Career Explorer Education
Changing shape
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 19% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by -0.2% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on emotional intelligence and creative vision.
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)
- $72,040
- Job growth to 2035
- -0.2%
- Openings a year
- 63,500
- People doing it (2025)
- 1.1 million
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Prepare informational or instructional materials
- Advise others on educational or vocational matters
- Monitor individual behavior or performance
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures
- Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance
- Collaborate in the development of educational programs
What the work looks like
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Career/technical education teachers, middle schoolChanging shape, Index 33, -0.5%
- Kindergarten teachers, except special educationChanging shape, Index 58, -0.3%
- Elementary school teachers, except special educationChanging shape, Index 23, -0.4%
- Special education teachers, secondary schoolChanging shape, Index 29, -0.2%
Also known as: English Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher), Social Studies Teacher, Teacher, Art Teacher, Music Teacher, PE Teacher (Physical Education Teacher), Science 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.