Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors salary by state
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$68,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$7,000
10.3% of base
Total target cash
$75,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$4,00050th$7,00075th$11,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
ShareLink copied
About this role
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors is a professional role within the function in the Educational Instruction and Library job family.
Typical entry preparation: Bachelor's Degree and up to 2 years of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
What Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructorss do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
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.
Top skills:InstructingSpeakingReading ComprehensionLearning StrategiesActive ListeningWriting
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors pay by experience level
Entry level$43,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$51,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$63,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$80,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$101,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
-13.7%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
3,900
projected openings per year
Declining
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors salary by industry
Educational Services
30,790 workers
$68,500
Educational Services, Local Government Owned
19,910 workers
$72,500
Elementary and Secondary Schools
13,660 workers
$69,500
Junior Colleges
9,540 workers
$68,000
Educational Services, Privately Owned
6,210 workers
$60,500
Educational Services, State Government Owned
4,670 workers
$61,000
Other Schools and Instruction
4,080 workers
$63,000
Social Assistance
2,850 workers
$58,500
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
2,500 workers
$74,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
1,870 workers
$79,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $55,350 to $61,540.
+11.2% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$43,500
Early career25th percentile
$51,000
Median50th percentile
$63,500
Experienced75th percentile
$80,500
Top earners90th percentile
$101,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
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.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Professional, Administrative, or Executive exemption
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Exempt when paid above the salary threshold, provided they satisfy the duties test for one of the FLSA exemption categories. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$68,000
2027$70,500
2028$73,000
2029$75,500
2030$78,000
2031$81,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
Get your Personal Pay Report for Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
Keep your market comparison in a print-ready PDF, with negotiation targets, a script using your numbers, and a five-year market-pay illustration. Career ladder where available.
StateYears of experienceCurrent salary
One-time purchase. Review the final total, including any applicable tax, in Stripe before you pay. Report available immediately after successful payment. Full refund on request within 7 days of purchase. Refund terms. Prefer to explore first? Run a free market check.
Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
Your free market check includes an estimated percentile and pay gap when you enter your salary. The paid report adds a PDF, negotiation targets and script, and a five-year market-pay illustration. See a full sample report
How much does a Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors make?
The median market pay for a Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors in the United States is about $68,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors?
Most Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors pay falls between about $51,000 (25th percentile) and $80,500 (75th percentile), with top earners above $101,500.
What does a Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors do?
Core responsibilities include: observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress and make suggestions for improvement; and observe students to determine qualifications, limitations, abilities, interests, and other individual characteristics.
Is pay for Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $55,350 in 2020 to $61,540 in 2025, a change of +11.2% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors pays 23% below the average across 65 roles in the Educational Instruction and Library job family (family average $88,500).
Similar-paying roles in Educational Instruction and Library
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors make?
The average base salary for a Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors in the United States is $68,000 per year, or about $32.69 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $51,000 and $80,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Educational Instruction and Library roles?
The Educational Instruction and Library job family averages $88,500 across 65 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
Need Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
