What does a human services instructor do?
A human services instructor instructs students in human services and other subjects, typically those related to working in the community or social work. They generally teach these courses in classrooms, both physical and online, but occasionally work in practicum settings. They develop courses that will effectively teach students, create assignments, and give exams. They may also conduct research projects or even publish articles in academic journals as required. This position requires a high level of professionalism.
Human services instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real human services instructor resumes:
- Guide individuals in accomplishing their ISP objectives by demonstrating effective instruction techniques and positive reinforcement.
- Work in humanities with an emphasis in literature.
- Design course syllabus, curriculum, and topics of discussion.
- Have experiencing teaching developmental courses to deficient entry level students, as well as college level writing and literature.
- Prepare syllabus and lesson plans base on department educational goals, developing unique strategies to teach various levels of adult learners.
- Support and implement behavioral therapy with individuals with autism, primarily focusing on social skills in school and the community environment.
- Instruct adults in a variety of topics including; emotional psychology, biological psychology, anatomy and physiology, motivational psychology ...
Human services instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Human Services Instructors are proficient in Human Services, Social Work, and Professional Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Human Services Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Human Services, 15%
Teach non-traditional students/working professionals in the undergraduate and graduate Counseling, Human Services, and Psychology departments.
- Social Work, 13%
Collaborated with therapists, social workers, and staff to provide behavioral therapy including aromatherapy and exercise.
- Professional Development, 9%
Completed three professional development classes to earn Senior Instructor Badge.
- Curriculum Development, 8%
Course and Curriculum Development, Applied Ethics
- Philosophy, 7%
Focus: the integration of philosophy, history, art and literature for gifted students.
- Literature, 7%
Course taught: Survey of Western Literature.
Most human services instructors use their skills in "human services," "social work," and "professional development" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential human services instructor responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a human services instructor to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what human services instructors do because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Additionally, a human services instructor resume shows how human services instructors use communication skills: "mass communication / public relations plan and deliver course content, relevant projects and assignments for public relations majors. "
Organizational skills. Many human services instructor duties rely on organizational skills. "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients," so a human services instructor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways human services instructor responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "instructed the following courses: organizational ethics and social responsibility, principals of marketing and principals of marketing lab. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of human services instructors is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday human services instructor duties, as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed students' public speaking, conflict resolution, and problem solving skills through lectures, activities, and discussions. "
Time-management skills. For certain human services instructor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of a human services instructor rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what human services instructors do: "utilized organized time-management skills to efficiently create course curriculum and projects for students. "
Compassion. A commonly-found skill in human services instructor job descriptions, "compassion" is essential to what human services instructors do. Human services instructor responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." You can also see how human services instructor duties rely on compassion in this resume example: "assisted patients in daily activities, and provided basic care with compassion"
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a human services instructor does. Human services instructor responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example highlights how human services instructor duties rely on this skill: "position: instructor of interpersonal communication supervisor: christopher bates, professor of communication. "
The three companies that hire the most human services instructors are:
- Deloitte19 human services instructors jobs
- The City University of New York4 human services instructors jobs
- Guilford Technical Community College3 human services instructors jobs
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Human services instructor vs. Advocate
An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause. Most of the duties will vary depending on the line of organization or duty involved; however, an advocate must have extensive knowledge or background on the subject matter. Furthermore, an advocate must be present at gatherings regarding the cause, assist in the negotiation and mediation processes involving contracts and legal documentation, provide or convey accurate information, and defend what they represent.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a human services instructor are more likely to require skills like "human services," "social work," "professional development," and "english language." On the other hand, a job as an advocate requires skills like "customer service," "cleanliness," "patients," and "crisis intervention." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Advocates tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,536. In contrast, human services instructors make the biggest average salary, $50,560, in the education industry.On average, advocates reach lower levels of education than human services instructors. Advocates are 13.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Human services instructor vs. Liaison
A liaison is a middle person responsible for collaborating different institutes, managing professional relationships to create benefiting results that would help a business' meet its goals and objectives. Duties of a liaison include facilitating communications, establishing partnership contract plans and procedures, managing conflicts, providing immediate resolution for concerns, and evaluating collaboration parameters. A liaison must be highly knowledgeable about the subject matters of the represented organization, handling inquiries, and coming up with strategic solutions to make the project successful.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, human services instructor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "human services," "english language," "curriculum development," and "philosophy." Meanwhile, a liaison has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "customer service," "home health," and "rehabilitation." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Liaisons earn a higher average salary than human services instructors. But liaisons earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $77,941. Additionally, human services instructors earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $50,560 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Liaisons tend to reach lower levels of education than human services instructors. In fact, they're 10.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human services instructor vs. Resident assistant
Resident assistants help manage peers or younger students who live in a particular residence hall on campus. They are usually in charge of welcoming fellow students, providing residence hall tours, and helping students cope with their new environment. To help students become more at ease with their environment, resident assistants usually act as buddies. They answer inquiries that the students may have and act as the bridge between the students and the residence hall management. They assist with administrative activities in the residence hall, such as handing out forms for students and ensuring documents are correctly filled out.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from human services instructor resumes include skills like "human services," "social work," "professional development," and "curriculum development," whereas a resident assistant is more likely to list skills in "home health," "vital signs," "residential life," and "compassion. "
Resident assistants earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $30,623. Human services instructors earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $50,560.When it comes to education, resident assistants tend to earn lower degree levels compared to human services instructors. In fact, they're 19.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 5.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Human services instructor vs. Activity assistant
Activity assistants are the ones who organize and execute activities in different settings, including recreation centers, camps, cruise ships, and retirement or nursing homes. They design programs to encourage physical activity, increase socialization, deliver continuing education, and provide entertainment. They are also the ones who handle logistics, select and demonstrate activities, maintain proper equipment, and ensure the safety of participants. They can work full-time, part-time, or seasonally in different settings depending on the kind of clients that they cater to.
Types of human services instructor
Updated January 8, 2025











