Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
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Speciality
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Overview
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.
Highlights
Undergraduate program resulting in the highest median salary ($68K): Finance
Largest undergraduate program (6.7% of workers): General Education
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
TeacherInstructorAdultEducationEnglishLiteracyGeneralSpecialistBasicOtherGEDEducationalDevelopmentReadingABERemedialBilingualESLasSecondLanguageESOLforSpeakersLanguagesPreparationMathAcademicStudiesEducatorSchoolSecondaryMathematicsSubject
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Responsibilities and activities

Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers typically do the following:

  • Plan and teach lessons to help students gain the knowledge and skills needed to earn their high school equivalency credential
  • Adapt teaching methods based on students’ strengths and weaknesses
  • Emphasize skills that will help students find jobs, such as learning English words and common phrases used in the workplace
  • Assess students for learning disabilities
  • Monitor students’ progress
  • Help students develop study skills
  • Connect students to other resources in their community, such as job placement services

Students’ educational level and skills are assessed before they enter these programs. Teachers may conduct the assessments; however, sometimes another staff member assesses students. Based on the results of the assessment and the student’s goals, teachers develop an education plan.

Teachers must formally evaluate their students periodically to determine their progress and potential to go on to the next level of classes. However, teachers may informally evaluate their students’ progress continually.

Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers often have students of various ability levels in their classes. As a result, these teachers need to use different strategies to meet the needs of all of their students. They may work with students in classes or teach them one-on-one.

There are three types of education that adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers provide:

Adult basic education (ABE) classes teach students the basics of reading, writing, and math. The students generally are age 16 or older and need to gain proficiency in these skills to improve their job situation. Teachers prepare students for further education and help them to develop skills that they will need in the workplace. For example, they may teach students how to write a resume.

Adult secondary education classes prepare students to take the test to earn a high school equivalency credential. Some programs are combined with career preparation programs so that students can earn a high school equivalency and a career-related credential at the same time.

The high school equivalency exam is composed of four subjects: language arts, math, science, and social studies. In addition to teaching these subjects, teachers also help their students improve their skills in communicating, critical thinking, and problem solving—skills they will need in preparing for further education and successful careers.

English as a Second Language (ESL), also called English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), classes teach students to read, write, and speak English. Students in these classes are immigrants to the United States or those whose native language is not English. ESL teachers may have students from many different countries and cultures in their classroom. Because the ESL teacher and the students may not share a common native language, ESL teachers must be creative with their communication in the classroom.

ESL teachers often focus on helping their students with practical vocabulary for jobs and daily living. They also may focus on preparing their students to take the citizenship exam.

Salary
Median salary: $55,350 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $42,500 and $72,000.
$55K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for specialized teachers and instructors
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$50K$35K$20K$54K$43K$53K$55K$52K$53K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
010K20K30K40K50K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Responsible for Others' Health (33%)
  • Time Pressure (31%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Communication skills
Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers must collaborate with other teachers and program administrators. In addition, they must explain concepts in terms that students can understand.
Cultural sensitivity
Teachers work with students from a variety of cultural, educational, and economic backgrounds. They must be respectful of their students’ backgrounds and be understanding of their concerns.
Patience
Working with students of different abilities and backgrounds can be difficult. Teachers must be patient when students struggle to understand the material.
Resourcefulness
Teachers must be able to think on their feet and find ways to keep students engaged in learning. They may have to change their methods of instruction to address the different needs of their students.  
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors typically hold a bachelor's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as specialized teachers and instructors as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors

Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers in public schools must have at least a bachelor’s degree. Some community colleges may prefer to hire those with a master’s degree or graduate coursework in adult education or English as a Second Language (ESL).

Programs in adult education prepare prospective teachers to use effective strategies for adult learners, work with students from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, and teach adults with learning disabilities. Some programs allow these prospective teachers to specialize in adult basic education, secondary education, or ESL.

Prospective ESL teachers should take courses or training in linguistics and theories of how people learn second languages. Knowledge of a second language is not necessary to teach ESL, but it can be helpful.

Teacher education programs instruct prospective teachers in how to present information to students and how to work with students of varying abilities and backgrounds. Programs typically include an opportunity for student-teachers to work with a mentor and get experience in a classroom. For information about teacher preparation programs in your state, visit Teach.org.

Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers may take professional development classes to improve their teaching skills and ensure that they keep up with research about teaching adults.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors

Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers who work in public schools must have a teaching certificate. Some states have certificates specifically for adult education. Other states require teachers to have a certificate in elementary or secondary education.

To obtain a license, adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers typically need a bachelor’s degree and must complete a student-teaching program. For more information, contact the director of adult education for your state. Contact information is available from the U.S. Department of Education.

Education level of Specialized Teachers and Instructors
About 54% of specialized teachers and instructors have at least a bachelor's degree.
Education attained by specialized teachers and instructors
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Top college degrees
Here are the top college degrees held by the 52% of people in this job who have at least a bachelor's degree. Some of degrees may link to multiple programs due to the way Census classifies college majors. Click on a program to learn more about career opportunities for people who major in that field.
  1. Education
  2. Psychology
  3. Business Management and Administration
  4. Music
  5. Elementary Education
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College majors held by specialized teachers and instructors
This table shows the college majors held by people working as specialized teachers and instructors. If you see "**" before the name of a degree/program, that means this field is one that the Department of Education believes is preparatory for this career. However, you can see from this list that those recommendations are far from your only path to this job!
Salary comparison for bachelor's only
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Career salary (tail) versus Career/Major salary (dot)
Does the bachelor's-only salary rise or fall with this major?
$32K$85K
Salary for bachelor's-only
For people with this career and major
Median
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Middle 80%
Salary for all workers
For people with this career and major
Median
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Middle 80%
Education for Career and Major
Bachelor's
Master's
Professional
Doctorate
Workers with this career/major
Percentage in this career with this major
Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Not so much?
The link between degrees and this career
With the following sankey diagram, you can follow the top ten bachelor's degrees held by people working as specialized teachers and instructors, and then, in turn, you can see the 10 occupations that hire the most of each degree's graduates. We hope this provides ideas for similar jobs and similar fields of study.
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General EducationPsychologyBusiness Management ...MusicElementary EducationEnglish Language and...General BusinessCommunicationsBiologyCriminal Justice and...All other degreesThis jobTop 10 majors
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Specialized Teachers and Instructors per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language instructors earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for specialized teachers and instructors compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for specialized teachers and instructors.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which specialized teachers and instructors earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Specialized Teachers and Instructors (ACS for all specialties)
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Employment
46% of Specialized teachers and instructors are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 46% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 93% of careers.
46%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of specialized teachers and instructors by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$44K$31K$45K$46K$60K$48K$38K$42K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000$120,000Self-employed not incorporatedSelf-employed incorporatedFederal governmentState governmentLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Specialized teachers and instructors and gender
With 52% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 63% of careers.
Gender of Specialized teachers and instructors
Men (48%)
Women (52%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$39K$51K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
52%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%, and the difference for specialized teachers and instructors tops that, with the median salary for men 30% higher than the median salary for women.
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Race/Origin
Race and origin of Specialized teachers and instructors
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Specialized teachers and instructors.
Race/origin of specialized teachers and instructors
White (75% )
Black (14% )
Asian (4% )
Multiracial (3% )
Other (3% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$36K$37K$37K$39K$42K$43K$46K$46K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100KPacific IslanderOtherHispanicAmerican IndianBlackAsianWhiteMultiracial
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.