25 of the Highest Paying Adult Education Jobs in 2023

The best Adult Education jobs can pay up to $192,500 per year.

High Paying Adult Education Jobs

• Personal Finance Instructor

  Salary range: $177,500-$192,500 per year

  A personal finance instructor has the important work of teaching the skills for financial literacy to students. Your duties as a personal finance instructor are to plan and teach a course on various money managing strategies that prepares students for life after school. Your class generally covers topics like how to budget money, how to create and balance a checking and savings account, how to accumulate savings, and responsible spending habits. The course may also cover general topics relating to the economy. To fulfill your responsibilities as a personal finance instructor, you must instill in your students a strong understanding of fiscal responsibility and how to achieve a stable financial status.

• Executive Coach

  Salary range: $69,000-$134,500 per year

  Executive coaches work with executives, managers, and occasionally other employees to focus on their strengths and weaknesses and help them to make improvements in their work productivity. Sometimes you work with an individual, other times you will be hired to oversee more significant organizational changes. Your main responsibilities and duties you are meeting clients, discussing their goals, and creating strategies to help them achieve the goals. Your work will vary depending on the company or organization. Rather than teaching a particular skill, you often help a client change their outlook or approach so that they can make their own improvements.

• Executive Business Coach

  Salary range: $45,000-$124,000 per year

  As an executive business coach, your responsibilities are to work one-on-one with a business professional to help them strengthen their leadership skills through personalized training. Your clients are employees of an organization, usually in a management role, who have personal goals like improving their management skills, learning how to lead and interact with their team, and becoming more successful in their position. As an executive business coach, you can take an in-house position or work as an independent consultant, finding your own clients and meeting with them on a flexible schedule.

• Literacy Consultant

  Salary range: $62,500-$98,000 per year

  Literacy consultants work on literacy-related issues with students, teachers, and administrators in educational facilities. In this career, you provide suggestions to improve the organization’s literacy curriculum and offer instruction and assessments to help develop the reading skills of young children. You collaborate with teachers to plan and implement new or improved literacy programs and strategies while providing intervention for students as needed. Other duties include training new staff, helping with student progress assessment, and following district standards.

• Foreign Language Instructor

  Salary range: $78,500-$96,000 per year

  As a foreign language instructor, your responsibilities revolve around working to teach students a foreign language. Your exact job duties depend on the needs, skill level, and age of your students. You instruct speaking, reading, or writing, though your focus may shift depending on your students. You may work on conversational skills and basic proficiency with the language or assist advanced students as they become fluent. You plan the curriculum for the class based on the goals of the students, the academic requirements of the institution (if any), and adjust lesson plans to address student needs.

• Russian Teacher

  Salary range: $42,000-$85,000 per year

  A Russian teacher provides instruction to students who are interested in learning the Russian language and culture. Their job duties include preparing and implementing lesson plans, facilitating interactive speaking and listening activities for students, evaluating student progress through tests and quizzes, and providing feedback. One of the primary goals of a Russian teacher is to transform non-native speakers of Russian into competent speakers of the language. Most Russian teachers work at the high school or university levels.

• Leadership Coach

  Salary range: $40,500-$80,500 per year

  A leadership coach works directly with business executives, organizational heads, and political leaders to help improve their leadership abilities. These skilled teachers use a variety of training techniques to help their clients gain the skills they need to be successful in their positions. A leadership coach can provide group or individual training. In individual training sessions, and often works in partnership with their clients to coach them during real-life leadership scenarios.

• Literacy Specialist

  Salary range: $46,000-$77,500 per year

  A literacy specialist helps people with literacy issues or non-native English speakers learn to read and write. As a reading specialist, your job duties are to work with individuals or small classes, providing them with reading materials, lessons, and supervision. You also complete student assessments and consult with the student’s primary teachers on strategies to improve their students’ reading abilities. Many literacy specialists work in kindergartens or elementary schools, teaching students who have had difficulty with reading skills. Some literacy specialists work with older children or adults.

