Career profile Recreation Worker

Table of Contents

• What does a Recreation Worker do?
• What is a typical salary for a Recreation Worker?
• What personality traits are common among Recreation Workers?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Recreation Workers need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Recreation Worker do?

Recreation Workers conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities.

In addition, Recreation Workers organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, camping, and hobbies, taking into account the needs and interests of individual members.

What kind of tasks does a Recreation Worker perform regularly?

Recreation Workers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
• Assess the needs and interests of individuals and groups and plan activities accordingly, given the available equipment or facilities.
• Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies.
• Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities.
• Administer first aid according to prescribed procedures and notify emergency medical personnel when necessary.
• Complete and maintain time and attendance forms and inventory lists.
• Explain principles, techniques, and safety procedures to participants in recreational activities and demonstrate use of materials and equipment.
• Direct special activities or events, such as aquatics, gymnastics, or performing arts.
• Supervise and coordinate the work activities of personnel, such as training staff members and assigning work duties.
• Evaluate recreation areas, facilities, and services to determine if they are producing desired results.
• Greet new arrivals to activities, introducing them to other participants, explaining facility rules, and encouraging participation.
• Document individuals' progress toward meeting their treatment goals.
• Confer with management to discuss and resolve participant complaints.
• Meet with staff to discuss rules, regulations, and work-related problems.
• Oversee the purchase, planning, design, construction, and upkeep of recreation facilities and areas.
• Encourage participants to develop their own activities and leadership skills through group discussions.
• Meet and collaborate with agency personnel, community organizations, and other professional personnel to plan balanced recreational programs for participants.
• Provide for entertainment and set up related decorations and equipment.

The above responsibilities are specific to Recreation Workers. More generally, Recreation Workers are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Recreation Worker salary?

What personality traits are common among Recreation Workers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Recreation Worker are usually higher in their Social, Enterprising, and Artistic interests.

Recreation Workers typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, Recreation Workers typically have strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Lastly, Recreation Workers typically have moderate Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Recreation Worker tend to value Relationships, Independence, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Recreation Workers very strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Recreation Workers strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Recreation Workers moderately value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Recreation Workers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as self-control, cooperation, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Recreation Workers, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Recreation Workers need?

Many Recreation Workers will have a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Recreation Workers usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Educational degrees among Recreation Workers

• 3.9% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 24.7% completed high school or secondary school
• 25.6% completed some college coursework
• 9.7% earned a Associate's degree
• 27.6% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 7.3% earned a Master's degree
• 1.2% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Recreation Workers

Important Abilities needed by Recreation Workers

Recreation Workers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Recreation Workers need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and speech clarity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Recreation Workers, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Recreation Workers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Recreation Workers frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and social perceptiveness to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Recreation Workers, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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