Career
Self-enrichment teachers
Teach people skills they want to learn for their own sake.
$46,800
Median pay
+3.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
50,000
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Prepare students for further development by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Observe students to determine qualifications, limitations, abilities, interests, and other individual characteristics.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by administrative policy.
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?
“Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Learning Strategies, Active Listening, Instructing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $46,800 a year and 50,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Teaching (by Grade Level)See the degree →
- Adult and Continuing Education and TeachingCIP 13.1201
- Online Educator/Online TeachingCIP 13.1211
- Contemplative Studies/InquiryCIP 30.2502
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 · -0.2%
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 · -0.4%
- Tutors$43,350 · -0.2%
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$61,540 · -13.9%
- 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.
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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.