• Literacy Teacher

  Salary range: $43,000-$75,500 per year

  Literacy teachers focus on improving the reading skills for their students. They may be known by several other titles, such as reading teacher or reading specialist. They work with students who need extra assistance in reading at grade level. Some of these students may have physical or learning disabilities, or they may be non-native English speakers. Instruction may take place in the regular classroom or in small groups outside the classroom. Some adult education programs also hire literacy teachers to work with adults who are non-native English speakers or who have had trouble with reading while they were in school.

• Literary Agent

  Salary range: $44,000-$74,500 per year

  Literary agents represent authors and promote their client’s work with publishers. Typical duties of a literary agent include reviewing manuscripts, discussing literary goals with their clients, marketing their client’s writings to publishers to acquire book deals, and negotiating business contracts. Many literary agents specialize in a specific literary genre or only work with certain types of authors. Some are self-employed while others work for a literary agency. The best literary agents maintain close relationships with a wide variety of publishers.

• Career Development Facilitator

  Salary range: $43,000-$73,500 per year

  A career development facilitator often works at a university or other educational institution, providing students with career planning assistance and education. Their duties may include developing a course of training for people seeking a change in career or providing more information to graduate students looking for jobs in their field. Qualifications for a development facilitator typically include a bachelor’s degree and some experience in a career planning or education office. There are also voluntary certifications available to improve job opportunities.

• Literacy Coordinator

  Salary range: $42,000-$72,000 per year

  A literacy coordinator develops programs for reading and writing in a school. In this career, you integrate the literacy skills of reading and writing into every aspect of student learning. Your job duties also include teaching other educators how to incorporate your literacy program into their classroom curriculums. The qualifications needed for a career as a literacy coordinator include a bachelor’s degree in education and a teaching certificate. You should also gain experience and sharpen your skills through literacy internships while in school.

• Literacy Coach

  Salary range: $51,500-$67,000 per year

  As a literacy coach, you assist teachers in helping students develop their reading skills. Your responsibilities often include providing specialized support to teachers by delivering instructional strategies and offering classroom support. Although the end recipient of your knowledge is the student, your primary client is always the teacher, who you work with as a partner. You must work with the teacher’s pedagogy and curriculum as you help their students learn to read. Due to the increasing use of data, you may also engage in data collection and analysis. You also perform duties as a wider member of the school’s academic team.

• Career Development Coordinator

  Salary range: $43,000-$64,500 per year

  As a career development coordinator, you work in a high school or college environment, providing students and alumni with resources and services related to their job search. You also give administrative assistance to technical educators. You have numerous duties and responsibilities, such as helping students update their resumes and research potential jobs, giving them information about job fairs and employment events, and connecting with recruiters or other professional development coordinators, such as CTE workers. You post openings for students and help them network with fellow students and employers.

• Online ESL Teacher

  Salary range: $41,500-$63,000 per year

  Online English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers provide remote instruction to students seeking to improve their skills in the English language. To meet this goal, Online ESL Teachers create lesson plans and coach students through the various assignments. They perform many of the same functions as a traditional teacher: grading, coaching, and identifying areas for growth. Online ESL Teachers may have scheduled, real-time classroom and office hours in which they engage with students directly over videoconferencing software. Other times, they might pre-record lectures and assign tasks for students to watch and complete on their time. Online ESL Teachers can work from anywhere, but many of their clients might be international. As such, they may be working uncommon hours to accommodate different time zones.

• ESOL Teacher

  Salary range: $46,500-$61,000 per year

  An English for speakers of other languages teacher (ESOL teacher) provides English lessons for non-native speakers. Your duties depend on the setting in which you teach. You can work in a school with students who use English as a second language. Your instruction focuses on communication and practical language skills. Some ESOL teachers work with adult students who recently moved to an English speaking country or who need to learn English for business purposes. In addition to working with students or in an adult education program, you can find employment in schools and language centers in other countries.

• GED instructor

  Salary range: $43,500-$60,500 per year

  A GED instructor teaches students who are preparing to take the General Education Development (GED) exam, which is equivalent to a high school diploma. Your teaching duties include covering the topics that students need to know to earn their GED degree. You can teach in community centers or Adult Basic Education (ABE) facilities. Your responsibilities are also to plan lessons, assess student progress, and offer additional assistance and guidance if necessary. You can also use practice exams to measure students’ performance and define areas where they need further education. The subjects that you cover as a GED instructor include English, math, science, and literature.

