Post job

Residence director vs community advisor

The differences between residence directors and community advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a community advisor has an average salary of $65,055, which is higher than the $48,265 average annual salary of a residence director.

The top three skills for a residence director include state regulations, customer service and oversight. The most important skills for a community advisor are energy efficiency, residential life, and crisis management.

Residence director vs community advisor overview

Residence DirectorCommunity Advisor
Yearly salary$48,265$65,055
Hourly rate$23.20$31.28
Growth rate7%12%
Number of jobs6,00751,226
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age2626
Years of experience--

What does a residence director do?

A Residence Director serves as the supervisor of a residence hall community on campus. They supervise the day-to-day operations of a residence hall, including staff supervision, organizational planning, programming, and counseling.

What does a community advisor do?

The duties of a community advisor depend on their line of work or place of employment. In universities, a community advisor plays a vital role in helping residing students attain a positive learning and living environment. Their responsibilities typically include meeting with residents to identify their needs, providing assistance in academic and community concerns, answering inquiries, and resolving issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, a community advisor may develop programs or projects for the residents, all while adhering to the university's policies and regulations.

Residence director vs community advisor salary

Residence directors and community advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Residence DirectorCommunity Advisor
Average salary$48,265$65,055
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $71,000Between $38,000 And $110,000
Highest paying CityBellingham, WAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaCalifornia
Best paying companyUniversity of CaliforniaSouthern California Edison
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between residence director and community advisor education

There are a few differences between a residence director and a community advisor in terms of educational background:

Residence DirectorCommunity Advisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorNursingPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Residence director vs community advisor demographics

Here are the differences between residence directors' and community advisors' demographics:

Residence DirectorCommunity Advisor
Average age2626
Gender ratioMale, 38.5% Female, 61.5%Male, 44.5% Female, 55.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between residence director and community advisor duties and responsibilities

Residence director example responsibilities.

  • Motivate, train and lead a team of nine ministry coordinators.
  • Train 40 staff members on effective communication, mediation and conflict resolution and judicial affairs.
  • Attend CPR and medication trainings.
  • Collaborate with work base learning coordinators in the development, maintenance of job sites.
  • Mediate roommate conflicts to provide effective customer service and promote a positive living experience.
  • Conduct disciplinary and peer mediation sessions.
  • Show more

Community advisor example responsibilities.

  • Provide one-to-one contact, conflict mediation, and referral services to residents.
  • Coordinate and supervise weekly staff meetings, changing programming requirements, and mediation.
  • Care for individuals with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, physical disability, those undergoing post-operative recovery and convalescents.
  • Plan and execute internal communications activities, as well as provided guidance and support to leadership on communication execution.
  • Provide leadership and ensure implementation of support programs require to deliver a complete and rewarding work experience for student team.
  • Train to administer basic first responder first aid as necessary to youth, including, cardiopulmonary and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Residence director vs community advisor skills

Common residence director skills
  • State Regulations, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Oversight, 5%
  • Medication Management, 5%
  • Medication Administration, 5%
  • Memory Care, 5%
Common community advisor skills
  • Energy Efficiency, 22%
  • Residential Life, 13%
  • Crisis Management, 5%
  • Strategic Communications, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%
  • Policy Violations, 4%

Browse personal care and attendants jobs