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The differences between fitness directors 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 director and a life skills instructor. Additionally, a fitness director has an average salary of $53,238, which is higher than the $30,844 average annual salary of a life skills instructor.
The top three skills for a fitness director include customer service, CPR and kids. The most important skills for a life skills instructor are developmental disabilities, CPR, and kids.
| Fitness Director | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $53,238 | $30,844 |
| Hourly rate | $25.60 | $14.83 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 9,837 | 64,039 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A fitness director manages a fitness facility's operations. These operations include creating fitness programs, monitoring staff, scheduling shifts, and even managing the fitness center budget. They can also train fitness instructors and even hire and terminate them. They procure the equipment necessary and make sure it works well and is safe. Aside from these tasks, fitness directors must also be akin to the needs of the center, decide on solutions, and have the ability to motivate clients to follow the program that was created for their betterment.
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 directors and life skills instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fitness Director | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average salary | $53,238 | $30,844 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $85,000 | Between $21,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, MA | Norwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a fitness director and a life skills instructor in terms of educational background:
| Fitness Director | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between fitness directors' and life skills instructors' demographics:
| Fitness Director | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 13% | 13% |