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Where to Look for a Summer Job

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Looking for a summer job is a great idea, but how many jobs only want employees for a couple of months in the summer. It turns out there are lots of great seasonal jobs, you just need to know where to look.

Jobs with Kids

  1.  Summer camps. If you like kids and the great outdoors, then summer camps jobs may be for you. There are two kids of summer camps- day camps and sleepaway camps. At day camps, the children go home at the end of the day. At sleepaway camps, the staff and the kids stay at the camp overnight. Sleepaway camps should offer you free housing and meals. Check out your local Boys and Girls Club or Salvation Army for day camp jobs.
  2. Recreation centers. Rec centers hire extra employees for summer programs.
  3. Nanny, Babysitting, and tutoring. There are many different services and websites out there (College Nannies and Tutors, Care.com, Sitter City) or you can check with your college’s career center.

Get Outdoors!

  1. Amusement parks and zoos. Amusement parks, zoos, and other attractions hire tons of people over the summer. These are great jobs if you love being outdoors, but there may be some office, food service, and hospitality jobs too.
  2. Landscaping companies. Landscaping companies need extra help in the summer to mow lawns, plant trees, and pull weeds.
  3. Car washes and auto detailers. People love to get their cars washed in the summer.
  4. Golf courses and country clubs. Don’t know anything about golf? No problem. Golf courses and country clubs have all kinds of summer jobs – restaurant servers, cashiers, dishwashers, and  grounds crews.
  5. Baseball parks. Major and minor league teams hire part-time, seasonal employees starting in late March and ending in early fall. There are many different positions available – food service, security, ticket takers, customer service, etc. Your schedule will be erratic – your home team might play at home for a week and then play on the road for a week – sometimes games start early in the day (12 pm) and  sometimes games end late at night, so you’ll need to have a flexible schedule.

Food Service

  1. Restaurants. Restaurants with big patios often hire extra staff for the summer.
  2. Ice cream shops. – You can apply at your local DQ or look for mom-and-pop shops.
  3. Catering companies. – Between weddings and corporate picnics, catering companies are pretty busy over the summer. You can expect to work mostly nights and weekends.

Everything else

  1. On campus jobs. Even though many students are gone for the summer, schools still need student workers to work at the rec center, the cafeteria, and the computer lab. Check with career services at your school.
  2. AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is a national service program. You can earn a monthly stipend while doing good work with a non-profit this summer. Sample summer positions include: cleaning streams and parks, working in an urban garden, coordinating a summer meal program, and working at a summer camp.

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