take about 2 hours of my entire day.
Pros
When I think about the pros and cons of my current role, I consider the comparison between what I do now compared to when I was in a more traditional educator’s role. Working with a fully remote organization, I have substantially more autonomy in my work. My expertise is trusted, which allows me to have greater influence than in any previous position I’ve held. There is little to no red tape or bureaucracy in my role and I am provided with tremendous freedom to try new things and take ownership of new projects and ideas. I might be in a brainstorming session with our co-founder or a team member and, by the end of the meeting, we’re deciding on actionable steps to take immediately. Unlike in my previous roles, I am not having endless numbers of meetings with little to no progress. Every day, I see tangible outcomes from the work I am doing.
Cons
On the flip side, in this quick-paced environment, sometimes the bigger picture or the strategic vision can get temporarily lost. There’s more opportunity for “position creep.” While I do have clearly defined responsibilities, there are times where I am pulled to support other projects that are beyond my own expertise or skillset. I view these as opportunities to add to my professional toolbox and, at the same time, don’t always see how to leverage the new learning in other areas that are more relevant to my role. In addition, I have far less direct contact with students. While I also serve as a trainer for a few cohorts at a time so I can stay abreast of current trends in the classroom, that contact is far less than the level of interaction I had working in a school where students were around all day, 5 days a week.
Pros
Suitable for people who like to help and teach others.
Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
Very good salary.
Cons
Not suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.
It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skills, knowledge, and experience are required for this career.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Instructional Coordinators with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $39,270 to $51,720 per year or $19 to $25 per hour.
Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
---|---|---|
Highest (Top 10%) | $105,650 | $51 |
Senior (Top 25%) | $86,100 | $41 |
Median | $66,970 | $32 |
Junior (Bottom 25%) | $51,720 | $25 |
No experience (Bottom 10%) | $39,270 | $19 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Instructional Coordinators based on their average annual salary.
Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
---|---|---|
Federal Executive Branch | $99320 | $47.75 |
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | $96440 | $46.36 |
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $85370 | $41.05 |
Office Administrative Services | $82440 | $39.63 |
Motion Picture and Video Industries | $82350 | $39.59 |
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $82020 | $39.44 |
Employment Services | $80310 | $38.61 |
Home Health Care Services | $78840 | $37.91 |
Scientific Research and Development Services | $78350 | $37.67 |
Specialty Hospitals | $77920 | $37.46 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Instructional Coordinators work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Instructional Coordinators including the average salary in that industry.
Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
---|---|---|---|
Elementary and Secondary Schools | 83400 | $72070 | $34.65 |
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 29620 | $67060 | $32.24 |
Educational Support Services | 12600 | $73550 | $35.36 |
Junior Colleges | 7370 | $63120 | $30.35 |
State Government | 7240 | $73760 | $35.46 |
Other Schools and Instruction | 3710 | $57110 | $27.46 |
Local Government | 3210 | $71800 | $34.52 |
Child Day Care Services | 3070 | $48930 | $23.52 |
Federal Executive Branch | 2420 | $99320 | $47.75 |
Business Schools and Computer and Management Training | 2140 | $69400 | $33.37 |
What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
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Telephone
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Group discussions
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Public speaking
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Level of competition
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What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant majors
Educational/Instructional Technology
Curriculum and Instruction
Relevant work experience
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On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.
They also like working with ideas and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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