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Volunteer vs ship worker

The differences between volunteers and ship workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a volunteer, becoming a ship worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a volunteer has an average salary of $31,227, which is higher than the $28,576 average annual salary of a ship worker.

The top three skills for a volunteer include child care, patient charts and patient care. The most important skills for a ship worker are customer orders, safety procedures, and crisis intervention.

Volunteer vs ship worker overview

VolunteerShip Worker
Yearly salary$31,227$28,576
Hourly rate$15.01$13.74
Growth rate12%1%
Number of jobs9,58329,706
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age4342
Years of experience124

What does a volunteer do?

Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service. They may be employed in another organization, but they lend their time and talent to another organization or company to give back to the community. They raise funds, create awareness, and work on the ground. Volunteers usually choose a cause or advocacy close to their heart, such as teaching children, taking care of the elderly, coaching sports teams, cleaning up communities, and caring for animals.

What does a ship worker do?

Ship workers are employees assigned to crew the ship. They may be transferred to cargo ships, cruise ships, or any other sea vessel. Ship workers usually handle a variety of tasks on the boat, depending on their needs. They may be assigned to do the cooking, cleaning, maintenance work, navigation, and security. Ship workers must be familiar with essential maintenance and navigation techniques. They should know how to do repairs on the ship, as well as do basic troubleshooting. They should also be willing to be assigned to different tasks.

Volunteer vs ship worker salary

Volunteers and ship workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

VolunteerShip Worker
Average salary$31,227$28,576
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $41,000Between $19,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City-Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state-Vermont
Best paying company-Katerra
Best paying industry-Transportation

Differences between volunteer and ship worker education

There are a few differences between a volunteer and a ship worker in terms of educational background:

VolunteerShip Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Fullerton-

Volunteer vs ship worker demographics

Here are the differences between volunteers' and ship workers' demographics:

VolunteerShip Worker
Average age4342
Gender ratioMale, 36.0% Female, 64.0%Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between volunteer and ship worker duties and responsibilities

Volunteer example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage web presence, including Facebook account and other social media business accounts!
  • Train staff members on managing contacts, scheduling programs, and running analytic reports with the Salesforce program.
  • Lead team-building exercises and facilitate group discussions on leadership topics.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Supervise and maintain safe play for children's soccer games.
  • Teach GED to refugees and survivors of torture seeking to enroll in college.
  • Show more

Ship worker example responsibilities.

  • Stack ice cream bricks and tubs onto pallets in freezer by hand and move into position by electric pallet jack.
  • General maintenance such as but not limit to HVAC maintenance/repair, electrical maintenance/repair, minor plumbing maintenance/repair.
  • Work the dryers in which the linen are dried in.
  • Used FIFO system to see what need to be pick first.
  • Collect payment in cash, credit and debit using POS systems.
  • build carts, run the wash and robot, unload and load trucks ,
  • Show more

Volunteer vs ship worker skills

Common volunteer skills
  • Child Care, 12%
  • Patient Charts, 10%
  • Patient Care, 10%
  • Front Desk, 9%
  • Community Outreach, 9%
  • Mathematics, 9%
Common ship worker skills
  • Customer Orders, 15%
  • Safety Procedures, 14%
  • Crisis Intervention, 9%
  • Community Resources, 9%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • CPR, 4%

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