Folks complain about having to pay to go to our public beaches, but they have lifeguards. They are usually locals because it’s super expensive to rent places during summer.
For what kind of jobs was your son applying? We live in SE MI and our son got a job at an Ace Hardware right after filling out applications at a couple stores. In fact, he had two stores that wanted to hire him and he was able to get the closer store to hire him on the spot by telling them he already had an offer from a more distant store.
Funny. Well, my kids could pass, but I doubt they could save a soul. Probably not a great test. They used to make you drag someone in the water when I was a teen and some other stuff which I’ve heard they’ve stopped. Honestly, if I was drowning I’d go with someone strong who is just a decent swimmer over great swimmer who isn’t that big.
Yeah, they pay for beaches in NJ. I always thought it was odd. But maybe a better system. Their beaches seem to be clean and they do have lifeguards.
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They had to left something very heavy from the bottom of the pool, he just got re-certified in the spring at his job. I’m comforted that he’s not the only guard on duty! Now that he’s not playing on two soccer teams for the first time in his life he’s more into weightlifting, so he’s at least stronger than he was in HS albeit slower.
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My first jobs were as a lifeguard. The class I took 35 years ago, was much hard than the one I took in the mid 2000s when I was the local swim team coach. The 500 free was there both times. It wasn’t very hard either time, but especially as a teen. I swam 5K-10K yards a day, and we would tread water with a flutter kick holding water jugs over our heads.
But the one thing I remember doing as a teen was that we had to practice saving people with all kinds of ways in the water. But, the instructor would pretend to be panicky and actively try to drown us as we tried to save him. He wasn’t a big guy, but very wiry and strong. It was REALLY hard! I believe all we had to do later, was practice saving people using buoys and rings and stuff like that.
I was lucky that I just guarded at hotel pools that also had memberships to the general public. They were very small. The biggest thing I had to do was save a preschooler who jumped in and their water wings popped off.
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My sister in law’s brother was a professional lifeguard in West Palm Beach Florida. He started at age 15 and worked until he was about 40 (he had Huntington’s so had to retire). It was not the same as being a pool lifeguard at all. He was unbelievably strong.
We were eating at a beach pier restaurant one day when it was windy and rough out there. Lifeguards were training, about 30 of them in their red suits like on Bay Watch, and they were amazing. Just swimming was difficult, never mind trying to swim towing another person to safety.
Being a pool lifeguard is hard too, but not like the ocean at all. In California many of the beach lifeguards are EMT/firefighters and make a lot of money.
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So much harder, we live in northeast NJ, but many families have shore houses, and their kids get surf lifeguarding jobs. Lucky for us, no beach house! 16-year-old Jersey Shore lifeguard dies after boat capsizes in rough waters - nj.com
i think it may be because he is in HS. Places may have folks for non-school hours but not for during the day. Summer can be slow for many retail establishments. Just because they have help wanted signs, they may not want someone that will greatly reduce hours come September.
A friend that works summer at a camp told me they lowered the age for counselors from 18 to 17 since they couldn’t get enough help.
Glad he found something!
He applied to summer camps, landscaping and tons of restaurants, frozen yogurt places, etc. He probably applied to the camps too late but he in the end, he was hired as a busser which is what he wanted.
My 100 pound daughter could rescue a 200 pound or more struggling swimmer…it was part of the life guarding test. You don’t have to be BIG. You have to know what to do. My kid also had to take an extra course on guarding at a lake. She was happy to do so as our town beach is on a small lake.
Also, there are plenty of guarding jobs at pools. The Y around here is always looking for guards for lap swimming particularly in the early mornings.
But yes…being a lifeguard isn’t for everyone.
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Yep…I don’t think they do that anymore. I remember my teacher actively trying to make it very difficult for us to pass this part of the test. I wasn’t a very big HS kid, but I managed somehow. I never got a job as a guard, but I could have I suppose.
I waited tables…
PM’ed you.
Chicago initially could only open about 8 or 9 of their 80+ public pools this year because they couldn’t get enough lifeguards. Our local pools now close hours earlier than they used to, which upset a lot of parents, but the park district couldn’t find the help.
