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What is an activities counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an activities counselor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.94 an hour? That's $31,084 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 28,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreActivities CounselorUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $31,084

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 4.96%

Black or African American 13.45%

Hispanic or Latino 14.25%

Unknown 5.57%

White 61.11%

Gender

female 61.20%

male 38.80%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Activities counselor career paths

Key steps to become an activities counselor

  1. Explore activities counselor education requirements

    Most common activities counselor degrees

    Bachelor's

    65.2 %

    High School Diploma

    12.0 %

    Associate

    11.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific activities counselor skills

    SkillsPercentages
    CPR25.59%
    Youth Ages20.71%
    Direct Supervision11.46%
    Mental Health6.37%
    Front Desk4.54%
  3. Complete relevant activities counselor training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New activities counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an activities counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real activities counselor resumes.
  4. Research activities counselor duties and responsibilities

    • Lead groups of children and youth weekly in spiritual growth, bible study, and fellowship.
    • Educate campers to manage their diabetes independently bypracticing in team excercises.
    • Provide supervision and manage delinquent youthful offenders, in a secure residential correctional treatment facility.
    • Certify lifeguard, CPR, archery instructor, and adventure course team member.
  5. Prepare your activities counselor resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your activities counselor resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an activities counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable activities counselor resume templates

    Build a professional activities counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your activities counselor resume.
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
    Activities Counselor Resume
  6. Apply for activities counselor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an activities counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first activities counselor job

Zippi

Are you an activities counselor?

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Average activities counselor salary

The average activities counselor salary in the United States is $31,084 per year or $15 per hour. Activities counselor salaries range between $24,000 and $39,000 per year.

Average activities counselor salary
$31,084 Yearly
$14.94 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do activities counselors rate their job?

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Activities counselor reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024
Pros

purpose, options 4 exponential learning

Cons

can be easy to get burnt out, pay is ok


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

To help most people out of their respective concern.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Change agent when people are stuck and need support in the process of restoration. One on one and group processing is powerful.

Cons

The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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