Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors

Median salary

$61,540

Average salary

$65,860

Employment

37,310

Projected growth

13.7% decline

Annual openings

3,900

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors Do

Teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in basic education, literacy, or English as a Second Language classes, or in classes for earning a high school equivalency credential.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 5.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.4/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.9/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
Administrativeimportance 3.2/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.9/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.8/5
Psychologyimportance 2.7/5
Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.6/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.4/5
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities4.3/5
Contact With Others4.3/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.2/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Special Education Teachers, Middle School99% skill match
Tutors99% skill match
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education98% skill match
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term98% skill match
School Psychologists98% skill match
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education98% skill match
Musicians and Singers98% skill match
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Instructingimportance 4.3/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.5/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.4/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.4/5
Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Negotiationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Optimism
Dependability
Empathy
Cooperation
Social Orientation
Adaptability
Sincerity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
ArtisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Burlington, NC7.44× national avg
2Mankato, MN7.21× national avg
3Vineland, NJ5.35× national avg
4Goldsboro, NC4.78× national avg
5Greenville, NC4.77× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationLateral Move
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationLateral Move
Special Education Teachers, Middle SchoolLateral Move
Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolLateral Move

See the full career path from Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.