<p>I'm wondering how many of your kids (or student lurkers) are having trouble finding a job this summer. I had a relatively good-paying job a few months ago and unfortunately, decided to quit and now I am left with squat. And I think I'm a genuinely good applicant-- I have the right credentials, experience, grades, etc.</p>
<p>It seems that the market is so competitive that I won't be able to find any job this summer whatsoever (or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough!). Craigslist is saturated with scams and on the few decent job postings no one ever replies to my e-mails!</p>
<p>I was appalled by one ad that said they were hiring a receptionist at $10/hour-- university degree REQUIRED.</p>
<p>my kids worked at summer camps through high school, and the oldest through college- residential camps don’t pay much- but they hold them all over the world- although it is a little late to get a work visa for most countries.
Oldest also worked at speciality science camps through the parks dept and a flight museum that paid much better</p>
<p>Maybe I’ve gotten too accustomed to the Internet in that I don’t actually go to places and fill out applications. Oddly enough, ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, Sea World has no openings for which I’m qualified and the Zoo has a minimum wage job that I could get closer to my area, and probably more convenient. I think maybe I should set my expectations a little lower. I’m just hoping to save between $3000-4000 during the summer.</p>
<p>depending on the type of job showing up in person can be critical. Too many lose that personal touch in this day of internet IMHO.</p>
<p>I think this year is take whatever you can find type of year. Students are not having trouble finding jobs here this summer but the pay is not real good. $7 - $8 an hour is pretty typical. Then again my state is doing OK with a lower unemployment rate and my city is at about 5% unemployment. Being a waiter or waitress job can sometimes be found as well but show up in person to apply.</p>
<p>Yellowstone Park service companies are hiring but most don’t save any money from that gig</p>
<p>I was extremely lucky and got a summer job due to a teacher announcing in class that “My friend So-and-So needs some workers this summer, here’s his phone number if you want to apply.” It pays $15 an hour! I am not sure I would have got the job if I hadn’t done similar work the previous summer (at very low pay), though.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ve gotten too accustomed to the Internet in that I don’t actually go to places and fill out applications.</p>
<p>Biggest mistake.
If you can’t be bothered to get out of your chair and attend job fairs, get cleaned up and drop off a resume at new businesses or use your community contacts to network, why would an employer choose you over those that make more of an effort?</p>
<p>Oh - I thought you were in San Marcos which shouldn’t be too bad of a drive to the Wild Animal Park. Another possibility with summer jobs is Legoland which also shouldn’t be that bad of a drive from San Marcos.</p>
<p>We didn’t even bother having our D look for a job. The unemployment rate in California is 10%+, and grown men are desperately seeking minimum-wage jobs. We figured a 17-yr-old HS grad didn’t have a prayer. Plus we’re going to be doing some sporadic travelling which will make regular attendance impossible. So she gets the summer off.</p>
<p>Depending on how much you hussle, there are jobs out there. A friend’s S was offered three different and interesting jobs in CA this summer & then his folks said he had to notify the other places he applied that he already accepted one of them. I think it partly depends on how early you apply & how hard you work at it. My S was offered two interesting jobs this summer as well. Both he & the friend’s S were putting applications in from January through April, and following up on all of them.</p>
<p>D will be trying to get a paid or unpaid internship this summer, as well as going to summer school. We will see how it works out.</p>
<p>Persistance pays off–if you can’t land a great job, try to do an internship or volunteer at something you’re passionate at. Sometimes, if there is enough money available, they will give you a stipend at the end of the year or at least write you a great recommendation to help you in the future and hire you when they have an opening. We had S volunteer at a summer science program and they begged to hire him every summer afterwards. He enjoyed working there for two summers before he started doing work in his field of EE.</p>
<p>Agreed. I’ve a strange anecdote - earlier this year I took on an unpaid internship. I’d have gladly done it without pay, but my manager felt obliged to give me at least an allowance and lobbied the organization, who refused at first. Then, a technician they employed for film screenings tested positive for marijuana (O_O) and I had to stand in. I ended up getting both the allowance and hourly technician pay. It wasn’t a lot of money, but it sure was a nice surprise after expecting not to get paid.</p>
<p>EK has it right. As an employer, I am so not interested in email responses. Showing up in my store shows me that you can actually get there. You can’t (e)mail in your job performance for this job (or phone it in either). I’m now posting jobs on the 'net, but the only way to make contact is to apply in person.</p>
<p>You are looking to make money, right? Not start a career. So, ask around: your parent’s friends, your grandparent’s friends, etc. Plenty of them need someone to work for them on a day-to-day basis. Maybe you would work for Aunt Sue’s best friend as a dog walker on Tuesday, and grandpa’s buddy to do yard work on Wednesday, etc. Charge a set rate, advertise your services on the bulletin board of the library and the senior center (seniors probably aren’t reading Craig’s List).
There’s work out there.</p>
<p>Our area seems to have minimum wage jobs available. Places like fast food, restaurants, a friend’s son just got in at Home Depot for the summer (he’s 18). My 16 yo S just got a job at a fast food place. Not his dream job, but he can work weekends through the school year for spending money.</p>
<p>Our son has two part-time jobs right now and a summer internship. He will keep one of the part-time jobs while he does the internship (it’s math and programming work over the internet and pays well). Unemployment in New England isn’t as bad as it is in California and there is work out there but you have to really hunt for it. The last job fair at my son’s school was well-attended - lots of good companies looking for people.</p>
<p>I spoke to my sister in CA yesterday and I got the feeling that things are a lot gloomier on the West Coast than they are on the East Coast so far.</p>
<p>A lot of good advice has already been given here. Could you contact your former employer and ask for your job back? They do already know you so that may be a plus to getting you back.</p>
<p>D1, just about finishing her freshman year in a week, has a part time online job (a few hours monthly), which is math related, and a summer job, also math related. She had lots of math competitions when she was in high school, which led to her jobs.</p>
<p>There are minimum wage jobs available in my area (suburban Chicago). I know several teens who walked in, filled out an application and were working a day or two later. I’m sure there are very high unemployment areas where this is not the case, but here if you’re willing to do an unskilled minimum wage job, you can get hired, and if you need to save more than a minimum wage job will pay, you can probably get two of them.</p>
<p>Even if a job asks for an online application, always follow up. Make a phone call, ask if they received your application, find out who is hiring, and speak directly to them. Tell them you would love to come in and talk. Make them know who you are!</p>
<p>Babysitting is a job that will always be needed (boys can babysit too!). Sometimes it’s irregular but it can become a pretty regular job, although it’s often (but not always) on weekend nights, when some teens want to go out with their friends. It’s a pretty easy job (generally, the older the kids you’re watching, the easier it is), and it’s mostly high school or college kids that do it. How much you can make depends on the age of the children and how many there are (one 9 year old is a lot easier than three 4 year olds!), but I babysit a lot and generally make $8-10/hour.</p>