Around here care.com is a great way to find seasonal babysitting, mother’s helper, eldercare helper, and petsitting jobs. D has done that and made good money. S has worked as a camp counselor at a really good sleep-away camp for boys the past two summers. He was offered a two month job this year (rising Freshman) but turned it down to work for an equine vet. Those jobs are usually filled in April but if someone gets fired they will scramble to fill the slot late.
I also hear that the dollar stores are hiring a lot and will take what they can get. Depending on where you are grocery stores sometimes increase staff for the summer months.
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Could she offer to tutor younger kids? Our S19 tutors middle school students in math over the summer to the tune of $30 an hour cash. Our middle schools have a packet that the kids have to do over the summer and parents love having someone just a little older to help them with it. Maybe your D has friends with younger siblings and they could help ask around for her? She could just grab some math workbooks off of Amazon if the kids don’t have official summer work to do.
I’ve also heard of kids running book clubs for younger kids and charging. They figure out which books are hot this summer, assign them to the kids and then meet once a week. The leader gets questions ready and leads the discussion. Even at $20 a week, she could make some money with 5-6 kids. Parents love that it gets their younger kids reading and groups of middle school friends can do it together.
I wonder if she could intern or volunteer (along with babysitting). Sometimes those things contribute to long term employment and income potential even if not short term income. Of course that means parents helping with costs of movie, pizza and whatever incidentals over the next school year which some can do and some can’t.
@compmom that is so true, my daughters have interned for differnt companies and it has resulted in job offers for both older daughters at private multi billion dollar companies where they were the the only kid who got job offers after college in their graduating class for that company.
I think she should apply to some camps. It’s not uncommon for counselors to quit or get fired. She can also apply as a sub - they get called often and get paid more because there are no tips. I was also going to suggest tutoring.
^^^This. My D took an 18-hour course to get certified as a soccer ref many years ago. Locally, she can make $30-$45 per game depending on AR or CR league or tournament games. Cash.
I agree that babysitting is a good idea for extra money. As we’re a few weeks into summer, many stay at home parents are starting to lose their minds with the kidlets at home (ah, sweet memories). Posting a notice at your community pool or contacting neighbors with little ones and asking them to spread the word should generate some gigs. House and pet sitters are always in demand in our neighborhood during the summer as people head off on vacations.
On a different track: what is her intended field? Summer could be a good time to lay groundwork for future projects. Depending on her major she might want to learn Powerpoint or Photoshop or pick up other auxiliary skills that are used all the time in the real world and make good keywords for resumes. Portfolio building is also a good use of time if she will be apply for jobs and internships in the future that want to see sample of her writing, web design, etc.
As an employer of part-timers, I just wanted to point out that a place with a “part-time help wanted” sign is likely looking for a permanent part-timer, not temporary help. We aren’t a seasonal business and wouldn’t waste our time with a student who is available for only a few months.
My S, a very good typist with strong computer skills, worked for a temp firm one summer and was busy every week replacing employees on summer vacations. But that was years ago, and I think the temp firms may be swamped with out-of-work adults these days. Another summer he was a golf caddy–didn’t know squat about golf, but a friend was caddying and got him in. He made a lot of money in tips and only worked when he felt like it. Yet another summer he was a Starbucks barista. They seem to have a lot of turnover and are willing to hire for the summer, when they are busiest.
D was a camp employee in one place or another, in one capacity or another, for many summers, but you can’t wait until school ends to find those positions.
The reality is that there are only about 8 weeks left until she heads back to school. She has to get creative and think of things that are seasonal, as others have mentioned.
The babysitting, gardening/yard work, pet sitting, odd jobs type gig has worked for my kids in the past. They printed out flyers with those little tear off tabs and posted them at the town library, pizza place, town pool, etc. and got jobs that way. Some benefits: they could always pass on a specific job if they had a previous engagement so it allowed for flexibility and it also paid much better on an hourly basis vs. most summer jobs.
When did yourmdaughter start looking for summer work? If it was when she returned home for the summer…might have been late. Around here, kids look for jobs for,the summer as early as the Christmas holiday break… but definitely by spring break.
Any chance your daughter can do some training THIS summer which will help,her next year? Perhaps,get certified as a lifeguard. Or take an EMT course.
Did she work during high school? If so, did she contact those employers?
And networking…ask your friends…and friends of friends, and neighbors. You never know what might turn up.
My D has done summer work/research/internship through her college, but began looking and applying to those around Christmas, deadlines were usually end of January. The first college summer she didn’t get any research jobs she applied to but got an unpaid internship that she applied to get a stipend from her college, so she was paid after all. That came together in spring as I recall. This summer she’s doing paid research, got that offer in late winter.
In both cases it means she isn’t home for most of the summer but when she is, she slides into the restaurants she worked at in high school, does gardening for my mom, babysits, whatever she can hustle.
Sounds like going back to a previous HS job is not an option for your D, but if she wants to do a paid internship type thing next summer it’s probably best to start looking over the winter break.
Babysitting can be lucrative. Also pet sitting, house sitting etc…a college student is seen as more responsible than a younger kid for that kind of thing. Getting some kind of certification online also sounds like a good idea, in some kind of software or other practical skill. No pay, but a help for next summer.
A lifeguard certification might also get her a great job at her college. Where my two kids went to college, they were ALWAYS looking for certified lifeguards…and it was one of the highest paying on campus jobs.
My kids always secured their summer jobs during spring break. How about ice cream scooping? That’s a seasonal job that is most busy July and August. And, turnover is big that first week in July when kids decide they don’t like their jobs or they don’t otherwise fulfill their obligations and lose their jobs. Scooping ice cream isn’t all that much fun, its actually hard work, but if she got a place with a tipping jar, there’s good $$ to be made.
I agree that places don’t want college kids that are going to leave mid-August because they need a break or they go to school in the south. Many of them just lie which I certainly don’t condone but it happens. My D works through Sunday of Labor Day, packs that afternoon and leaves for school at sunrise Monday to avoid the horrendous traffic trying to get off Cape after a holiday weekend.
Try snagajob.com. My kids had great luck there. Also try seasonal places…my 17 year old works in a local Italian Ice place and they have a return crew of college kids who supplement the sparse high school syptadf every summer. Have her apply, or at least send a cover letter and resume to every single one she can think of, whether or not they’re advertising for help. But do it This Weekend… they’re likely to want extra help for July 4th week.
And here’s bjkmom’ secret weapon in the job search: follow up each app with a handwritten, mailed letter expressing interest in the job. It will separate her application from the other 200.
Can she come to Wisconsin and mow my lawn or weed my garden or take my dog out when I’m out of town for the day? I’d love to hire high school or college students who I know or whose parents I know for such tasks.
@rosered55. It may not be too late to contact the guidance office of your local high school. They may be able to recommend someone, or to pass on your request.
“Scooping ice cream isn’t all that much fun, its actually hard work”
But your arms look great by the end of the summer.
“Have her apply, or at least send a cover letter and resume to every single one she can think of, whether or not they’re advertising for help.”
I’d suggest the same but applying in person, dressed nicely, with a copies of a resume in hand. Ask to speak to the manager. Focus on locally owned businesses instead of chains. Go to any place she would like to work, whether they say they are hiring or not. It’s worked well for mine in the past. They’ve gotten jobs that way at places that weren’t officially hiring.
ETA: If she wants to work over Winter break, she could mention her availability then as well. Many places look for seasonal help and would welcome someone back for the holiday rush.
