Group worker vs recreation assistant

The differences between group workers and recreation assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a group worker and a recreation assistant. Additionally, a group worker has an average salary of $44,251, which is higher than the $31,040 average annual salary of a recreation assistant.

The top three skills for a group worker include transport residents, mental health and juvenile offenders. The most important skills for a recreation assistant are customer service, MDS, and recreation programs.

Group worker vs recreation assistant overview

	Group Worker	Recreation Assistant
Yearly salary	$44,251	$31,040
Hourly rate	$21.27	$14.92
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	30,214	4,088
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Group worker vs recreation assistant salary

Group workers and recreation assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Group Worker	Recreation Assistant
Average salary	$44,251	$31,040
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $68,000	Between $20,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Barnstable Town, MA
Highest paying state	-	West Virginia
Best paying company	-	National Park Foundation
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between group worker and recreation assistant education

There are a few differences between a group worker and a recreation assistant in terms of educational background:

	Group Worker	Recreation Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Northwestern University

Group worker vs recreation assistant demographics

Here are the differences between group workers' and recreation assistants' demographics:

	Group Worker	Recreation Assistant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9%	Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between group worker and recreation assistant duties and responsibilities

Group worker example responsibilities.

Lead a successful group of kids by ensuring safety and behavioral expectations are met and providing structure and organize educational activities.
Provide tutoring services to low income LAUSD youth (K5).
Maintain current knowledge of policies and procedures, CPR and first aid certification.
Lead a successful group of kids by ensuring safety and behavioral expectations are met and providing structure and organize educational activities.
Provide supervision to paraprofessionals to ensure Medicaid compliance, timely completion of paperwork, quality assurance and attendance.

Recreation assistant example responsibilities.

Manage one-on-one and group social and physical sessions with long-term nursing and short-term rehabilitation residents
Assist multiple MWR facilities with the upkeep, accountability and sanitation of workout and rehabilitation equipment.
Respond to emergency situation and administering first aid and CPR when need.
Assist in the setup and operation of major MWR events, such as Oktoberfest and fund raising concerts.
Coordinate large events/gatherings in accordance with MWR procedures, including reserving special locations, food & beverage and entertainment.
Conduct therapeutic groups such as ADL skills, team building, self expression and skill building amongst all age groups.

Group worker vs recreation assistant skills

Common group worker skills

Transport Residents, 17%
Mental Health, 16%
Juvenile Offenders, 7%
Program Culture, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 5%
Behavior Management, 5%

Common recreation assistant skills

Customer Service, 31%
MDS, 16%
Recreation Programs, 9%
CPR, 8%
Patients, 8%
Rehabilitation, 6%