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The differences between program instructors and life skills instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a program instructor, becoming a life skills instructor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a program instructor has an average salary of $42,380, which is higher than the $30,844 average annual salary of a life skills instructor.
The top three skills for a program instructor include patients, K-12 and math. The most important skills for a life skills instructor are developmental disabilities, CPR, and kids.
| Program Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $42,380 | $30,844 |
| Hourly rate | $20.38 | $14.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 92,369 | 64,039 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 46 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A program instructor is responsible for facilitating indoor and outdoor programs with various goals and objectives catering to different participants. Program instructors must have excellent communication skills, especially on gaining the participants' attention and engaging them to join the activities prepared for the day. They also maintain a safe and creative learning environment for everyone, observing each participant's behavior and interests, developing group cooperation, and fostering personal development. A program instructor reiterates safety procedures and regulations during the program for everyone's strict compliance and immediately addresses conflicts soon as they arise.
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.
Program instructors and life skills instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average salary | $42,380 | $30,844 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $60,000 | Between $21,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Norwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a program instructor and a life skills instructor in terms of educational background:
| Program Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between program instructors' and life skills instructors' demographics:
| Program Instructor | Life Skills Instructor | |
| Average age | 46 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 16% | 13% |