Summer Jobs: Available or Extinct?

<p>Some of the types of places around my area have closed, that used to hire high school & college kids: Farm stands, garden nurseries, video stores, ice cream stands, day care centers, restaurants etc. Very difficult for summer employment!</p>

<p>D1’s boyfriend (college junior) finally landed a paid internship today after searching very diligently since around Christmas. It was with an organization where he had done an unpaid internship a couple of years ago. He found the market to be pretty tough. I bet he sent out 50 resumes/applications. And he had some pretty good experience from the past two summers (analyst position with a small business organization, and budget analyst for a large govt agency), is an Econ major, has a very high GPA, and is very personable.</p>

<p>D1 (poli sci major) has an unpaid internship in DC with a senator from our state for the summer.</p>

<p>My son came home before most college students. He did not bother setting up interviews until he came home. He interviewed at one place and was turned down just like newtothis son was because his school is a plane ride away. </p>

<p>He was asked to interview at a second place and he was hired. So far so good. He already has one paycheck. He’s happy.</p>

<p>^^Just want to add more thing… I could not believe that my son had first interview and had to be “called back” for a second interview scheduled with 2 other people, in order to be offered this job. This job is just a regular retail position. This is the type of job that when I was his age, I could have gotten by completing a one page sheet and having the manager ask when I could start! Jobs are so tough to get in my area right now. A second interview…wow!</p>

<p>DD had a paid internship in February that fell through in April; then lined up another one in April that fell through last week. It’s pretty sad around here. I suggested she start an on-line essay writing service. After a couple of hours, she asked whether I was kidding. ;)</p>

<p>S is HS Senior and desperately needs a job for personal spending in college. Unfortunately, he is 17, and most, if not all, jobs are for those 18 and older. Even at local fast food places!</p>

<p>This may not be ethical but the kids could say that they have decided to transfer to their state U in September and would need a job throughout the year to pay rent on their apartment. This might help land them a job in a store or restaurant. When the summer is over they do not need to say they are going back to school they could just say that they got another job paying a higher wage so they have decided to leave. The jobs in these types of places will be filled with highschool kids once September rolls around. The waiter and waitress jobs seem to be available so if the kids have any experience at all as wait staff, than these jobs at pay fairly well in tips, far better than minimum wage.</p>

<p>SSSmom, at 17 my son worked as a camp counselor. </p>

<p>My older son (at age 17) was able to work in a grocery store, but at that time they hired too many kids and then had hardly any hours for them to work (on top of it, they made him pay union dues so my son earned next to nothing). The grocery store was a good environment for a first job (everyone was very nice/kind). The experience there helped him land a much better job the following summer (at that time they could not get him to work enough hours). It was the other extreme. This year my younger son applied to the same establishment, and there were no openings at all.</p>

<p>Last summer my S walked into a local grocery store and was offered a (part time) cashier job practically on the spot. They were hiring a bunch of part time people.</p>

<p>D has a part-time job at the movie theatre that she got via a connection of DW.</p>

<p>This year S has a (paying) full-time internship, thankfully.</p>

<p>My sons have worked at a summer camp since they were in high school, starting at ages 16 and 17. S1 worked there for 6 years and this summer will be S2’s 7th year. It has been an invaluable experience both socially and for work experience.</p>

<p>There aren’t many, if any, jobs around our area for kids. Unfortunately S is on quarters and won’t be home and available to work until mid June. By then the rest of the kids will have been home for a month.</p>