Pronunciation Symbols

I hate when I look up a how to pronounce a word or term that’s used with symbols like ~/ɪ/,[ˈwɔɹʃ, and /u/~/ʊ/. I’m not a linguist and as I understand it those symbols have never been on a curriculum, so why do all sources assume the average person can? Would it really be so hard to show how the word sounds, such as “fantom” when you look up “phantom.”