• ESL Tutor

  Salary range: $30,000-$57,000 per year

  An English as a second language (ESL) tutor works with children and adult students whose native language is not English. As an ESL tutor, your duties revolve around teaching students the English language through reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities tailored to their skill levels. As your students improve, you increase the difficulty level of your tutoring sessions. You can find work as an ESL tutor through tutoring centers and language schools both in the U.S. and abroad. You can also work as a freelance ESL tutor and market your services to private tutoring clients.

• Public Speaking Coach

  Salary range: $36,000-$57,000 per year

  As a public speaking coach, you provide each client with the training they need to speak in front of groups of any size. Your duties and responsibilities include helping your client adjust their delivery style, improve their vocal skills, and determine the best type of communication for each venue. Public speaking coaches usually work one-on-one or with small groups for the duration of a contract, but some larger companies may employ full-time public speaking coaches to help train sales and marketing staff. You must have excellent presenting skills yourself, and the qualifications for each role may vary by client.

• Transition Specialist

  Salary range: $39,000-$57,000 per year

  A transition specialist is a counselor who works with students to help with their career growth. They help them determine the right combination of education and experience needed to plan their career and look to advance in the future. They often perform their job in a school or similar educational setting and have a master's degree along with counseling experience. The job duties of a transition specialist include counseling on behavioral issues, teaching students time management skills, and helping with job searches, resumes, and the interview process.

• Continuing Education Instructor

  Salary range: $36,000-$56,500 per year

  The duties of a continuing education instructor include teaching adult education programs, often at a vocational school or community center. You help students achieve professional goals, such as earning a certification or completing mandatory continuing education hours, and you also encourage people to pursue subjects they enjoy, such as art, cooking, or music. Additionally, your responsibilities encompass the traditional elements of instruction: designing lessons, providing lectures and projects, grading assignments, and providing feedback. As an instructor, your qualifications should include an advanced degree or significant experience in the given subject. You also need great communication skills to help you engage with a diverse community of adult learners.

• Career Transition Specialist

  Salary range: $39,000-$56,500 per year

  A career transition specialist helps people move from one stage of their career to the next by focusing on their job search, career readiness, and qualifications. Responsibilities include providing guidance and preparation to students or clients seeking employment. Other duties include conducting mock interviews and helping with resume writing. A career transition specialist identifies a client’s skills and helps them with job placement. In some cases, these specialists help individuals dealing with things such as behavioral problems, addiction, or similar issues reenter the job corps. Qualifications typically include a bachelor’s or master’s degree in counseling or a related field.

• Financial Coach

  Salary range: $39,500-$56,000 per year

  A financial coach helps clients set and reach their financial goals using a coaching model relationship. As a financial coach, your responsibilities include assisting clients to assess their resources and expenses, make calculations regarding debt, and set budgets. You are also there to provide accountability. Your job is different than that of financial advisors or consultants. You help facilitate the client’s goals as they determine the best path for themselves. Your job is to help clients address concerns they have about money and financial security by coaching them into better choices and reaching their goals.

• Career Advisor

  Salary range: $42,000-$56,000 per year

  A career advisor, sometimes called a counselor or coach, provides career guidance. They often use assessments to evaluate the interests and skills of individual clients and make suggestions to increase chances of employment. Responsibilities include helping clients find continuing education programs, improve their interview skills, and network effectively. Other duties include working with clients to find job opportunities and write a good resume. If problems have occurred in the workplace for a client, they may offer guidance on the best way to handle the situation.

• Life Enrichment Director

  Salary range: $37,000-$56,000 per year

  The responsibilities of a life enrichment director involve working to coordinate activities based on resident interests in an assisted living facility, senior care home, or another similar residential setting. Your duties in this career may include making an assessment of group or individual needs, running a volunteer program, or working to get residents access to outside resources that can improve their quality of life. You may develop programs for social events, hobbies, group outings, or physical fitness depending on the needs of residents.

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