Recreation Workers

Career Description: Conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. 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.

Industry: Personal Care and Service

Other Job Titles for Recreation Workers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: 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.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: 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.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
• 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.
• Ascertain and interpret group interests, evaluate equipment and facilities, and adapt activities to meet participant needs.
• Greet new arrivals to activities, introducing them to other participants, explaining facility rules, and encouraging participation.
• Explain principles, techniques, and safety procedures to participants in recreational activities, and demonstrate use of materials and equipment.
• Evaluate recreation areas, facilities, and services to determine if they are producing desired results.
• Complete and maintain time and attendance forms and inventory lists.
• Confer with management to discuss and resolve participant complaints.
• Supervise and coordinate the work activities of personnel, such as training staff members and assigning work duties.
• Meet and collaborate with agency personnel, community organizations, and other professional personnel to plan balanced recreational programs for participants.
• Schedule maintenance and use of facilities.
• Direct special activities or events such as aquatics, gymnastics, or performing arts.
• Meet with staff to discuss rules, regulations, and work-related problems.
• Provide for entertainment and set up related decorations and equipment.
• Encourage participants to develop their own activities and leadership skills through group discussions.
• Serve as liaison between park or recreation administrators and activity instructors.
• Evaluate staff performance, recording evaluations on appropriate forms.
• Oversee the purchase, planning, design, construction, and upkeep of recreation facilities and areas.
• Teach obedience classes.
• Sell pet food and supplies.
• Saddle and shoe animals.
• Sell alcoholic beverages to passengers.

Emerging Tasks

• Conduct individual in-room visits with residents.
• Take residents on community outings.
• Embalm, dress, cosmeticize, and casket the deceased.
• Manage funeral home finances, including receiving payments, making bank deposits, and performing general bookkeeping duties.
• Meet with family members to plan the funeral.
• Obtain doctors' signatures on death certificate and complete other paperwork such as insurance claims forms.
• Perform general maintenance tasks for funeral homes such as maintaining equipment and caring for funeral grounds.
• Perform various administrative tasks such as typing documents and answering telephone calls.
• Prepare obituaries for newspapers.
• Supervise funeral processions and assist with cemetery parking.
• Transport the deceased (e.g., from the hospital to the funeral home).

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• adapt activities to meet participant needs
• adhere to safety procedures
• complete time or attendance forms
• conduct or attend staff meetings
• coordinate recreational activities
• demonstrate physical activities
• determine customer needs
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• encourage group participation
• enforce laws, ordinances, or regulations
• evaluate performance of employees or contract personnel
• follow sport rules or techniques
• greet customers, guests, visitors, or passengers
• lead indoor or outdoor games
• lead recreational activities
• maintain relationships with agency personnel or community organizations
• make presentations
• motivate team members to excel
• provide customer service
• resolve behavioral or academic problems
• schedule facility or property maintenance
• schedule guest recreational activities
• schedule or contract meeting facilities
• teach sports rules or techniques
• use conflict resolution techniques
• use facility management techniques
• use first aid procedures
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use teaching techniques
• verify ticket or pass
• use cash registers
• use knowledge of food handling rules
• use oral or written communication techniques
• verify ticket or pass

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$10.20
• Average annual wage (2007) - $21,220.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 12.72%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 40,667
• Employment (2006): 319,818

• First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
• First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Personal Service Workers
• Meeting and Convention Planners
• Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
• Social and Community Service Managers
• Residential Advisors
• Transportation Attendants, Except Flight Attendants and Baggage Porters
• Waiters and Waitresses