Changing shape

Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors

Teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in basic education, literacy, or English as a Second Language classes, or in classes for earning a high school equivalency credential.

AI Resistance Index 15 of 99

Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 15% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by -13.9% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on creative vision and emotional intelligence.

AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.

Median pay (2025): $61,540
Job growth to 2035: -13.9%
Openings a year: 3,800
People doing it (2025): 41,100
Usual route in: Bachelor's degree

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Where people already use AI for this work

Prepare informational or instructional materials
Monitor individual behavior or performance
Advise others on educational or vocational matters

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance
Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures
Collaborate in the development of educational programs

What the work looks like

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.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as enrollment rates in ABE and ASE classes are expected to decline due to fewer high school dropouts, which will reduce the need for these types of teachers.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Educational instruction and library workers, all otherChanging shape, Index 26, +1.8%
Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary schoolChanging shape, Index 18, -0.4%
Instructional coordinatorsChanging shape, Index 21, +1.6%
Urban and regional plannersGrows with AI, Index 23, +3.9%

Also known as: Adult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor), ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor), GED Instructor (General Educational Development Instructor), Teacher, Adult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher), Adult Education Instructor, Adult Education Teacher, ESL Teacher (English as a Second Language Teacher).

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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.