What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary in the U.S. earn more than $78,760 a year — the middle 80% land between $48,270 and $137,250. About 57,720 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$78,760typical pay / year
57,720people in this work
$137,250+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Keeping the record6
Teach classes using online technology
+Prepare next week’s online seminar for Introduction to Modern Poetry: upload the reading packet, create a…
Teach classes using online technology
+Prepare next week’s online seminar for Introduction to Modern Poetry: upload the reading packet, create a timed slide sequence with discussion prompts aligned to the learning outcomes, set attendance rules and the breakout-room questions, and post the student-facing session plan by Monday evening.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
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Act as advisers to student organizations.
+Confirm my role as faculty advisor for the Literary Society: draft an event oversight memo, attach the club…
Act as advisers to student organizations.
+Confirm my role as faculty advisor for the Literary Society: draft an event oversight memo, attach the club constitution and risk plan, propose three meeting dates that avoid finals week, and email the memo and attachments to Maya in Student Life and the society president by Wednesday noon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
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Participate in campus and community events
+Accept the invitation to speak at the town reading night, confirm my forty-five minute slot and technical…
Participate in campus and community events
+Accept the invitation to speak at the town reading night, confirm my forty-five minute slot and technical needs, request a table for book sales, and circulate a short bio and reading list to the campus events coordinator and the local library liaison by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
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Collaborate with colleagues on teaching and research
+Share the draft syllabus and annotated bibliography with my teaching group, request feedback on assessment…
Collaborate with colleagues on teaching and research
+Share the draft syllabus and annotated bibliography with my teaching group, request feedback on assessment rubrics, propose a joint guest-lecture slot for Dr. Chen, and collect responses in one shared folder by next Wednesday so we can finalise cross-listed modules.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NET
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Prepare lesson plans and materials
+Write three detailed lesson plans for first-year undergraduates on Victorian realism, each with learning…
Prepare lesson plans and materials
+Write three detailed lesson plans for first-year undergraduates on Victorian realism, each with learning outcomes, core readings, a 30‑minute close-reading activity, assessment criteria, and suggested lecture slides for next Monday’s seminar.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordGoogle DocsESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
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Conduct staff performance evaluations.
+Complete a performance review for Dr. Anjali Rao covering teaching, research, and service: give specific…
Conduct staff performance evaluations.
+Complete a performance review for Dr. Anjali Rao covering teaching, research, and service: give specific examples, a development goal for next year, and recommended support, then schedule a feedback meeting for the week after exams.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
+Finalize the department meeting minutes, update the semester teaching rota, confirm external examiner visits…
Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
+Finalize the department meeting minutes, update the semester teaching rota, confirm external examiner visits for October, and circulate the signed departmental workload allocation to faculty by next Wednesday after checking budgets and leave records.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft OutlookO*NET
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Write original literary pieces.
+Finish the opening section of the new short story sequence exploring urban migration, proof the draft for…
Write original literary pieces.
+Finish the opening section of the new short story sequence exploring urban migration, proof the draft for voice and rhythm, insert two striking opening paragraphs, and deliver a clean manuscript to my workshop group by Monday evening.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
+Draft the project narrative and budget justification for a three-year comparative literature fellowship on…
Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
+Draft the project narrative and budget justification for a three-year comparative literature fellowship on diasporic archives, attach CV and timeline, and submit the completed proposal to the research office for institutional review by Friday noon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Review manuscripts for publication in professional journals.
+Read the submitted manuscript in full, annotate strengths and weaknesses against the journal's criteria,…
Review manuscripts for publication in professional journals.
+Read the submitted manuscript in full, annotate strengths and weaknesses against the journal's criteria, write a one-page decision letter with recommended revisions or rejection, and upload my report to the editor within ten days.
The tools that do the workAdobe Acrobat ReaderO*NET
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Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
+Prepare a consultancy brief that outlines two policy recommendations for the cultural ministry based on my…
Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
+Prepare a consultancy brief that outlines two policy recommendations for the cultural ministry based on my research, include an executive summary and evidence appendix, and send the brief to the policy lead with a two-week turnaround.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Conduct research and publish findings
+Assemble the article draft on archival poetics, format figures and citations, create a submission-ready…
Conduct research and publish findings
+Assemble the article draft on archival poetics, format figures and citations, create a submission-ready bibliography, and submit the manuscript to the chosen journal after a final proofread by Friday night.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions
+Start the seminar on Woolf and migration by posting the discussion prompt, seating chart, and two short close…
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions
+Start the seminar on Woolf and migration by posting the discussion prompt, seating chart, and two short close readings to the course page, assign student-led roles for today, and moderate the live discussion for 50 minutes, stepping in to refocus when posts go off-topic.
The tools that do the workBlackboard Collaboratejob descriptionsO*NET
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Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students
+Prepare Wednesday’s 75-minute lecture on modernist narrative techniques: assemble a 30-slide outline with…
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students
+Prepare Wednesday’s 75-minute lecture on modernist narrative techniques: assemble a 30-slide outline with three close-reading examples, one short in-class handout, and speaker notes tracking questions to ask at 20 and 50 minutes, then upload to the syllabus folder for students to preview.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptionsO*NET
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Keep abreast of developments in the field
+Survey journals and conference proceedings this month, pull five recent articles on postcolonial poetics,…
Keep abreast of developments in the field
+Survey journals and conference proceedings this month, pull five recent articles on postcolonial poetics, annotate each with a two-sentence takeaway, and add them to the reading stream so I can cite developments in next week’s lecture and advise two PhD students.
The tools that do the workApple Safarijob descriptionsO*NET
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Schedule courses
+Set the next semester’s course timetable: confirm enrolment caps, reserve Mondays 2–4pm for Introduction to…
Schedule courses
+Set the next semester’s course timetable: confirm enrolment caps, reserve Mondays 2–4pm for Introduction to Literary Theory, block Thursdays 10–12 for Graduate Seminar, and notify the department scheduler and enrolled students of the published times by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
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Write letters of recommendation for students
+Write a detailed recommendation for Mira Patel applying to the MA program: describe her research on urban…
Write letters of recommendation for students
+Write a detailed recommendation for Mira Patel applying to the MA program: describe her research on urban ecocriticism, give two examples of her seminar work and grades, assess readiness for graduate study, and send the signed letter to the program coordinator by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
+Compile a specialized bibliography for outside reading on African diasporic memoirs: assemble twenty sources…
Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
+Compile a specialized bibliography for outside reading on African diasporic memoirs: assemble twenty sources with full citations, one-line annotations, and three grouping categories, then upload the list to the course resources and email it to students before Friday’s seminar.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsO*NET
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Monitor the students' progress
+Check the current progress spreadsheet, flag students below 70% on participation or assessment, add one-line…
Monitor the students' progress
+Check the current progress spreadsheet, flag students below 70% on participation or assessment, add one-line comments on barriers observed, and notify each flagged student with next-step targets and a request to meet during my office hour on Thursday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCO
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Assist individually when necessary
+Review the individual reflection or draft they uploaded, leave targeted written feedback with two concrete…
Assist individually when necessary
+Review the individual reflection or draft they uploaded, leave targeted written feedback with two concrete revision steps, propose a 20-minute slot this week for one-to-one help, and mark the meeting as required if the work is at risk of failing.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsESCO
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses