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Fitness coach vs life skills instructor

The differences between fitness coaches and life skills instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a fitness coach and a life skills instructor. Additionally, a fitness coach has an average salary of $38,462, which is higher than the $30,844 average annual salary of a life skills instructor.

The top three skills for a fitness coach include CPR, kids and fitness programs. The most important skills for a life skills instructor are developmental disabilities, CPR, and kids.

Fitness coach vs life skills instructor overview

Fitness CoachLife Skills Instructor
Yearly salary$38,462$30,844
Hourly rate$18.49$14.83
Growth rate19%19%
Number of jobs22,15664,039
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

What does a fitness coach do?

A fitness coach specializes in mentoring clients in their journey for a healthier lifestyle, assisting them in reaching their individual goals for physical fitness. Their responsibilities include developing training programs based on the clients' needs, facilitating physical fitness training sessions in an individual or group setting, learning the clients' medical histories for risk prevention, and monitoring the progress of clients, adjusting programs as needed. Furthermore, as a fitness coach, it is essential to build rapport with clients, motivating them to reach their goals.

What does a life skills instructor do?

A life skills instructor advises people that are seeking support and coaching. They are responsible for helping them learn and develop skills like doing day-to-day tasks, interacting with other people, caring for themselves, as well as doing basic duties. Also, they can offer to coach for playing sports, learning new things, doing different exercises, and tips for employment.

Fitness coach vs life skills instructor salary

Fitness coaches and life skills instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fitness CoachLife Skills Instructor
Average salary$38,462$30,844
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $59,000Between $21,000 And $44,000
Highest paying CitySan Jose, CANorwich, CT
Highest paying stateCaliforniaConnecticut
Best paying companyAEA InvestorsUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryEducationProfessional

Differences between fitness coach and life skills instructor education

There are a few differences between a fitness coach and a life skills instructor in terms of educational background:

Fitness CoachLife Skills Instructor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorKinesiologyPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Fitness coach vs life skills instructor demographics

Here are the differences between fitness coaches' and life skills instructors' demographics:

Fitness CoachLife Skills Instructor
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 46.3% Female, 53.7%Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between fitness coach and life skills instructor duties and responsibilities

Fitness coach example responsibilities.

  • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
  • Train new employees on sales tactics, and point-of-sale (POS) system.
  • Certify in CPR and first aid to attend appropriately to health issues of participants.
  • Certify in CPR and first response a medical training in order to provide immediate medical response to members in need.
  • Develop and conduct group/individual diabetes self-management educational sessions using evidence-base protocols.
  • Design each HIIT class to match the skill and modifications for all physical levels for all participants.
  • Show more

Life skills instructor example responsibilities.

  • Train and experience at managing challenging classroom situations using CPI methods and positive behavior reinforcement practices.
  • Conduct classes to certify individuals in first aid, CPR, a, environmental emergencies, and pediatric asthma care.
  • Teach lifesaving CPR, a (automate external defibrillator), and first aid courses for the medical and non-medical communities.
  • Provide educational, residential, and support services for children and adolescents with development disabilities, including autism.
  • Provide services to adolescents and adults requesting treatment and educational programs that have been diagnose with autism and behavior disorders.
  • Provide leadership and direction to new and existing staff members; identify training development assuring that training/certification are obtained and maintain.

Fitness coach vs life skills instructor skills

Common fitness coach skills
  • CPR, 23%
  • Kids, 17%
  • Fitness Programs, 13%
  • Training Programs, 7%
  • Heart Rate, 6%
  • Injury Prevention, 4%
Common life skills instructor skills
  • Developmental Disabilities, 10%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Kids, 7%
  • Adaptive, 6%
  • Independent Living, 6%
  • Incident Reports, 5%

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