Specialised outdoor animator to activity leader
A specialised outdoor animator already meets 42% of what the activity leader role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.5/ 100
1 How much of what an activity leader is expected to do is already part of a specialised outdoor animator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the activity leader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An activity leader role treats 11 of its required skills as things a specialised outdoor animator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- animate in the outdoors
- assess risk in the outdoors
- communicate in an outdoor setting
- evaluate outdoor activities
- give feedback on changing circumstances
- implement risk management for outdoors
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An activity leader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a specialised outdoor animator background worth leading with.
- already held assess risk in the outdoors information skills
- already held give feedback on changing circumstances communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held react acordingly to unexpected events outdoors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held empathise with outdoor groups management skills
- already held research areas for outdoor activity information skills
- already held evaluate outdoor activities information skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 11 the activity leader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn organise camp activities required
- still to learn plan youth activities required
- still to learn apply organisational techniques required
- optional, not held coordinate community arts activities optional
- optional, not held develop recreation programmes optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn communicate with youth required
- still to learn demonstrate games required
- still to learn entertain people required
- optional, not held promote recreation activities optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- optional, not held liaise with colleagues optional
- still to learn play with children required
- still to learn supervise children required
- still to learn support children's wellbeing required
- still to learn communication required
- still to learn communication principles required
- optional, not held table tennis optional
- optional, not held features of sporting equipment optional
- optional, not held geographical areas relevant to tourism optional
- optional, not held outdoor activities optional
- optional, not held recreation activities optional
- optional, not held sport games rules optional
- optional, not held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held monitor artistic activities optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an activity leader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 organise camp activities practise this
- 02 plan youth activities practise this
- 03 apply organisational techniques practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held animate in the outdoors skill
- already held assess risk in the outdoors skill
- already held communicate in an outdoor setting skill
- already held evaluate outdoor activities skill
- already held give feedback on changing circumstances skill
- already held implement risk management for outdoors skill
- already held manage feedback skill
- already held manage groups outdoors skill
- already held manage outdoor resources skill
- already held plan schedule skill
- already held react acordingly to unexpected events outdoors skill
- already held empathise with outdoor groups skill
- already held research areas for outdoor activity skill
- already held structure information skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held geographic areas optional
- optional, not held geographical routes optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held table tennis optional
- optional, not held coordinate community arts activities optional
- optional, not held develop recreation programmes optional
- optional, not held features of sporting equipment optional
- optional, not held geographical areas relevant to tourism optional
- optional, not held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held outdoor activities optional
- optional, not held promote recreation activities optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held geographic areas optional
- optional, not held geographical routes optional
- optional, not held liaise with colleagues optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held monitor artistic activities optional
- optional, not held recreation activities optional
- optional, not held sport games rules optional
13 held skills the activity leader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
- not needed by the target role ecotourism knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate on sustainable tourism skill
- not needed by the target role engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- not needed by the target role manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role monitor interventions in the outdoors skill
- not needed by the target role monitor use of outdoor equipment skill
- not needed by the target role promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- not needed by the target role support community-based tourism skill
- not needed by the target role support local tourism skill
- not needed by the target role use e-tourism platforms skill
- not needed by the target role virtual reality knowledge
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn communication required
- still to learn communication principles required
- optional, not held table tennis optional
- optional, not held features of sporting equipment optional
- optional, not held geographical areas relevant to tourism optional
- optional, not held outdoor activities optional
- optional, not held geographic areas optional
- optional, not held geographical routes optional
- optional, not held recreation activities optional
- optional, not held sport games rules optional
Other moves recorded from specialised outdoor animator
Common questions about this move
Can a specialised outdoor animator become an activity leader?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A specialised outdoor animator already covers 42% of what an activity leader is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 11 of which the activity leader role treats as required.
What skills does a specialised outdoor animator need to become an activity leader?
11 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is organise camp activities.
How hard is the move from specialised outdoor animator to activity leader?
Its learning distance is 62.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.