Camp counselor vs activities director

The differences between camp counselors and activities directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a camp counselor and an activities director. Additionally, an activities director has an average salary of $44,982, which is higher than the $24,340 average annual salary of a camp counselor.

The top three skills for a camp counselor include kids, CPR and summer camps. The most important skills for an activities director are patients, rehabilitation, and resident care.

Camp counselor vs activities director overview

	Camp Counselor	Activities Director
Yearly salary	$24,340	$44,982
Hourly rate	$11.70	$21.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	28,182	6,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a camp counselor do?

Camp counselors' general responsibility is the supervision of a camping event. Camp counselors' duties include reiterating the rules and regulations, emergency drills and procedures, and related standard protocols to ensure that the campers maintain a safe camping environment. A camp counselor should possess strong leadership and decision-making skills to develop recreational programs and immediately resolve concerns that might affect everyone's overall camping experience. Camp counselors also help develop social interaction, promote teamwork, and monitor participation among campers.

What does an activities director do?

An activities director is responsible for planning engaging events for the participants, considering individual interests and the safety of procedures and resources. Activities directors guide the activity staff on assisting the participants, ensuring that they are comfortable with joining the activities. Since most activities directors work at a healthcare facility or elderly institution, they must also monitor the health of the participants by conducting therapeutic activities and evaluate the participants' progress for every program. The activities director must be a critical-thinker, as well as have excellent communication skills to coordinate with facilities personnel for successful activity completion.

Camp counselor vs activities director salary

Camp counselors and activities directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Camp Counselor	Activities Director
Average salary	$24,340	$44,982
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $35,000	Between $27,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Omaha, NE	Huntington, NY
Highest paying state	Mississippi	Mississippi
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between camp counselor and activities director education

There are a few differences between a camp counselor and an activities director in terms of educational background:

	Camp Counselor	Activities Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Camp counselor vs activities director demographics

Here are the differences between camp counselors' and activities directors' demographics:

	Camp Counselor	Activities Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between camp counselor and activities director duties and responsibilities

Camp counselor example responsibilities.

Manage camp check-ins by assembling and assigning check-in teams, and helping implement opening day camp check-ins.
Guide and nurture campers by accompanying them to and assisting with camp activities, and lead hiking and canoe trips
Mentore kids using healthy conflict resolution techniques.
Organize group activities to facilitate communication between children with various health needs ranging from common allergies to severe developmental disabilities.
Supervise campers, cook, and run activities.
Provide support and host VIP visitors and guests.

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Activities director example responsibilities.

Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.

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Camp counselor vs activities director skills

Common camp counselor skills

Kids, 29%
CPR, 22%
Summer Camps, 9%
Role Model, 7%
Child Care, 5%
Incident Reports, 3%

Common activities director skills

Patients, 15%
Rehabilitation, 10%
Resident Care, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Home Health, 7%
MDS, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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