University teaching assistant to adult literacy teacher
A university teaching assistant already meets 36% of what the adult literacy teacher role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.5/ 100
1 How much of what an adult literacy teacher is expected to do is already part of a university teaching assistant’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 10 of its required skills as things a university teaching assistant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess students
- assessment processes
- assist students in their learning
- consult students on learning content
- curriculum objectives
- give constructive feedback
What stands in the way is 17 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 15 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 university teaching assistant background worth leading with.
- already held consult students on learning content communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held assign homework management skills
- already held liaise with educational support staff communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held assist in the organisation of school events management skills
- already held assist students with equipment assisting and caring
- already held work with virtual learning environments working with computers
All 15 carried skills, including the 10 the adult literacy teacher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 5 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 teach writing required
- still to learn use pedagogic strategies for creativity required
- still to learn adapt teaching to student's capabilities required
- still to learn adapt teaching to target group required
- still to learn apply intercultural teaching strategies required
- still to learn apply teaching strategies required
- still to learn demonstrate when teaching required
- still to learn manage student relationships required
- still to learn show consideration for student's situation required
- still to learn teach reading strategies 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
- still to learn learning difficulties required
- optional, not held Computer Assisted Language Learning optional
- still to learn encourage students to acknowledge their achievements required
- still to learn perform classroom management required
- optional, not held facilitate teamwork between students optional
- optional, not held construct individual learning plans optional
- optional, not held develop learning curriculum optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
- optional, not held mathematics 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 15 skills that carry over
- already held assess students skill
- already held assessment processes knowledge
- already held assist students in their learning skill
- already held consult students on learning content skill
- already held curriculum objectives knowledge
- already held give constructive feedback skill
- already held guarantee students' safety skill
- already held liaise with educational support staff skill
- already held prepare lesson content skill
- already held provide lesson materials skill
- already held assign homework skill
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held assist students with equipment skill
- already held manage resources for educational purposes skill
- already held work with virtual learning environments skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held Computer Assisted Language Learning optional
- optional, not held facilitate teamwork between students optional
- optional, not held teach speed reading optional
- optional, not held advise on lesson plans optional
- optional, not held construct individual learning plans optional
- optional, not held develop learning curriculum optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
- optional, not held provide immigration advice optional
- optional, not held teach digital literacy optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
15 held skills the adult literacy teacher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role action research knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role assist students with their dissertation skill
- not needed by the target role conduct qualitative research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quantitative research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct scholarly research skill
- not needed by the target role escort students on a field trip skill
- not needed by the target role monitor developments in field of expertise skill
- not needed by the target role oversee extra-curricular activities skill
- not needed by the target role provide assistance to lecturer skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on study programmes skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise practical courses skill
- not needed by the target role university procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
6 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
- still to learn learning difficulties required
- optional, not held Computer Assisted Language Learning optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
Other moves recorded from university teaching assistant
Common questions about this move
Can a university teaching assistant become an adult literacy teacher?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A university teaching assistant already covers 36% of what an adult literacy teacher is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 10 of which the adult literacy teacher role treats as required.
What skills does a university teaching assistant need to become an adult literacy teacher?
17 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 5 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 university teaching assistant to adult literacy teacher?
Its learning distance is 68.5 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.