What is a debate director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a debate director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.98 an hour? That's $49,888 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 159,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreDebate DirectorUS Average
Salary
3.9

Avg. Salary $49,888

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
5.9

Growth Rate 12%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.2
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 12.54%

Black or African American 7.04%

Hispanic or Latino 10.04%

Unknown 4.92%

White 65.19%

Gender

female 39.22%

male 60.78%

Age - 46
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46
Stress Level
5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a debate director

  1. Explore debate director education requirements

    Most common debate director degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.4 %

    Master's

    14.3 %

    High School Diploma

    9.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific debate director skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Travel Arrangements31.85%
    Debate Program30.21%
    Public Speaking21.88%
    Individual Events16.06%
  3. Complete relevant debate director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New debate directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a debate director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real debate director resumes.
  4. Research debate director duties and responsibilities

    • Lead small and large group activities of cooking, language, art, music, and circle-time activities.
    • Assign both individual and small group presentation projects, facilitate in-class/online discussions, and provide individual feedback to their performance
    • Assign both individual and small group presentation projects, facilitate in-class/online discussions, and provide individual feedback to their performance
  5. Prepare your debate director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your debate director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a debate director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Debate Director Resume templates

    Build a professional Debate Director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Debate Director resume.
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
    Debate Director Resume
  6. Apply for debate director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a debate director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Debate Director Job

Zippi

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Average debate director salary

The average Debate Director salary in the United States is $49,888 per year or $24 per hour. Debate director salaries range between $24,000 and $102,000 per year.

Average Debate Director Salary
$49,888 Yearly
$23.98 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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