Direct support professional vs residential instructor

The differences between direct support professionals and residential instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $29,695 average annual salary of a residential instructor.

The top three skills for a direct support professional include direct support, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a residential instructor are direct care, autism, and data collection.

Direct support professional vs residential instructor overview

	Direct Support Professional	Residential Instructor
Yearly salary	$32,077	$29,695
Hourly rate	$15.42	$14.28
Growth rate	36%	12%
Number of jobs	142,034	60,002
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	26
Years of experience	-	-

Direct support professional vs residential instructor salary

Direct support professionals and residential instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Support Professional	Residential Instructor
Average salary	$32,077	$29,695
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $54,000	Between $22,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	Bell, CA
Highest paying state	California	North Dakota
Best paying company	Meta	Boston Higashi School
Best paying industry	Government	Education

Differences between direct support professional and residential instructor education

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

	Direct Support Professional	Residential Instructor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Direct support professional vs residential instructor demographics

Here are the differences between direct support professionals' and residential instructors' demographics:

	Direct Support Professional	Residential Instructor
Average age	48	26
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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 support professional and residential instructor duties and responsibilities

Direct support professional example responsibilities.

Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
Assist with toileting, including urinals.
Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

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 support professional vs residential instructor skills

Common direct support professional skills

Direct Support, 19%
Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Autism, 9%
Direct Care, 7%
DSP, 7%
Mental Health, 6%

Common residential instructor skills

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

Direct Support Professional vs. similar jobs

Direct Support Professional related careers

Direct Support Professional related jobs

Direct Support Professional jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Support Professional
Direct Support Professional vs Residential Instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs