Career: Adult Educators
Sometimes adults go to school because they have to. They may need to improve their English skills or computer skills or earn a high school diploma in order to get a better job. Other times, adults attend classes for fun. They might want to learn how to bake mouth-watering desserts or draw funny cartoons.
Whether they're in class out of necessity or for pleasure, adults are usually motivated to get the most out of class time. Their eagerness to learn makes teaching them a deeply rewarding experience.
Adult educators teach a variety of subjects to adults in places such as community colleges, adult high schools, university extension programs, and prisons. They often work part-time.
“It's important to start teaching early and to get comfortable talking in front of a group.”
Hank, Community Educator
Are You Ready To...?
- Create classes and lesson plans
- Keep track of student progress
- Provide students with advice and counseling
- Work with employers, government agencies, and schools
- Attend workshops and conferences
It Helps to Be...
Interested in how adults learn. Mentally, they tend to be more developed than kids, but also less flexible. Some adults have low confidence about their learning abilities. On the other hand, adults usually know what they want to learn and why they want to learn it.
Make High School Count
- Do paid or volunteer work as a tutor, camp counselor, or coach.
- Observe adults when they're learning new things. What strengths and weaknesses do they have as learners? What kinds of help do they need in order to master new skills?
- Study psychology and family and consumer science to develop your communication skills and learn about issues affecting adults.
- Get involved in theater, debate, or speech, and practice speaking in front of groups.
- Pay attention to your interests to gain clues about what subjects you might teach later on.
“A person who gets to know the student well has a good chance of succeeding at teaching.”
Tobey, ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for adult educators to grow as fast as the average for all careers through 2014. Jobs for community educators (teachers of classes taken for pleasure, such as crafts) should grow faster than average.
Compensation
In 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, teachers who taught adults how to read or master other basic academic subject matter, prepared them to take the GED (high school equivalency diploma), or taught ESL earned an average of $22.45 an hour. Community educators earned an average of $18.50 an hour.
