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Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor

Types of Degrees Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	13

What Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Majors Need to Know

Studies in Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.8 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.7 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	3.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.7 / 7
Working with Computers	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Educational software	Computer based training software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—
Quizlet	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Computerized testing software	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates include:

• Sunday School Teaching Aide (Sunday School TA)
• Tutor Assistant
• Adult ESL TA (Adult English as a Second Language Teaching Aide)
• Adult Literacy Teaching Aide (Adult Literacy TA)
• Adult Education Teacher
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Adult ESL Teacher (Adult English as a Second Language Teacher)
• Teacher
• GED Preparation Teacher (General Educational Development Preparation Teacher)
• Adult ESL Instructor (Adult English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Adult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher)
• Adult Educator
• Bilingual Teacher
• Adult Education Instructor
• Adult Education Coordinator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	40.8%
Master’s degree	19.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	11.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	11.4%
Some college courses	3.3%
Post-master’s certificate	2.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 100% of Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor degrees.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	11	84.6%
Black or African American	1	7.7%
Two or More Races	1	7.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$19,820
4 years	$27,870
5 years	$30,544

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $30,544 — roughly 54% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates earn a median of $27,870 four years after completion — about 27% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Teaching Assistants/Aides	13.15
Teacher Assistant/Aide	13.1501
Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other	13.1599
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	13.1201
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	13.0201
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other	13.0299
Multicultural Education	13.0202
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor	13.1401
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other	13.1499
Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language	13.1402

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.