Occupation salary profile

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

SOC 25-3011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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.

National median · BLS
$61,540
▲ +2.65% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$54,080
▲ +0% YoY · 15 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$65,860
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
37,310
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

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

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 15 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$41,810$43,858
25th$49,100$49,500
Median (50th)$61,540$54,080
75th$77,690$63,537
90th — top pay$98,030$66,726
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $54,080 for Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors — 12.1% below the BLS national median of $61,540.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Monthly—
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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

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

BLS projects employment of adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors to decline 13.9% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 3,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
41,100 → 35,400
-5,700 jobs
Projected change
-13.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
3,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $54,080
Change vs prior year +0%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.04%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 12 80% $47,570 $52,416 $57,528
Skills & tools

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

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Instructing4.3
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Learning Strategies3.8
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Monitoring3.6
  • Writing3.6
  • Active Learning3.5
  • Critical Thinking3.5
  • Social Perceptiveness3.5
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language4.4
  • Education and Training3.9
  • Customer and Personal Service3.5
  • Administrative3.2
  • Administration and Management2.9
  • Mathematics2.8
  • Psychology2.7
  • Sociology and Anthropology2.6
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareAdobe PhotoshopFacebookGoogle Workspace softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordSAP softwareZoomBlackboard softwareComputerized testing softwareEdmodoEdpuzzleEducational softwareGoogle ClassroomKahoot!Learning management system LMS

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors do

  • 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.
  • 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.
Also called
Adult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor)ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)GED Instructor (General Educational Development Instructor)TeacherAdult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher)Adult Education InstructorAdult Education TeacherESL Teacher (English as a Second Language Teacher)ESOL Teacher (English for Speakers of Other Languages Teacher)GED Teacher (General Educational Development Teacher)
More job titles for this occupation (28)
Academic SpecialistAdult Basic Studies TeacherAdult Education CoordinatorAdult Education SpecialistAdult EducatorAdult ESL Instructor (Adult English as a Second Language Instructor)Adult ESL Teacher (Adult English as a Second Language Teacher)Adult Literacy InstructorAdult Literacy TeacherAdult Remedial Education InstructorAdult School TeacherAdult Secondary Education InstructorBilingual InstructorBilingual TeacherCommunity Education SpecialistEnglish InstructorEnglish TeacherESOL Instructor (English for Speakers of Other Languages Instructor)GED Preparation Teacher (General Educational Development Preparation Teacher)General Education TeacherInstructorLiteracy CoachLiteracy SpecialistLiteracy TeacherMath Teacher (Mathematics Teacher)Reading SpecialistReading TeacherRemedial Reading, Math, or Other Subject Teacher

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.