Recreation and Fitness Worker

What is this job like?		Back to Top

Recreation workers plan and teach activities that people enjoy in their free time. These may include camping, sports, arts and crafts, dance, or drama. Recreation workers organize these activities for people of all ages.

Recreation workers hold a variety of jobs. Camp directors supervise camp counselors and plan the camp's activities. Camp counselors lead and teach children activities such as swimming, archery, hiking, horseback riding, and camping.

Fitness workers teach and help people with exercises such as weightlifting, yoga, aerobics, and karate. They help people train and meet their personal fitness goals. They also show people the proper way of doing various exercises. Aerobics instructors teach classes that help people improve their physical conditioning.

Recreation workers do their jobs in different places such as health clubs, cruise ships, and parks. Those who work outdoors sometimes must deal with bad weather.

Most fitness workers spend their time indoors at fitness centers and health clubs. Many workers work about 40 hours a week. Some work nights and weekends.

How do you get ready?		Back to Top

Many full-time jobs as a recreation worker require a college degree with a major in parks and recreation or leisure studies. Special training or experience in a particular field, such as art, music, drama, or athletics, is important for many jobs.

Some jobs as a fitness worker require certification. One may be certified in a particular area of exercise such as personal training, strength training, and aerobics. Many fitness workers become personal trainers. More employers are requiring fitness workers to have a bachelor's degree in a field related to health and fitness, such as exercise science or physical education.

Recreation and fitness workers should like working with people. They need to be in good health and be physically fit.

How much does this job pay?		Back to Top

The middle half of full-time recreation workers earned between $16,360 and $27,050 in 2006. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $14,150. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $35,780. However, recreation supervisors and managers earned more.

The middle half of fitness workers made between $18,010 and $41,040 in 2006. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $14,880. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $56,750. Earnings of successful, self-employed personal trainers can be much higher.

How many jobs are there?		Back to Top

Recreation workers held 320,000 jobs in 2006. Many others worked in the summer. A large number worked for park and recreation departments of local governments. Others worked for nursing homes and facilities for people who cannot completely take care of themselves. Still others worked for social groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. There are a large number of part-time, seasonal, and volunteer workers.

Fitness workers had 235,000 jobs in 2006. Almost all personal trainers and group exercise instructors worked in physical fitness facilities, health clubs, and fitness centers. Many fitness workers have more than one job, teaching or doing personal training at several different fitness centers and in private homes.

What about the future?		Back to Top

People will spend more money and time on leisure as they get older. But local governments—where many recreation workers are found—will have a limited of money, so the number of jobs for recreation workers will only grow about as fast as the average for all occupations between 2006 and 2016. However, most workers are expected to face tough competition for jobs because so many people want to become recreation workers. Persons with formal training or experience will have the best chances of getting a job. Many of the large number of temporary, seasonal recreation jobs are often filled by high school or college students.

Job opportunities should be good for fitness workers because of rapid growth in the fitness industry. Businesses will have more fitness programs for their employees. The number of jobs for fitness workers will grow much faster than the average for all occupations between 2006 and 2016.

Are there other jobs like this?		Back to Top

• Coaches
• Counselors
• Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
• Professional athletes
• Psychologists
• Recreational therapists
• Social workers
• Umpires

Where can you find more information?		Back to Top

More BLS information about recreation and fitness workers can be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The Handbook also shows where to find out even more about this job.

Last Modified Date: April 29, 2008