Online Adult Education Teacher
As an adult educator you may provide training in colleges, universities, vocational schools, and continuing education programs to help adult students become more productive citizens and also improve their skills related to business, work culture, and family standards. To become a professional in this field of teaching you need to possess good social skills as you will be interacting with people from a wide range of social backgrounds. Read on to know more about what it takes to become an Adult Education teacher.
Currently, most online courses for adult education are only available at the master’s and doctorate, or PhD, level.
Qualifications: Courses, Training, Licensure
A bachelor’s degree from any accredited university/college will qualify you to teach adults. Administrators may need teaching experience and a master’s degree or doctorate in community education and administration. Some adult and continuing education jobs require no formal training; others demand demonstrated expertise and education. For example, a photography teacher may need a professional portfolio to qualify for a position, a writing instructor may need to be a published author, or a personal finance instructor may need an accounting background.
Note: Most basic education workers need only a bachelor’s degree, but those who teach in public high schools may need teacher certification.
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Required Skills
Successful Adult Education teachers require a slightly different set of skills than most teachers. Because they work with adults, they avoid many of the difficulties associated with teaching children. Adult students are typically motivated and eager to learn. For this reason, an Adult and Continuing Education teacher needs strong interpersonal skills, an approachable attitude, and an aptitude for their subject and teaching others. Educators should also be interested in working with a variety of different people from many different educational and cultural backgrounds.
Nature of the Work and Working Conditions
Adult Education teachers work in a variety of educational settings and instruct their adult students in courses such as Art, Music, Math, Language, Technology, Cooking, and Health. They usually teach evening classes at public high schools. Most schools that offer basic Adult Education courses provide instruction in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and often English as a Second Language. At times Adult Education teachers may even need to assist students in acquiring successful study skills and in building self-confidence. They may also have to set clear objectives for students and guide or counsel them, and track their progress. Teachers also may encounter students with learning or physical disabilities, so teachers must possess an understanding of how to help these students achieve their goals
Job Opportunities and Salaries
Many adult and continuing education teachers work with students seeking self-enrichment and recreation, or those seeking academic or vocational instruction for career advancement. In the past few years, teachers of adult literacy held about 76,000 jobs. Many of these jobs were federally funded, with additional funds coming from State and local governments. However, the Adult and Continuing Education career field is expected to see a growth of 32% through 2018.
In relation to the yearly income, the profession offers a salary that is simply one of the best in the current scenario. Generally, the median hourly earnings of Adult Education teachers are $43,910. Nevertheless, the most inspiring picture of this career is that the lowest 10 percent earns less than $25,310, and the highest 10 percent earns more than $75,680. Part-time workers are usually paid a good amount by the hour or for each class that they teach.
Now What Are You Waiting For?
If becoming a qualified Adult Educator is your goal, go ahead and pick the online Adult Education program that suits you the most from the list of courses offered by accredited universities and be on the way to building a successful career!
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics