Preschool Teachers build instructing, coordination and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Childcare Workers (87%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Childcare Workers | 87% | $34,980 | −8% | None |
| 2 | Self-Enrichment Teachers | 83% | $46,800 | +23% | None |
| 3 | Tutors | 80% | $43,350 | +14% | None |
| 4 | Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | 78% | $61,540 | +61% | Bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Psychiatric Technicians | 77% | $45,130 | +18% | None |
| 6 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 77% | $72,300 | +90% | None |
| 7 | Nannies | 76% | $34,980Pay for the broader BLS group “Childcare Workers” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | 76% | $41,670 | +9% | Bachelor's degree |
| 9 | Recreational Therapists | 75% | $61,960 | +62% | Bachelor's degree |
| 10 | Residential Advisors | 75% | $42,240 | +11% | None |
Compared with Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, median $38,140. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as preschool teachers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
87% skill match · $34,980 · −8% pay
Technology Design
83% skill match · $46,800 · +23% pay
Programming · Operation and Control · Technology Design
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
80% skill match · $43,350 · +14% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Programming
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Childcare Workers (87% skill match, median $34,980), Self-Enrichment Teachers (83% skill match, median $46,800) and Tutors (80% skill match, median $43,350), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 18 pay more than preschool teachers at the median. The biggest increases: Occupational Therapy Assistants (+90%, $72,300), Physical Therapist Assistants (+79%, $68,380) and Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (+69%, $64,400).
16 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.