Adult Education Instructor
Impact: Adult learner success and workforce readiness through expert adult education instruction
Teach academic, vocational, and life skills courses to adult learners in community colleges, workforce development programmes, literacy programmes, and continuing education settings. Develop curriculum, adapt instruction to diverse adult learning needs, and help adults achieve their educational and career goals.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Team / 40% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- Moderate
- Travel
- 80 to 100% in classroom or online settings
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 35 to 50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Low
At a glance
- Median salary
- $70,000
- Entry-level
- $38,000 - $55,000
- Senior
- $110,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 5% (slower than average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Very Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate - 50 to 65% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- Low
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- 70
Soft skills
- 30
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 1 to 3 years
- Years to senior
- 4 to 7 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Tutor > Adult Education Instructor > Lead Instructor > Programme Director > Dean of Continuing Education
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% low risk as adult education requires human relationship and motivation
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 7/10
- Meaning
- 7/10
- Work-life balance
- 6.5/10
- Prestige
- 7/10
- Social perception
- High