Summer Jobs Ideas

So you are a teenager, either in high school or college, and you are wondering, "It sure would be nice to have a job this summer..." You have a lot of options. In fact, you have a "bewildering array of options." You can work in restaurants, small businesses, retail stores, amusement parks, summer camps and so on. There is a job out there that fits almost anybody. The important thing is to recognize that you do have options. In recognizing them you gain the ability to explore your options. Here are a variety of things to think about during your exploration:

* You can do the normal thing--you can go apply for a job at the local fast food restaurant. This may not be a bad thing to do, depending on your attitude going into the job. If your attitude is, "I hate this job," then obviously you will get nothing out of it. If, on the other hand, you look at it as an opportunity to learn how a business works from the inside out, then you can get a lot out of it. Start gathering the knowledge and skill with your summer job. Try as many positions as possible and ask lots of questions about cash flow, staffing, inventory, etc. Keep in mind that there are lots of different kinds of restaurants: fast food, family dining, elegant dining, etc. They pay differently and appeal to different people. Look around at the options before making up your mind.

* You can work at a place like a amusement park that hires a lot of people in the summer. Again, attitude will control what you learn. You can learn an incredible amount about business and human nature in a job like this.

* You can work at a summer camp, resort, or vacation spot that hires lots of people in the summer. Ditto on the attitude. The advantage here is that you might have the chance to travel.

* You can volunteer at any number of places: hospitals, shelters, clinics, summer youth programs, etc. You won't make any money, but the experience can be invaluable.

* You can get an entry-level job with a small business and learn the business. Options are endless. Just open the business section of the phone book or drive around and see what is out there. Drive through small industrial and office centers and knock on doors. It will be helpful if you have a skill the business can use such as typing, computer skills, etc., but that is not necessarily a requirement. Again, make learning the key. What you are looking for is a small business that is interested in hiring an eager "gofer-type" employee and then showing you how the business works. Take what you can get and learn, learn, learn.

* You can enter a summer educational program. Many colleges and community colleges run summer classes. Go take some. Write around or talk to some guidance counselor at school and see what is out there. If nothing else you could join a "continuing education program" at a college or university and get a jump-start on college.

* You can look for summer intern programs at local companies. You can call your local or state government and see what you can find. Many states and municipalities offer summer job programs.

You can get a job anywhere and then spend the money to do something you really enjoy. For example, work at night and take pilot lessons during the day. Or work at night and explore a hobby or sport during the day. You can work for yourself. Create a summer job mowing lawns, taking care of kids, painting houses or whatever. well that is pretty basic but till you have other options being worked out, no harm in keeping yourself busy.

You can also hunt for opportunities on the web. Go to the directory of online resources and read other articles there on job skills, career options and so on. Use keywords like "jobs for minors" and "Summer jobs for minors" or "part time jobs for teens" in the big search engines and see what you find.

Some Jobs for High School Students

Jobs for high school students offer a variety of working experiences. Some can give you work that will be valuable in your future education or help you make decisions about a future career. Other jobs give you needed job skills and allow you to earn some cash. Some work for teens occurs only during the summer or on long school breaks, such as working as a life guard or camp counselor, or there are other jobs for high school students that are offered on a year round basis.

You should know that different countries might have different rules that govern how much you can work. Some countries and certain US states may have specific laws about your ability to work, your need to get parental permission, and the amount of time you can legally work in a given day or week. These laws can be to your advantage since they will protect from overwork by employers. Get familiar with labor laws in your state or country before seeking work to make sure you’ll qualify for jobs you might like to hold.

If you’re too young to hold down a job from most private sector employees, as many students under the age of 16 may be, there are still plenty of jobs that you can get. Many of these are things like taking care of children, working as junior camp counselors, doing housework or lawn and garden work, or possibly even delivering weekly newspapers. Babysitting can actually be a very lucrative profession and allows you to decide exactly how much you want to work.

Many parents rely on the services of babysitters and a good babysitter with excellent references and lots of experience can command a rate well above minimum wage. If you’re interested in pursuing this, take some baby-sitting classes where available, especially infant and child CPR. Don’t forget that you might be able to hold a summer childcare position since many parents who work full-time are faced with tough decisions about how to provide childcare for younger kids during the summer months when school is not in session.

Private sector jobs for high school students are often entry-level work. Places to look include at retail stores, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, and environments where receptionists are required. Many well-known coffee chains hire workers on a part time basis, and lots of retail jobs become available during the Christmas season.

If you’re good at your work, you may be able to retain seasonal jobs year round. Such work won’t usually pay much above minimum wage, but they can help you train in the service sector, and these useful skills can help you land jobs later in life. Similarly, work in restaurants, especially entry-level work such as hostessing and busing tables, is fairly easy for teens to find.

Other jobs for high school students may give you additional experience. Companies may need part time office assistants, and if you have basic office and computer skills and a pleasant manner, you may be able to find one of these. Students that are skilled in a musical instrument or that have high academic achievement could find work giving private music lessons or tutoring.

You do want to consider exactly what jobs for high school students will best fit in with your schedule. Employers who can’t respect your schedule and routinely schedule you to work too many hours or when you are not available will cause conflicts in fulfilling your high school work. Many employers are excellent at understanding this and if they hire a lot of high school students they may already have a good sense of the scheduling needs of most high school kids.