Side-by-side distribution
Instructional Designer
$85,050
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 12.2%
- Live roles
- 147
Teacher
$47,840
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 60.1%
- Live roles
- 1,686
Highest-paying jobs
Instructional System Designer
Instructional Designer, RapidLearning
Learning Experience Designer
Instructional Designer
Instructional Designer ( onsite)
Senior Learning Experience Designer
Senior Learning Experience Designer
Principal Learning Experience Designer
Sr. Instructional Designer
Learning Experience Designer
Highest-paying jobs
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Lead GA Pre-K Teacher
GA PreK Assistant Teacher
Toddler or Preschool Lead Teacher
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$118,500 | 2 |
|
Modern Family Law
|
$80,000 | 2 |
FreedomCare
|
$75,000 | 2 |
|
Helion
|
$136,000 | 1 |
|
MKS2 Technologies
|
$125,000 | 1 |
|
IMC
|
$125,000 | 1 |
|
Twilio
|
$112,230 | 1 |
| ML Mission Lane | $109,625 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
ACCEL Schools
|
$45,000 | 186 |
Guidepost Montessori
|
$44,500 | 74 |
Kreyco
|
$39,000 | 58 |
Masterycharter
|
$5,000 | 48 |
Hightechhigh
|
$90,052 | 46 |
Sunshine House
|
$32,760 | 45 |
|
O2B Early Education
|
$520,000 | 31 |
Zeta Charter Schools
|
$91,000 | 31 |
Teacher salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $102,000 | 8 |
| New York | $85,125 | 138 |
| Seattle | $83,200 | 3 |
| Chicago | $44,860 | 12 |
| San Francisco | $39,000 | 15 |
| Los Angeles | $39,000 | 3 |
Instructional Designer vs Teacher: which pays more?
The median for Instructional Designer is $85,050 per year (typically $75,625–$113,558), versus $47,840 for Teacher ($39,520–$78,976). That puts Instructional Designer about 78% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Instructional Designer and Teacher are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.