Found in various places, from nursing homes to summer camps and similar organizations, an activity assistant is an event planner professional responsible for the arrangement and facilitation of social and similar events. Planning daily, weekly, or monthly events is but a part of the activity assistant's job. Their duties also include preparing rooms and areas for these events, accommodating those with special needs, and handling the very logistics of the event, from booking reservations to buying and preparing materials and advertising to hiring employees and volunteers to assist with the activities and ensuring participant safety and health during the event.
How To Become an Activity Assistant
To become an activity assistant, you usually need a bachelor's degree. The most common jobs before becoming an activity assistant are cashier, certified nursing assistant, and sales associate. Hiring managers expect an activity assistant to have soft skills such as interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and time-management skills. Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of less than 1 month of job training to become an activity assistant.
The national average salary for activity assistants is $29,611, but with the right certifications and experience, they can make up to $37,000. Getting a certification as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) will help you to earn more as an activity assistant.
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 13% and produce 52,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
How to become an Activity Assistant in 5 steps:
- Step 1: Explore activity assistant education
- Step 2: Develop activity assistant skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Research activity assistant duties
- Step 5: Prepare your resume
Key Steps To Become an Activity Assistant
Explore Activity Assistant Education
If you're interested in becoming an activity assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 41.4% of activity assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.5% of activity assistants have master's degrees. Even though some activity assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an activity assistant. When we researched the most common majors for an activity assistant, we found that they most commonly have business, psychology and nursing.
Activity Assistant Major Percentages Business 12.50% Psychology 12.40% Nursing 9.60% General Studies 6.00% Other Degrees 59.50% Develop Activity Assistant Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop activity assistant skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in activity assistant job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Patients 15.61% Home Health 8.90% Rehabilitation 8.43% Senior Care 8.05% Customer Service 7.40% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Activity assistants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new activity assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as an activity assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real activity assistant resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Research Activity Assistant Duties
When you decide to become an activity assistant, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most activity assistant jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Prevent or manage aggressive behavior among individuals and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
- Coordinate and manage group sessions, including recreational activities for senior citizens and occupational therapy with stroke patients.
- Assist children with homework assignments, peer mediation, social skills and daily program activities.
- Plan and execute a variety of enjoyable activities for residents and rehabilitation patients in a safe environment.
- Post daily to Facebook page and also all waitress duties.
- Conduct dog walks and in home pet sits with precision.
Prepare Your Resume
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Activity Assistant Resume templates
Build a professional Activity Assistant 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 Activity Assistant resume.Apply For an Activity Assistant Job
Activity Assistant Jobs
Average Salary for an Activity Assistant
Activity Assistants in America make an average salary of $29,611 per year or $14 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $37,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $23,000 per year.
Average Activity Assistant Salary
$29,611Â Yearly$14.24 hourly
What Am I Worth?
