How To Become An Adult Literacy Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an adult literacy instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Rodney Foster

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an adult literacy instructor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.58 an hour? That's $38,638 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -6% and produce -2,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an adult literacy instructor?

Rodney Foster

Instructor - Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor - Airframe & Powerplant Technology, Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College (OCC) teaches Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) and Avionics. Although the Government has dampened air travel by putting up restrictions to prevent a Covid-19 spread, there is still a certified mechanic/skilled labor shortage. I believe all our students will have permanent jobs within a six-month search. OCC AMT is listed as an essential workforce by the state of California and is back in classes full-time, Face-to-face labs, and online lectures. Our next semester registration maximum filled in two days and still has over 35 additional students per class on the waiting list.

ScoreAdult Literacy InstructorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,638

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate -6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.53%

Asian 6.00%

Black or African American 12.12%

Hispanic or Latino 14.97%

Unknown 5.52%

White 60.86%

Gender

female 72.09%

male 27.91%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.9

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an adult literacy instructor

Explore adult literacy instructor education requirements

Most common adult literacy instructor degrees

Bachelor's

60.6 %

Master's

19.9 %

Associate

11.5 %

Start to develop specific adult literacy instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Math	14.23%
Adult Education	13.27%
CPR	13.07%
Professional Development	10.93%
Classroom Management	6.35%

Complete relevant adult literacy instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New adult literacy instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an adult literacy instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real adult literacy instructor resumes.

Research adult literacy instructor duties and responsibilities

Manage groups of kids on a daily basis in the field to ensure safety while participating in activities.
Administer achievement tests and evaluates test results to discover level of language and math skills.
Instruct adults in math, reading, writing, science, social studies in preparation for GED.
Create & design curriculum and class syllabus.

Prepare your adult literacy instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your adult literacy instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an adult literacy instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable adult literacy instructor resume templates

Build a professional adult literacy instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your adult literacy instructor resume.