What To Do Without a Summer Job?

Network as best as you can. My kids are younger than you(high school) and have gotten jobs that they will be able to do when home on vacations from college. (grocery store and hotdog stand) What about daycare centers?

Okay, so today I just dropped off three applications I did yesterday and filled out two last night online. Of the three physical applications, one was for an auto-parts store, one was for a hardware store, and the other was a small supermarket on the other side of town (it’s not that big of a town, though).

I just fear it might be too late to find work no matter what I do (I started the day after I got home from school - May 13).

Could you possible do things around the house that your parents usually pay other people to do? Like mow the lawn, paint, or clean the house? I know it is a long shot, but you never know.

Last year my daughter got her summer job (at a fast food restaurant) in late June after not succeeding with many other applications. She wasn’t even planning to apply there, and there were no ads in the paper. She was applying at a restaurant nearby and on the spur of the moment decided to pop in and ask this place if they needed help-- they did, and she was working a few days later.

Persist.

So…did you include cover letters?

@Madison85 Sorry, I didn’t. I think I may have screwed myself over in the long-run because of it.

What did you do LAST summer?

You asked for advice, I gave it (cover letters), you didn’t take it.

Sigh…

@thumper1 As far as actual paid work goes, this is my first time applying this year. However, I’ve had some volunteering experience at a history museum half an hour away.

Have you applied to frozen yogurt and ice cream places? Since it’s the summer time, the will be busier and need more employees. The work is easier compared to fast food (I worked fast food last summer and it was VERY fast paced at certain times of the day)

Do you have a golf course, a library, maybe they need help in the summer? Housekeeping at local motel?

@GreenTeaFanatic I was originally considering applying to the Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt in my town where several kids in my high school graduating class worked, but realized that most of them quit due to change of management as they prefer full-time employees who can work year-round, not just after school and during the summer.

@mommdc I’m afraid there are no motels in my local area as it only has a population of 15-16k. Not too sure about the golf course of town library, though. I might check into that soon.

Thanks everyone for trying to give me advice. I’ve already applied to approx. 18 places already and I look forward to hearing back from most of them soon - I got rejected from Lowe’s and a local craft store I applied to is experiencing changes in management and is currently in flux. In the meantime, I’m looking into applying for various scholarships that will help reduce my bill for the upcoming year.

Did you end up including any cover letters with your most recent applications?

I hope you will find something.

Most scholarships, even local ones, have deadlines in spring. They are usually smaller, one-time awards.

I would stop by the Sweet Frog place. Since so many HS students quit, maybe they would give you a job, if they are short on help.

Also, I live in a smaller town, no Sweet Frog, but we do have some motels.

Several of our restaurants and grocery stores are hiring.

Do you have Fedex or UPS, Aldi?

@wizman631 I don’t know if you’re still waiting for Tractor Supply, but D worked at Tractor Supply. In two locations (in different states). Both were pretty slow on the follow up. It drove her nuts. Keep following up. Lots of these things are timing things because someone quits or gets fired.

S works for a local hardware store. One of the guys he was hired with had trouble with the ‘no phones while working’ and was fired. Hiring sign went back in the window after he departed.

Good luck.

“Most scholarships, even local ones, have deadlines in spring.”

Not sure I can agree. In my experience, most scholarships have deadlines in the fall.

@CourtneyThurston

Local scholarships around here have deadlines usually in March.

My point was…MOST scholarship deadlines have long passed for 2016-2017 awarding. Either the deadline for bigger ones or school ones was fall 2015…or local were spring 2016.