Hi all, it's been a bazillion years since I posted, but this
topic really strikes a chord.  I started in adult ed through a TANF
innovation project operated by a small Episcopal outreach program in a
mid-sized city in Southeast Texas.  I had no experience and they offered
no training.  Colleagues of mine worked under contract for the school
district, and were compensated alright by the hour.  However, the only
full time teacher I met told me she would often times be laid off for a
month or two with only a couple hours notice.  She had no benefits and
depended on food stamps and TANF during the layoff period because the
district listed her as a vendor and did not cover her for unemployment
benefits.  I felt lucky to be salaried, even though I had no benefits or
unemployment coverage because, in Texas, faith based groups can apply
for exemption from the coverage.  Once I even received a notice of a
change in my benefits package.  It listed workers compensations as the
only benefit.
	It was six years before I had any contact with the state and
federally supported adult ed programs.  I am now in Houston and run an
adult literacy and GED program for the homeless.  We operate instruction
under AEFLA monies under contract with Houston Community College.  As
the instructional coordinator I supervise two teachers.  According to
the state plan, I am completely new to the system.  It's the same as if
I came from insurance or car sales.  Texas does now have a credential in
Adult ed, but by my last count it was held by 1 person in the state.
The term system has to be used loosely in Texas because compensation and
work conditions vary wildly from fiscal agent to fiscal agent and from
program (read sub-contractor) to program.  Houston is actually a really
good place for adult ed working conditions, though there are no minimum
standards even in the Metro area.  Teachers working in the Houston area
can expect to earn anywhere from $18 to $36 depending not on experience
or training, but which provider employs them.  Same with benefits.  I
have health and dental with short term disability, a matched 403b and
employer sponsored life insurance.  I am very lucky.
	We (as a state) are vastly staffed by part-time faculty, many of
whom are paid solely on instructional hours.  Paid release training
time, when it's offered, is often paid at a lower rate than
instructional hour time.  Although I'm considered "new" to the state
system, I have to be thankful that my career didn't start within that
framework.  I probably wouldn't have stayed.  As it stands, I feel very
well taken care of.  However, I have colleagues across the state that
tell tales of years of volunteering before going part-time, and years
more before getting to full.  Some larger coops (or fiscal agents) offer
much better conditions and compensations, but the assumption is that
adult ed is not professional.
	My favorite story:  I was asked by a local University to
participate in a career fair.  I set up the booth and began answering
questions about adult education.  I had been teaching about three years
and was the lead instructor for a team of five.  A young lady asked a
few polite questions before asking what is was I did exactly.  I
explained how adults enter and progress through our program, some of the
challenges they faced, and how we worked to support them as they
achieved their goals.  Her response, "Wow, that's neat.  But don't
worry, everybody has to start somewhere.  Maybe one day you'll get to be
a real teacher."

Joshua Hayes
Instructional Coordinator
SEARCH Homeless Project
Houston, TX