# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/adult-basic-education-adult-secondary-education-and-english-as-a-second-language
- SOC code: 25-3011.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $61,540 (10th percentile $41,810, 90th percentile $98,030)
- Projected growth: Decline, -13.9%
- Openings a year: 3,800
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SAC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 22 |
| Investigative (I) | 36 |
| Artistic (A) | 49 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 31 |
| Conventional (C) | 40 |

## What you'd do

- Thinking Creatively (importance 78/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 75/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 71/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 71/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 70/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 69/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 68/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 67/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 67/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 66/100)

## Skills

Instructing, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Monitoring, Writing, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness

## Knowledge

English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media

## Also called

Academic Specialist, Adult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor), Adult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher), Adult Basic Studies Teacher, Adult Education Coordinator, Adult Education Instructor, Adult Education Specialist, Adult Education Teacher, Adult Educator, Adult ESL Instructor (Adult English as a Second Language Instructor)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1312) (CIP 1312, 1,830 colleges)
- [Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1314) (CIP 1314, 438 colleges)
- [Teaching Assistants/Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1315) (CIP 1315, 233 colleges)
- [Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1302) (CIP 1302, 189 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [College of Staten Island CUNY](https://www.collegesref.com/college/college-of-staten-island-cuny-621) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,195 | $75,637 | not reported |
| [CUNY Hunter College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-hunter-college-739) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,784 | $73,857 | not reported |
| [Monroe College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/monroe-college-1752) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $63,150 | $73,537 | not reported |
| [St. John's University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/st-john-s-university-new-york-2579) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | not reported | $69,439 | $27,000 |
| [University of the Pacific](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-the-pacific-3061) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $44,998 | $69,342 | not reported |
| [CUNY City College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-city-college-736) | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | $56,145 | $68,614 | not reported |
| [CUNY York College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-york-college-749) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $60,692 | $67,862 | not reported |
| [Hofstra University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/hofstra-university-1214) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | not reported | $67,847 | $22,750 |

## Related careers

- [Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/elementary-school-teachers-except-special-education): $63,970 median pay
- [Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/secondary-school-teachers-except-special-and-career-technical-education): $72,040 median pay
- [Tutors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/tutors): $43,350 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-kindergarten): $65,120 median pay
- [Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/middle-school-teachers-except-special-and-career-technical-education): $64,370 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Elementary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-elementary-school): $65,120 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.