What is the difference between un Maestro and un Profesor? When is it proper to use each word?

Question

Sorry for any confusion - I mean in Spanish. I usually use Maestro/Maestra but translation websites usually use Profesor.

Answer 1

Maestro means male teacher and professor is also a teacher but usually university or college teacher

Answer 2

I know you're asking about Spanish, not English. You might want to make that clear in the detail.

In my experience with talking to native Spanish speakers, there is a lot of overlap in these words. It seems to me that "maestro/a" is probably most often used when referring to a grade-school teacher. "Profesor/a" is used when talking about other kinds of teachers, such as high-school teachers, university professors, piano teachers, and so forth. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if even the grade-school teachers could be called "profesor/a" from time to time. Teachers in church, i.e. teachers of Sunday school classes and other church classes, are called "maestra/o".

If any native Spanish speakers read this answer they can clear it up. You might discover that there are differences in the dialects of Spanish as well.

Answer 3

A master in an art, especially a composer, conductor, or music teacher. Ref: www.dictionary.com/maestro/
A college or university teacher who ranks above an associate professor. OR
A teacher or instructor. Ref:
www.dictionary.com/professor/

Answer 4

In english, The Maestro is a master that { uses/applys } his/her chosen profession,,, The professor is a master that has chosen to { teach } his/her profession, but not neccesarily apply it.