Learning support teacher to adult literacy teacher
A learning support teacher already meets 68% of what the adult literacy teacher role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.7/ 100
1 How much of what an adult literacy teacher is expected to do is already part of a learning support teacher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the adult literacy teacher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An adult literacy teacher role treats 19 of its required skills as things a learning support teacher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt teaching to student's capabilities
- adapt teaching to target group
- apply intercultural teaching strategies
- apply teaching strategies
- assess students
- assessment processes
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An adult literacy teacher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a learning support teacher background worth leading with.
- already held teach reading strategies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held construct individual learning plans management skills
- already held teach writing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt teaching to target group communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held show consideration for student's situation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held encourage students to acknowledge their achievements management skills
All 27 carried skills, including the 19 the adult literacy teacher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn teach basic numeracy skills required
- still to learn teach literacy as a social practice required
- still to learn use pedagogic strategies for creativity required
- still to learn consult students on learning content required
- still to learn manage student relationships required
- optional, not held teach speed reading optional
- optional, not held advise on lesson plans optional
- optional, not held provide immigration advice optional
- optional, not held teach digital literacy optional
- still to learn instructional strategies required
- still to learn adult education required
- optional, not held Computer Assisted Language Learning optional
- still to learn perform classroom management required
- optional, not held assign homework optional
- optional, not held develop learning curriculum optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an adult literacy teacher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 teach basic numeracy skills practise this
- 02 teach literacy as a social practice practise this
- 03 instructional strategies study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held adapt teaching to student's capabilities skill
- already held adapt teaching to target group skill
- already held apply intercultural teaching strategies skill
- already held apply teaching strategies skill
- already held assess students skill
- already held assessment processes knowledge
- already held assist students in their learning skill
- already held curriculum objectives knowledge
- already held demonstrate when teaching skill
- already held encourage students to acknowledge their achievements skill
- already held give constructive feedback skill
- already held guarantee students' safety skill
- already held learning difficulties knowledge
- already held liaise with educational support staff skill
- already held prepare lesson content skill
- already held provide lesson materials skill
- already held show consideration for student's situation skill
- already held teach reading strategies skill
- already held teach writing skill
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held assist students with equipment skill
- already held construct individual learning plans skill
- already held facilitate teamwork between students skill
- already held manage resources for educational purposes skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held teamwork principles knowledge
- already held work with virtual learning environments skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held Computer Assisted Language Learning optional
- optional, not held assign homework optional
- optional, not held teach speed reading optional
- optional, not held advise on lesson plans optional
- optional, not held develop learning curriculum optional
- optional, not held provide immigration advice optional
- optional, not held teach digital literacy optional
31 held skills the adult literacy teacher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply pre-teaching methods skill
- not needed by the target role arrange parent teacher meeting skill
- not needed by the target role assess the development of youth skill
- not needed by the target role assist children with special needs in education settings skill
- not needed by the target role behavioural disorders knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with youth skill
- not needed by the target role counsel students skill
- not needed by the target role escort students on a field trip skill
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify education needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify learning disorders skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of attendance skill
- not needed by the target role language teaching methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role learning needs analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with educational staff skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relations with children's parents skill
- not needed by the target role oversee extra-curricular activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform playground surveillance skill
- not needed by the target role primary school procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide learning support skill
- not needed by the target role provide teacher support skill
- not needed by the target role recognise indicators of gifted student skill
- not needed by the target role school psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role secondary school procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role special needs education knowledge
- not needed by the target role spelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role support gifted students skill
- not needed by the target role teach languages skill
- not needed by the target role teach mathematics skill
- not needed by the target role tutor students skill
- not needed by the target role use learning strategies skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn instructional strategies required
- still to learn adult education required
- optional, not held Computer Assisted Language Learning optional
Common questions about this move
Can a learning support teacher become an adult literacy teacher?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A learning support teacher already covers 68% of what an adult literacy teacher is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 19 of which the adult literacy teacher role treats as required.
What skills does a learning support teacher need to become an adult literacy teacher?
8 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is teach basic numeracy skills.
How hard is the move from learning support teacher to adult literacy teacher?
Its learning distance is 41.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.