How to hire adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors

A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.

$29.59U.S. median hourly pay
$49,100–$77,690Middle half, yearly
37,310People in this job in the U.S.

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs, abilities, and interests.
• Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
• Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
• 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.
• Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
• Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
• Prepare students for further education by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong active listening, learning strategies, reading comprehension, speaking, monitoring and writing skills
• Working knowledge of English Language, education and training and customer and personal service
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.59 an hour ($61,540 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Check your finished job post

Interview questions for adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

  1. Tell me about a time you had to adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs, abilities, and interests. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  2. Tell me about a time you had to establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  3. Tell me about a time you had to instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  4. Tell me about a time you had to observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress and make suggestions for improvement. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
  6. How do you teach yourself a new process, and how would you teach it to someone else?
  7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
  8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

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

  • Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs, abilities, and interests.
  • Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
  • Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
  • 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.
  • Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
  • Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  • Prepare students for further education by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningLearning StrategiesReading ComprehensionSpeakingMonitoringWritingEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingCustomer and Personal Service

Education, experience and outlook for adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors

  • Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
  • Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
  • Job outlook: -13.9% over ten years, declining · about 3,800 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

StateMedian yearly pay
California$102,030
New Jersey$81,100
New York$78,010
Minnesota$76,800
Washington$69,990
Colorado$51,170
Texas$49,490
Ohio$47,190

See adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors pay in every state

Related hiring guides

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Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.