Career Explorer Education
Changing shape
Kindergarten teachers, except special education
Teach academic and social skills to kindergarten students.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 58% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by -0.3% 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)
- $62,680
- Job growth to 2035
- -0.3%
- Openings a year
- 11,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 111,000
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise others on educational or vocational matters
- Prepare informational or instructional materials
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures
- Set up classrooms, facilities, educational materials, or equipment
- Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance
What the work looks like
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
- Demonstrate activities to children.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Preschool teachers, except special educationHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.5%
- Health education specialistsGrows with AI, Index 61, +5.6%
- Coaches and scoutsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +6.1%
- Emergency management directorsGrows with AI, Index 61, +3.9%
Also known as: Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Kinder Teacher, Teacher, Educator, Instructor, Kindergarten Classroom Teacher, Title One Kindergarten 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.