How to hire a recreation worker

How to hire a recreation worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step recreation worker hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a recreation worker job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new recreation worker
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a recreation worker, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A recreation worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, recreation workers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of recreation workers.

   Type of Recreation Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Recreation Worker	Recreation workers design and lead recreational and leisure activities for groups in volunteer agencies or recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, parks, camps, aquatic centers, and senior centers. They may lead activities such as arts and crafts, dance, sports, adventure programs, music, and camping.	$9-17
   Day Camp Counselor	The job of the camp counselors is to develop recreational plans and oversee camp activities in residential camps. Their duties and responsibilities include organizing camping trips, planning and scheduling group activities, and guiding children and teenagers in various outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking... Show more	$9-21
   Camp Counselor	Camp counselors' general responsibility is the supervision of a camping event. Camp counselors' duties include reiterating the rules and regulations, emergency drills and procedures, and related standard protocols to ensure that the campers maintain a safe camping environment... Show more	$7-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Procedures
   • Mowing
   • Math
   • Maintenance Tasks
   • Cash Handling
   • Facility Rules
   • CPR
   • Recreational Facilities
   • General Maintenance
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Front Desk
   • Irrigation Systems
   • Rakes
   • Mowers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage funds and resources to include developing the annual NAF budget, which include submission and prioritization of program component requirements.
   • Certify and able to perform first aid, CPR, and a.
   • Exemplify team work, leadership, and responsibility
   • Mow park grounds using industrial and hand mowers.
   • Answer phone calls, plan activities for kids, run an after school program for the kids
   • Supervise and encourage community youth in neighborhood soccer club during the summer, run 6 and under instructive soccer.

   More recreation worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your recreation worker job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A recreation worker salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, recreation workers' average salary in louisiana is 51% less than in minnesota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level recreation workers earn 46% less than senior-level recreation workers.
   • Certifications. A recreation worker with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a recreation worker's salary.

   Average recreation worker salary

   $13.33hourly

   $27,731 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level recreation worker salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average recreation worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$40,080	$19
   2	Massachusetts	$36,123	$17
   3	Wyoming	$35,299	$17
   4	Florida	$33,371	$16
   5	Washington	$32,462	$16
   6	California	$31,892	$15
   7	Colorado	$30,773	$15
   8	Montana	$29,738	$14
   9	Oregon	$29,416	$14
   10	Illinois	$27,428	$13
   11	South Carolina	$26,524	$13
   12	Arizona	$26,014	$13
   13	Virginia	$24,217	$12
   14	Oklahoma	$24,175	$12
   15	Tennessee	$23,636	$11

   Average recreation worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Andover Public Schools	$34,057	$16.37
   2	Clemson University	$32,781	$15.76	4
   3	Vanderheyden	$29,756	$14.31
   4	MINACT	$29,001	$13.94	4
   5	Aramark	$28,509	$13.71	1,532
   6	Coconino Community College	$28,081	$13.50
   7	City of Bozeman	$27,856	$13.39
   8	Oasis Day Spa	$27,856	$13.39
   9	Minnesota Limited	$27,784	$13.36
   10	City of Portland	$26,162	$12.58	6
   11	City of Tucson	$25,901	$12.45
   12	City and County of Denver Government	$25,833	$12.42	3
   13	City of Visalia	$25,662	$12.34
   14	State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia	$25,637	$12.33	55
   15	City of Falls Church	$25,381	$12.20	7
   16	Indiana State Police	$25,344	$12.18	3
   17	City of Louisville	$25,203	$12.12
   18	City Of Johnson City	$24,814	$11.93
   19	City of Casselberry	$24,795	$11.92	3
   20	City of Orlando	$24,388	$11.72	11

4. Writing a recreation worker job description

   A good recreation worker job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a recreation worker job description:

   Recreation worker job description example

   Recreation Worker (Part-time)
   
   This is hourly paid work that provides a program of structured recreation and leisure activities for youths in an assigned facility. Recreation workers will document all programmatic activities and perform a variety of duties related to the assigned job. This position is part-time and requires less than 30 hours per week and is not eligible for benefits.
   NOTE: This is a 29 hour per week position.
   
   JOB SPECIFIC DUTIES:
   
   * Provides a program of structured recreation and leisure activities for youths in an assigned facility. Recreation workers will document all programmatic activities and perform a variety of duties related to the assigned job.
   * Conducts recreational activities with the goals of teaching decision-making, improving physical fitness, offering leisure options and teaching social skills.
   * Perform a quarterly inventory of the materials needed for recreational/leisure activities.
   * Plan and coordinate a monthly recreational and leisure calendar for the facility population.
   * When youths are out for the holidays and school breaks the recreation worker will be able to provide a schedule for the facility after meeting with the different departments in the facility.
   
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   * Associate`s Degree or completion of a vocational/technical school program in the area of assignment.
   * OR One (1) year experience in the area of assignment.
   
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   Preference will be given to applicants who, in addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, possess one or more of the following:
   
   1. Completion of a Bachelor`s degree from an accredited college or university in any discipline.
   
   2. One or more years of experience in the area of Recreation Therapy or Coaching in an athletic program.
   
   3. One or more years of experience working with juvenile offenders in facilities or other at-risk youths in group home programs.
   
   4. Three or more months of internship with the Department of Juvenile Justice.
   
   THIS IS AN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
   
   THIS IS AN UNCLASSIFIED POSITION.
   
   THE SELECTED APPLICANT FOR THE POSITION WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REFERENCE CHECK AND CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK, WHERE APPLICABLE
   
   PLEASE INCLUDE ALL RELEVANT JOB INFORMATION ON THE APPLICATION FOR
   
   CONSIDERATION. ALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE PRESCREENED.
   
   DJJ IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
   
   Additional Information
   
   * Number of Openings: 1
   * Advertised Salary: $15.00/ hr
   * Shift: Day Job
   * Posting End Date: Oct 19, 2022

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right recreation worker for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your recreation worker job on Zippia to find and recruit recreation worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with recreation worker candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new recreation worker

   Once you've decided on a perfect recreation worker candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new recreation worker. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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