EDUCATIONAL SERVICES (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Education in the United States is the underpinning of the culture. An informed, literate, thinking population is essential to maintaining and improving the condition of the American people and to assisting other nations in raising their standards of living. Today, education is a broader enterprise than just teaching. Occupations within the field include: elementary teacher, corporate trainer, secondary teacher, vocational teacher, recreation programs coordinator, public health training coordinator, college instructor or professor, college administrator, school principal, education lobbyist, and many more.

Workers in the educational services industry take part in all aspects of education, from teaching and counseling students to driving school buses and serving cafeteria lunches. Although 2 out of 3 workers in educational services are employed in professional and related occupations, the industry employs many administrative support, managerial, service, and other workers. (See table 2.)

Teachers account for almost half of all workers in the industry. Their duties depend on the age group and subject they teach, as well as on the type of institution in which they work. Teachers should have a sincere interest in helping students and should also have the ability to inspire respect, trust, and confidence. Strong speaking and writing skills, inquiring and analytical minds, and a desire to pursue and disseminate knowledge are vital prerequisites for teachers.

Education administrators provide vision, direction, leadership, and day-to-day management of educational activities in schools, colleges and universities, businesses, correctional institutions, museums, and job training and community service organizations. They set educational standards and goals and aid in establishing the policies and procedures to carry them out. They develop academic programs; monitor students’ educational progress; hire, train, motivate, and evaluate teachers and other staff; manage counseling and other student services; administer recordkeeping; prepare budgets; and handle relations with staff, parents, current and prospective students, employers, and the community.

Also included in this industry are institutions that provide training and services to the education industry, such as curriculum development and student exchanges. Also included are schools or programs that offer nonacademic or self-enrichment classes, such as automobile driving and cooking instruction, among other things.

Occupation Highlights:

• With about 1 in 4 Americans enrolled in educational institutions, educational services is the second largest industry, accounting for about 12.7 million jobs.
• Most teaching positions—which constitute almost half of all educational services jobs—require at least a bachelor’s degree, and some require a master’s or doctoral degree.
• Retirements in a number of education professions will create many job openings.

Earnings (Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook)

Median annual earnings of environmental scientists were $47,600 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $36,820 and $62,400. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,920, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $78,200.

Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest number of environmental scientists in 2002 were as follows:

Additional Resources:

American College Personnel Association
www.myacpa.org

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
www.naspa.org

Chronicle of Higher Education
www.chronicle.com

Jobs in Higher Education
www.higheredjobs.com

American Federation of Teachers
555 New Jersey Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.aft.org

National Education Association
1201 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20036
www.nea.org

Occupational Outlook Handbook (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
www.bls.gov/oco

Citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2004-05 Edition, Educational Services, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs034.htm