Residential instructor vs direct care provider

The differences between residential instructors and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a residential instructor has an average salary of $29,695, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a residential instructor include direct care, autism and data collection. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Residential instructor vs direct care provider overview

	Residential Instructor	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$29,695	$29,470
Hourly rate	$14.28	$14.17
Growth rate	12%	36%
Number of jobs	60,002	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	26	48
Years of experience	-	-

Residential instructor vs direct care provider salary

Residential instructors and direct care providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Residential Instructor	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$29,695	$29,470
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $39,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Bell, CA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Alaska
Best paying company	Boston Higashi School	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between residential instructor and direct care provider education

There are a few differences between a residential instructor and a direct care provider in terms of educational background:

	Residential Instructor	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Residential instructor vs direct care provider demographics

Here are the differences between residential instructors' and direct care providers' demographics:

	Residential Instructor	Direct Care Provider
Average age	26	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	7%

Differences between residential instructor and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Residential instructor example responsibilities.

Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Participate in monthly ISP meetings regarding status and progress of each individual consumer.
Complete daily ADL s with clients per POC provide by behaviorists, therapists, etc.
Assist clients with all ADL's (activities of daily living), as needed while promoting independence.
Maintain documentation for administrating medication, daily logs, ISP information and other require data.
Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.

Direct care provider example responsibilities.

Require certification in MANDT and CPR.
Coach and train clients to improve their daily living (ADL), social interaction and job skills.
Provide instruction and assist the consumers with active daily living (ADL) skills such as cooking, bathing, dressing.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Facilitate exercise, vocational, arts-n-crafts, and daily living skills groups for consumers with DD.

Residential instructor vs direct care provider skills

Common residential instructor skills

Direct Care, 10%
Autism, 7%
Data Collection, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Supervision, 6%
Community Integration, 5%

Common direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

Residential Instructor vs. similar jobs

Residential Instructor related careers

Residential Instructor related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Residential Instructor
Residential Instructor vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs