You teach English to second language learners. As an English Language Learner Teacher, you're building language skills, supporting content learning, and helping students master academic English.
Transition Teachers work with students with disabilities preparing for adult life — a specific special education function that focuses on the post-secondary outcomes of employment, independent living, and continuing education for students typically ages 14-21. IDEA requires transition planning to begin by age 16 (and often earlier), and transition teachers coordinate and often directly teach the skills and experiences that prepare students for adulthood.
The curriculum is broadly functional: job skills, self-advocacy, daily living skills, community navigation, and college or vocational program preparation depending on the individual student's goals. Teaching these skills requires both the creativity to make abstract future planning concrete and the practical knowledge to connect students with real community resources and experiences.
Coordination across agencies and services is central — adult disability services, vocational rehabilitation, community employment providers, and post-secondary programs all play roles in adult outcomes for students with disabilities. Knowing those systems and building the relationships that make them work for students takes time. People who thrive tend to be passionate advocates for adult outcomes and genuine independence for people with disabilities, organized enough to manage complex transition planning requirements, and motivated by watching former students enter adult life with skills and supports that actually work.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
You teach English to second language learners. As an English Language Learner Teacher, you're building language skills, supporting content learning, and helping students master academic English.
Median pay for a Transition Teacher is about $70K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $48K to $106K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Instructing, Learning Strategies, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 1.6% through 2034, with roughly 162,780 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Resource Teacher, High School Teacher, and Sign Language Teacher.
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