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Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor

A program that prepares individuals to serve as instructors and mentors for adults in basic or functional literacy programs in school, institutional, community, and private settings.

Types of Degrees Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	13

What Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Majors Need to Know

Programs 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

Coursework in 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

Skills emphasized by a Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

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.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 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
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Educational software	Computer based training software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Edmodo	Desktop communications software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Quizlet	Computer based training software	—
Edpuzzle	Multi-media educational software	—
Computerized testing software	Computer based training software	—
Google Workspace software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

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

• Adult Literacy Teaching Aide (Adult Literacy TA)
• Sunday School Teaching Aide (Sunday School TA)
• Tutor Assistant
• Adult ESL TA (Adult English as a Second Language Teaching Aide)
• Literacy Specialist
• Bilingual Instructor
• English Instructor
• Remedial Reading, Math, or Other Subject Teacher
• Instructor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor)
• Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher)
• Literacy Teacher
• Reading Specialist
• Adult Education Teacher
• Adult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher)

What Can You Do With a Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Teaching Assistants, All Other	11.7%	$37,615	$29,976–$45,253

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

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%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	11.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	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?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 are documented 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?

On the earnings side, 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor	5,071
Teaching Assistants/Aides	3,878
Teacher Assistant/Aide	2,543
Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other	1,322
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	901
Multicultural Education	329
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other	326
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other	21
Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language	—

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.