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

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.

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MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES

A wage reference for United States.

Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.

Source wage group: Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors

This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.

May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.

Median annual wage$61,540USD per year · Published 50th percentile

Median hourly wage$29.59USD per hour · Published 50th percentile

Annual wage thresholds

USD per year

Hourly wage thresholds

USD per hour

Published occupational wage percentiles · United States · May 2025
Percentile	Annual wage (USD/year)	Hourly wage (USD/hour)
10th	$41,810	$20.10
25th	$49,100	$23.61
50th · Median	$61,540	$29.59
75th	$77,690	$37.35
90th	$98,030	$47.13

“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.

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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE

What this career involves.

Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.

Selected title examples

Academic SpecialistAdult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor)Adult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher)Adult Basic Studies TeacherAdult Education CoordinatorAdult Education InstructorAdult Education SpecialistAdult Education TeacherAdult EducatorAdult ESL Instructor (Adult English as a Second Language Instructor)Adult ESL Teacher (Adult English as a Second Language Teacher)Adult Literacy Instructor

Expand more title examples (26)

Adult Literacy TeacherAdult Remedial Education InstructorAdult School TeacherAdult Secondary Education InstructorBilingual InstructorBilingual TeacherCommunity Education SpecialistEnglish InstructorEnglish TeacherESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)ESL Teacher (English as a Second Language Teacher)ESOL Instructor (English for Speakers of Other Languages Instructor)ESOL Teacher (English for Speakers of Other Languages Teacher)GED Instructor (General Educational Development Instructor)GED Preparation Teacher (General Educational Development Preparation Teacher)GED Teacher (General Educational Development Teacher)General Education TeacherInstructorLiteracy CoachLiteracy SpecialistLiteracy TeacherMath Teacher (Mathematics Teacher)Reading SpecialistReading TeacherRemedial Reading, Math, or Other Subject TeacherTeacher

Typical tasks

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.
Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.

Expand more tasks (31)

Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
Assign and grade class work and homework.
Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws or administrative policies.
Conduct classes, workshops, and demonstrations to teach principles, techniques, or methods in subjects, such as basic English language skills, life skills, and workforce entry skills.
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students for whom they are responsible.
Prepare and administer written, oral, and performance tests and issue grades in accordance with performance.
Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
Prepare for assigned classes and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.
Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.
Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.
Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
Review instructional content, methods, and student evaluations to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to develop recommendations for course revision, development, or elimination.
Register, orient, and assess new students according to standards and procedures.
Collaborate with other teachers and professionals in the development of instructional programs.
Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or special academic interests.
Select, order, and issue books, materials, and supplies for courses or projects.
Attend professional meetings, conferences, and workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons that promote learning, following approved curricula.
Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, contests, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
Provide information, guidance, and preparation for the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) examination.
Select and schedule class times to ensure maximum attendance.
Train and assist tutors and community literacy volunteers.
Observe and evaluate the performance of other instructors.
Confer with leaders of government and community groups to coordinate student training or to find opportunities for students to fulfill curriculum requirements.
Participate in publicity planning, community awareness efforts, and student recruitment.
Advise students on internships, prospective employers, and job placement services.

Skills used in this work

Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Expand more skills (29)

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Technology Design: Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Programming: Writing computer programs for various purposes.
Management of Financial Resources: Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Installation: Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

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