So You Want
to Teach.
You've got 10 years in and you're thinking about passing it on. Here's what being a JATC instructor actually looks like — and the other roads for tradespeople who want to educate.
What JATC Instructors Actually Do
The job is not just standing in front of a classroom. JATC instruction is curriculum delivery, hands-on lab work with apprentices, progress assessment, and — if you're good at it — mentorship that changes the trajectory of someone's career.
Most IBEW/NECA JATCs run evening classes, typically one or two nights a week for apprentices at each year level. Instructors rotate through material developed by the NJATC: electrical theory, code (NEC), blueprint reading, conduit bending, motor controls, and increasingly, low-voltage and solar.
The best instructors bring field experience into the classroom — the kind of problem-solving that doesn't show up in any textbook. That's the part that can't be faked, and why JATCs want working journeymen, not professional teachers.
General Requirements
Requirements vary by local, but common minimums at IBEW/NECA JATCs include:
You need to have completed your own apprenticeship and hold a journeyman card. Most JATCs require 4–5 years post-journey experience at minimum. Some require 10.
Depending on what you teach, you may need current OSHA 30, CPR/First Aid, and any specialty certifications (arc flash, low-voltage, solar) relevant to the curriculum.
At most IBEW/NECA JATCs, new instructors go through NJATC instructor training. This is a real program with curriculum requirements — not just a weekend seminar. Check with your JATC Training Director for the current format.
For JATC instruction, your trade experience is the credential. A teaching degree is not typically required. This is different from community college CTE programs, which have separate state requirements.
Being a JATC instructor is a visible role in the local. You don't need to be politically active, but being known as reliable, professional, and squared away helps.
The Path: Journeyman → Instructor
The JATC Training Director manages the instructor roster. Make contact, express genuine interest, and ask what the current process looks like at your local. Every JATC is slightly different.
Many JATCs invite prospective instructors to audit classes, assist with lab sessions, or run specific units as a guest before offering a slot. This is how you demonstrate you can actually communicate — not just do.
Once you're on deck, you'll go through the NJATC's instructor development process. This covers pedagogy basics, curriculum delivery, and assessment methods. It is required at most IBEW/NECA JATCs.
Most JATCs have a Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee that approves instructors. This committee includes both labor and management representatives. The process is more formal than just asking.
Most new instructors take one course or one year-level to start. Very few JATCs have full-time instruction positions — this is part-time work, at least initially.
Pay Reality
JATC instructor pay is set by the local Collective Bargaining Agreement and varies by local. Here's what is generally true:
- ▸Pay is typically hourly, at or near journeyman scale — sometimes slightly above, sometimes at a training rate set in the CBA. Verify with your local's CBA or Training Director for the exact figure.
- ▸Some locals pay a stipend per instruction hour. Others fold it into regular JM pay structure. A few pay slightly above scale to attract experienced instructors.
- ▸Because most JATC instruction is part-time (evenings), the total compensation from instruction alone is modest. Many instructors continue to work field hours during the day.
- ▸Full-time Training Director positions do exist at larger JATCs and pay a salary — but there are far fewer of these than there are journeymen who want them.
If you're doing this primarily for the money, it's not the right move. If you're doing it because you genuinely want to pass on the trade and have income from field work too, the pay is fair. It is not a huge pay cut as part-time instruction, but it is not a raise either.
Other Paths: Beyond the JATC
Two-year colleges with Career and Technical Education programs hire working tradespeople to teach. This route typically requires state CTE teacher certification — separate from your JATC credential, and the requirements vary by state. Contact your state's department of education for specifics. Pay is usually hourly or per-course, with full-time faculty positions rare.
Large electrical contractors run in-house training for foremen, superintendents, and field supervisors. These are typically non-union contexts but the instruction is real work. If you're already in that world, ask your superintendent or HR whether instructor or training coordinator roles exist.
DOL's Office of Apprenticeship and state apprenticeship agencies employ consultants and compliance staff. These are government positions — they require navigating a hiring process but offer stable schedules and benefits. Trades experience is a genuine asset for these roles.
Major electrical manufacturers (Eaton, Square D, Lutron, etc.) hire field trainers — often tradespeople — to train distributors and contractors on their products. This is often sales-adjacent work, but the instruction is real and the pay is competitive.
Beyond Instruction: The Union Side Career
If you're interested in instruction because you want to be more involved in the local, understand this path honestly:
Union Steward → Business Representativeis a real career pipeline, but it is political in a way most tradespeople don't anticipate. It is not a formal promotional track. It is relationship-based and election-based. People who succeed at it are genuinely plugged into the local's culture and respected by their peers — not because they're the best electrician, but because they're trusted.
The IBEW offers formal education through their distance learning programs and the Labor-Management Leadership Institute. If you want to go down this road, start by attending meetings regularly, volunteering for committees, and getting to know your Business Manager. The path takes years, not months.
Is It Right for You?
- ✓Genuinely enjoy explaining things to people
- ✓Have patience for the same mistake made multiple times
- ✓Want a more stable schedule than field dispatch
- ✓Have deep knowledge in at least one area of the trade
- ✓Want to give back without leaving the trade entirely
- ✗Are doing it primarily to escape field work
- ✗Expect a significant pay increase over journeyman scale
- ✗Don't have patience for early-year apprentices
- ✗Want a full-time position immediately (rare)
- ✗Aren't ready to update your knowledge of current code
- NJATC (National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee) — instructor development curriculum and certification requirements. njatc.org.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship — registered apprenticeship program standards and JATC oversight framework.
- IBEW International — local union structure, business representative pathways, and labor-management training programs.
- General content is based on widely documented IBEW/NECA JATC practice; specific pay rates and requirements vary by local CBA. Verify with your local Training Director.
- State CTE certification requirements: contact your state Department of Education or community college HR for current specifics — these vary by state and change periodically.