The park district offers free lifeguard training, but it is 25 hours for which the park district, despite their desperation, won’t pay training time, nor do they pay for orientation days. Plus guards have to pay for their own swimsuits, whistles, shorts, etc. The pay is not commensurate with the responsibility either (the starting rate last summer was $11 an hour, which is not even minimum wage in our state anymore). Kids are smart enough to know they can go to Aldi’s for $16 an hour with no up front investment and get paid starting their first minute of work. My daughter went to school with a caddie who makes $30 an hour in tips all summer long.
My daughter turned down two lifeguard jobs last summer for an internship related to her major. This year they asked her back, but she wanted to try for another internship. She applied to that one job and got it. Huzzah!
Our pools are still shorthanded.
The one kid I know who is unable to find work is a special situation. Severe social anxiety necessitates a job that doesn’t involve any public interaction. Even shelving books at the library is out, because the task is too frequently interrupted by patrons asking for help finding items. That leaves very slim pickings, especially for someone without any skills or experience. She is going to community college in the fall and hopefully will stumble into a suitable trade there.
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My rising senior is working 2 jobs this summer as Lifeguard and Swimming Coach. He has another job after his school starts in the same field(Swimming).
On the other hand, my junior tried to get a job but nothing worked for him.
I think Job is dependent on what type of Jobs are open & in demand.
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My nephews, who are 16 this summer but have been working as referees and umpires since they were 13, make between $50 and $75 per game. Most games are 1 hour. They love weekend tournaments and can often make $750 for the weekend. They really like it when it is hockey as they are inside and cool. Their father is in construction and he can get them day jobs too. Last I heard they were training to be ‘Jr EMTs’ (not sure what it is called officially) and hope to work special events to make more money. They are pretty good entrepreneurs.
I don’t think they’ll ever work a fast food job as those just don’t pay enough!
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I’ve observed that public transportation (or the lack thereof) also plays a role. I live in a medium sized, relatively diverse city with decent public transportation. It is surrounded by suburbs (some with zoning restrictions- acreage minimums, etc.) with either terrible or non-existent public transportation.
The restaurants, retail stores, etc. in the suburban locations complain vocally (local newspapers, radio, etc.) that it’s impossible to hire anyone. The businesses in the core part of the city don’t seem to have a problem- although for sure labor is tighter than it has been in years.
Not every teenager has access to a car! Many adults don’t have access to a car! Someone can take an uber in an emergency, but every day, twice a day to get to work? Yes, carpools. Yes, there is a vanpool for some of the suburban office parks… but Dunkin Donuts and Panera aren’t providing vans to get their workers from one town to the next (maybe they should…)
So I’m seeing a clear break down- even the same chain- Panera in my small city has great service, open its usual hours. The Panera in a close-in suburb has long waits, has closed their drive through “temporarily” due to labor shortages, and has truncated hours.
How is a teenager supposed to get to work- even for a labor starved business- without a car in a fancy suburb with no bus service???
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It was difficult this year as well for the teens in our 'hood. All graduated HS seniors going off to college.
Those who were honest about having to leave did not get callbacks.
IMO, performing folk have moved back and are getting the waiter/waitressing jobs. Local college students (CUNYs) are back at work too.
No difficulties with transport.
Yes, think its THIS. Companies are needing to rethink how they handle internships as well as dealing with the general workforce paradigm of working from home/hybrid schedules. My consulting company still only has 10% of workforce going into Manhattan headquarters on a regular basis (there’s gonna be some major office downsizing.) Got to be hard to run an internship (or any training for new hire/first job employee without the historical handson and in person contact.) Lots of past practices will need to be re-thought and re-tooled.
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Interestingly Starbucks has a Lyft to Work program for some of their stores. There are folks who work at my '19’s store who use it.
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This is one of the reasons why we had both kids get established in part-time jobs long before the summer they leave for college. For the ones who wait, seasonal jobs are the best bet but unfortunately they usually don’t pay as well.
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