Recreation director vs head counselor

The differences between recreation directors and head counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a recreation director and a head counselor. Additionally, a recreation director has an average salary of $48,525, which is higher than the $31,654 average annual salary of a head counselor.

The top three skills for a recreation director include community resources, therapeutic recreation and nursing home. The most important skills for a head counselor are camper safety, leadership, and CPR.

Recreation director vs head counselor overview

	Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Yearly salary	$48,525	$31,654
Hourly rate	$23.33	$15.22
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	8,479	35,991
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Recreation director vs head counselor salary

Recreation directors and head counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Average salary	$48,525	$31,654
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $77,000	Between $13,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Milpitas, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Downtown United Soccer Club	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between recreation director and head counselor education

There are a few differences between a recreation director and a head counselor in terms of educational background:

	Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Recreation Management	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Recreation director vs head counselor demographics

Here are the differences between recreation directors' and head counselors' demographics:

	Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between recreation director and head counselor duties and responsibilities

Recreation director example responsibilities.

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Organize and provide staff training material regarding Alzheimer's disease.
Conduct monthly resident council meetings, daily initial evaluations, standard MDS and interdisciplinary care plan documentation.
Advance technical knowledge of all office equipment including Microsoft office and POS systems.
Expand programming, develop outdoor adventure programs, and maintain current city programs.
Design and layout seasonal brochure, create flyers, signs and periodically upload recreation information to town website.

Head counselor example responsibilities.

Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
Complete full CPR training with certification.
Perform CPR and first aid when necessary.
Point person overseeing all phases of successful ACA accreditation visit.
Analyze product promotional initiatives, advisory board proposals, and medical education initiatives for fraud and abuse and FDA compliance.
Prepare ACA accreditation visit binder.

Recreation director vs head counselor skills

Common recreation director skills

Community Resources, 15%
Therapeutic Recreation, 14%
Nursing Home, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Provides Supervision, 7%
Recreation Programs, 5%

Common head counselor skills

Camper Safety, 44%
Leadership, 16%
CPR, 12%
Role Model, 8%
Conflict Resolution, 4%
Staff Training, 4%