Career
Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors
Teach adults to read, finish school or learn English.
$61,540
Median pay
-13.9%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,800
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress and make suggestions for improvement.
- Observe students to determine qualifications, limitations, abilities, interests, and other individual characteristics.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs, abilities, and interests.
- Prepare students for further education by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then creation & expression?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress and make suggestions for improvement.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Instructing, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Learning Strategies.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $61,540 a year and 3,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Teaching (by Grade Level)See the degree →
- Bilingual and Multilingual EducationCIP 13.0201
- Multicultural EducationCIP 13.0202
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, OtherCIP 13.0299
- Adult and Continuing Education and TeachingCIP 13.1201
- Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language InstructorCIP 13.1401
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 · -0.4%
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 · -0.2%
- Tutors$43,350 · -0.2%
- Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 · -0.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.