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What does a residential instructor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a residential instructor do
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Residential instructor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real residential instructor resumes:

  • 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.
  • Assist MR residents to Dr. appointments, cook, clean and complete daily activities.

Residential instructor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Residential Instructors are proficient in Direct Care, Autism, and Data Collection. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Residential Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Direct Care, 10%

    Direct care, transportation, medication administration to people with developmental disabilities, personality disorders and behavior disorders.

  • Autism, 7%

    Demonstrated general knowledge of psychiatric diagnoses and medications used most often in the treatment of children/adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

  • Data Collection, 7%

    Update educational and treatment teams on child s progress through daily data collection.

  • Developmental Disabilities, 6%

    Served as residential training instructor for a not-for-profit corporation, in a group home caring for individuals with developmental disabilities.

  • Direct Supervision, 6%

    Provide direct supervision to individuals with mental or behavioral conditions in residential programs.

  • Community Integration, 5%

    Provided adults with community integration opportunities as well as teaching daily living skills.

Common skills that a residential instructor uses to do their job include "direct care," "autism," and "data collection." You can find details on the most important residential instructor responsibilities below.

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a residential instructor to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Residential instructors often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "job duties: behavioral management, communication training, personal hygiene, independent living skills, participation in community activities and recreation"

Compassion. Many residential instructor duties rely on compassion. "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations," so a residential instructor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways residential instructor responsibilities rely on compassion: "demonstrate empathy and compassion in conduct towards clients. "

Organizational skills. residential instructors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to residential instructor responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." A residential instructor resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "provided guidance and oversight for teenage mothers in residential program; ensured compliance with organizational goals and objectives. "

Problem-solving skills. For certain residential instructor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a residential instructor rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what residential instructors do: "utilized solution focused opportunities for individuals challenged by complex developmental disabilities and co-existing psychiatric disorders. "

Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a residential instructor to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what residential instructors relies on this skill, since "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." How this skill relates to residential instructor duties can be seen in an example from a residential instructor resume snippet: "time management: clients have many doctor appointments, have scheduled medication times and also eat on a set schedule. "

Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a residential instructor does. Residential instructor responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example highlights how residential instructor duties rely on this skill: "implement goals and behavior programs help individuals to develop interpersonal skills counsel and advise individuals"

See the full list of residential instructor skills

The three companies that hire the most residential instructors are:

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Compare different residential instructors

Residential instructor vs. Direct care staffer

A Direct Care Staffer specializes in providing personal care and supervision to the disabled or elderly. Among the responsibilities include administering medication, managing schedules, assisting in hygienic tasks, preparing meals, and doing light to moderate household chores. Furthermore, A Direct Care Staffer also helps in transportation and preparation of daily meals, running various errands, purchasing groceries and daily necessities, and as well as monitoring health conditions. It is also essential for a Daily Care Staffer to update supervisors and guardians regularly.

We looked at the average residential instructor salary and compared it with the wages of a direct care staffer. Generally speaking, direct care staffers are paid $785 higher than residential instructors per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between residential instructors and direct care staffers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like autism, data collection, and developmental disabilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a residential instructor are more likely to require skills like "direct care," "direct support," "behavioral health issues," and "meal preparation." On the other hand, a job as a direct care staffer requires skills like "cpr," "patients," "behavioral issues," and "meal prep." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Direct care staffers earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $30,329. On the other hand, residential instructors are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $31,699.On average, direct care staffers reach similar levels of education than residential instructors. Direct care staffers are 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Residential instructor vs. Direct support staff

The direct support staff is an individual who takes responsibility for the overall care of people with developmental disabilities. Direct support professionals work directly with developmental illness patients in long-term health care facilities. They perform their jobs as home health and companion care providers who assist their clients in their daily movements and actions. It is their duty to ensure the comfort and safety of their clients. Also, they encourage behaviors and attitudes which strengthen community inclusion.

A career as a direct support staff brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a residential instructor. In fact, direct support staff salary is $1,573 higher than the salary of residential instructors per year.A few skills overlap for residential instructors and direct support staff. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "direct care," "data collection," and "community integration. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that residential instructor responsibilities requires skills like "autism," "developmental disabilities," "direct supervision," and "role model." But a direct support staff might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "excellent interpersonal," "team-oriented environment," "transport clients," and "good judgment."

Direct support staff may earn a higher salary than residential instructors, but direct support staff earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $30,215. On the other hand, residential instructors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $31,699.In general, direct support staff achieve similar levels of education than residential instructors. They're 2.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Residential instructor vs. Direct care provider

A Direct Care Worker specializes in providing care and assistance to patients, typically to the elderly. Their responsibilities include preparing and feeding meals, administering medication and other treatments, and monitoring their conditions, updating the physician or the patients' families regularly. They must also assist patients in various hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, or going to the toilet. There are instances when Direct Care Workers must perform various household tasks such as laundry, washing the dishes, shopping for groceries, and running errands as needed.

On average scale, direct care providers bring in lower salaries than residential instructors. In fact, they earn a $225 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on residential instructors and direct care providers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "direct care," "developmental disabilities," and "community integration.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, residential instructors are more likely to have skills like "autism," "data collection," "direct supervision," and "role model." But a direct care provider is more likely to have skills like "cpr," "home health," "client behavior," and "motor vehicle."

Direct care providers earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $29,461. Comparatively, residential instructors have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $31,699.direct care providers typically earn similar educational levels compared to residential instructors. Specifically, they're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Residential instructor vs. Direct support professional

Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others. They also provide their patients with companionship, accompanying their patients to appointments, providing emotional support, and being with their patients for the most part of the day. They should be familiar with their patients' prescribed medicines, meal plans, therapy schedules, and other items related to the betterment of the patients' condition. Direct support professionals help the patients overcome their challenges and assist them in acclimating themselves with their current environment.

Direct support professionals typically earn higher pay than residential instructors. On average, direct support professionals earn a $2,382 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, residential instructors and direct support professionals both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "direct care," "autism," and "developmental disabilities. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A residential instructor uses "data collection," "direct supervision," "role model," and "behavioral health issues." Direct support professionals are more likely to have duties that require skills in "dsp," "home health," "compassion," and "home management. "In general, direct support professionals earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $29,464. The highest-paying industry for a residential instructor is the education industry.direct support professionals reach similar levels of education compared to residential instructors, in general. The difference is that they're 2.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of residential instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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