Direct service provider vs residential instructor

The differences between direct service providers and residential instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a residential instructor has an average salary of $29,695, which is higher than the $28,496 average annual salary of a direct service provider.

The top three skills for a direct service provider include direct care, mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The most important skills for a residential instructor are direct care, autism, and data collection.

Direct service provider vs residential instructor overview

	Direct Service Provider	Residential Instructor
Yearly salary	$28,496	$29,695
Hourly rate	$13.70	$14.28
Growth rate	36%	12%
Number of jobs	49,939	60,002
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	26
Years of experience	-	-

Direct service provider vs residential instructor salary

Direct service providers and residential instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Service Provider	Residential Instructor
Average salary	$28,496	$29,695
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $37,000	Between $22,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Juneau, AK	Bell, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	North Dakota
Best paying company	North Carolina A&T State University	Boston Higashi School
Best paying industry	Professional	Education

Differences between direct service provider and residential instructor education

There are a few differences between a direct service provider and a residential instructor in terms of educational background:

	Direct Service Provider	Residential Instructor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Direct service provider vs residential instructor demographics

Here are the differences between direct service providers' and residential instructors' demographics:

	Direct Service Provider	Residential Instructor
Average age	48	26
Gender ratio	Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	13%

Differences between direct service provider and residential instructor duties and responsibilities

Direct service provider example responsibilities.

Train and experience in adult and child first aid and CPR.
Certify medicine administer, CPR and first aid certify, CPI certify.
Assist residents in activities of daily living (ADL's) on a daily basis.
Prepare documents on the computer for annual ISP meetings with clients and their team members.
Pass medications, attend ISP meetings, help with personal hygiene, work on state goals.
Job duties include job coaching, skill training, ADL management, and implementing behavior management plans.

Residential instructor example responsibilities.

Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Participate in monthly ISP meetings regarding status and progress of each individual consumer.
Complete daily ADL s with clients per POC provide by behaviorists, therapists, etc.
Assist clients with all ADL's (activities of daily living), as needed while promoting independence.
Maintain documentation for administrating medication, daily logs, ISP information and other require data.
Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.

Direct service provider vs residential instructor skills

Common direct service provider skills

Direct Care, 29%
Mental Illness, 20%
Intellectual Disabilities, 18%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Services, 4%
CPR, 4%

Common residential instructor skills

Direct Care, 10%
Autism, 7%
Data Collection, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Supervision, 6%
Community Integration, 5%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Service Provider
Direct Service Provider vs Residential Instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

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