Open Site - Society: Education: Higher Education: Employment: Opportunities

Top: Society: Education: Higher Education: Employment: Opportunities

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Employment in the United States

Teachers of adult literacy, remedial, and self-enrichment education held about 280,000 jobs in 2002. About 1 in 5 was self-employed. Many additional teachers worked as unpaid volunteers.

Nearly three-quarters, or 200,000, of the jobs were held by self-enrichment teachers. The largest numbers of these workers were employed by public and private educational institutions, religious organizations, and providers of social assistance and amusement and recreation services.

Adult literacy, basic education, and GED teachers and instructors held about 80,000 jobs. Many of the jobs are federally funded, with additional funds coming from State and local governments. The education industry employs the majority of these teachers, who work in adult learning centers, libraries, or community colleges. Others work for social service organizations such as job-training or residential care facilities. Still others work for State and local governments, providing basic education at juvenile detention and corrections institutions, among other places.

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Outlook in the United States

Opportunities for jobs as adult literacy, remedial, and self-enrichment education teachers are expected to be favorable. Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012, and a large number of job openings is expected, due to the need to replace people who leave the occupation or retire.

Self-enrichment education teachers account for the largest proportion of jobs in these occupations. The need for self-enrichment teachers is expected to grow as more people embrace lifelong learning and as the baby boomers begin to retire and have more time to take classes. Subjects that are not easily researched on the Internet and those that provide hands-on experiences, such as cooking, crafts, and the arts, will be in greater demand. Also, classes on spirituality and self-improvement are expected to be popular.

As employers increasingly require a more literate workforce, workers’ demand for adult literacy, basic education, and secondary education classes is expected to grow. Significant employment growth is anticipated especially for ESOL teachers, who will be needed by the increasing number of immigrants and other residents living in this country who need to learn, or enhance their skills in, English. In addition, a greater proportion of these groups is expected to take ESOL classes. Demand for ESOL teachers will be greatest in States such as California, Florida, Texas, and New York, due to their large populations of residents who have limited English skills. However, parts of the Midwest and Plains States have begun to attract large numbers of immigrants, making for especially good opportunities in those areas as well.

The demand for adult literacy and basic and secondary education often fluctuates with the economy. When the economy is good and workers are hard to find, employers relax their standards and hire workers without a degree or GED or those with limited proficiency in English. As the economy softens, more students find that they need additional education to get a job. However, adult education classes often are subject to changes in funding levels, which can cause the number of teaching jobs to fluctuate from year to year. In addition, factors such as immigration policies and the relative prosperity of the United States compared with other countries may have an impact on the number of immigrants entering this country and, consequently, on the demand for ESOL teachers.