Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between fitness instructors 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 instructor and a life skills instructor. Additionally, a fitness instructor has an average salary of $35,495, which is higher than the $30,844 average annual salary of a life skills instructor.
The top three skills for a fitness instructor include CPR, customer service and work ethic. The most important skills for a life skills instructor are developmental disabilities, CPR, and kids.
| Fitness Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $35,495 | $30,844 |
| Hourly rate | $17.06 | $14.83 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 31,212 | 64,039 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A fitness instructor advocates good physical health by crafting different fitness programs and providing fitness training sessions to a group of clients or individuals. They focus on different kinds of work-out and exercise routines. A fitness instructor mostly works at a gym; however, there are instances when one can work independently or by providing house calls. Furthermore, a fitness instructor needs to build rapport with clients, making them feel at ease during sessions, which will also be beneficial in gaining a strong client base.
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 instructors and life skills instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fitness Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average salary | $35,495 | $30,844 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $53,000 | Between $21,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Norwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Massachusetts General Hospital | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a fitness instructor and a life skills instructor in terms of educational background:
| Fitness Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | 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 instructors' and life skills instructors' demographics:
| Fitness Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | 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% |