Are summer jobs hard to find where you live?

[Yolanda in Mass]

My son has been pounding the pavement looking for a job for the summer, and has come up empty so far. I'm wondering how it is in other parts of the country? He is so frustrated, and so are we since he needs $$$!

 

Yolanda

[OLG]

YES!!! Same story here for my son. Jobs are really scarce to start with but jobs for kids are virtually no where to be found, even part time at the movie theater which always had openings before.

 

Mary

[Jann in TX]

We do live near a small town--but still... even the local grocery who used to hire teens recently raised their age minimum to 18...

 

My 17yo is very discouraged--she wanted to get a job to start saving for a car and for college spending money... she can't even find babysitting jobs--it seems like all of the teens in our area are out of luck--there are too many adults who REALLY need the jobs--even the lower paying ones.

[JFSinIL]

My dd, 16, was hired at her first interview (Sears). I've told her this is the exception!

[Hunter's Moon]

Most places around here don't hire until 18, and even if they do, it is in an unsafe part of town so my parents would not even consider it.

 

The only places that do say they start hiring at 16 1/2 don't ever really employ them. They're looking for older people, especially since where I live kids can't be trusted, unfortunately.

[MaryCatherine]

My dd17 wasn't having any luck either. Then she went to the Work Force Commission and applied for the summer youth program - guaranteed job for 8 weeks, 30 hours per week, minimum wage. She starts tomorrow working front desk at a car dealership. Hopefully that along with her regular baby sitting jobs, she can start getting ready for college.

[Renee in NC]

I don't think *adults* can find summer jobs around here! lol (kinda:glare:) My mom has two businesses. She doesn't hire people off the street - she knows too many people herself that are looking for jobs, so they get first dibs.

[MamaT]

Thankfully, my dh is in business for himself so my 16yo has a ready-made summer job with his dad. I know that some of his friends are having a hard time finding jobs.

[Tokyomarie]

My now 22yo dd has tried off & on to get a part-time job since a year ago in March. We have found that unless you know someone, it's almost impossible to get in anywhere- and this is in two different geographic regions. She looked fairly seriously last fall/early winter after she got settled in her new state but no one is hiring someone who doesn't have previous experience- and it's been that way since she was an older teen. No experience= no hire= no way to get experience in order to get hired somewhere. Babysitting, private studio music teaching- they don't count, only the W-2 kind of jobs.

 

This summer, she and her fiance are madly working to try starting up their own company. I doubt it will earn them any money for some time, though. She's got one more year in college. If the company doesn't get going, then she'll be pounding the pavement without any benefit of previous experience under her.

[ereks mom]

Actually, I think it is a "God thing", but it all came about through Facebook. A member of the personnel committee of a local church posted a message on a friend's Facebook wall that her church was looking for a summer youth/music intern. Dh saw it and posted that ER was looking for a summer position. The woman immediately posted her phone number and asked that dh have ER call her. He did, and she arranged for ER to meet with the whole committee and also the pastor. The church has called him to served in that position. They pay him $8 per hour, 30 hours per week, and provide him with a computer and a phone in his own office at the church.

[AngieW in Texas]

My 17yo has been looking for a job since her 16th birthday. She has had 4 interviews in the past year, but none of them have resulted in a job. Her most recent interview (last week) was at Chik-fil-a. It was a group interview. She said that there were 5 teenagers and 4 adults (including adults my age) interviewing.

 

I'd love for her to have a job, but it just doesn't appear to be happening.

[Alyce]

but I agree it's about who you know. Last year Dd found out our local Christain Camp was hiring. The manager of the camp was good friends with our minister and our youth director. She went out to meet him and turn in her application in person and she got the job on the spot. She left such a good impression, the manager was afraid she wasn't coming back. Because her reputation with manager was so good, Ds went to ask for a job as well and he too was hired on the spot. It doesn't pay much especially considering their work hours but the experience is great and it will look good on their resume's. The hard part is that they have to live at the camp. They get one night off per week and Sat noon to Sunday noon. Dd earned enough last year to help pay for her car insurance, gas and her essentials and even had some left over when she got back from college.

[Halftime Hope]

1) eldest - isn't pounding the pavement hard enough to get a job and is content to work the occasional day job filling in on ropes courses at all the local camps. Makes decent per hour $ doing that, but we've told him to get a full-time job.

 

2) Dd, not quite 18, looked for 6 weeks (33 interviews) before finding a fast food job at an upscale fast food place. She likes the job, but isn't quite getting enough hours yet. Still looking for a second job. So many places she wanted to work don't hire under 18 year olds.

 

3) Ds is only 15. Another fast food place would have hired him, b/c he cultivated a good relationship with the mgr, but the second mgr said not until he's 16. Sigh...this after 4 weeks of persistence. Instead, he and I both took a day job at a local Christian camp, so he can work at *something*. (He's too young to drive there, so I am working and providing transportation.)

 

Tough times for young workers.

[mysticamethyst]

My son has filled out app. after app. and nothing comes from them. Dh says its because so many adults are out of work its hard for a teen with no job exp. to get even the fast food jobs. I was thinking of looking on craigslist for him to find a apprenticeship or something along those lines but don't want to make it look like his mommy is finding him a job.

[periwinkle]

although I hear about teens getting jobs all around us. I think it certainly depends on who you know and where your parents work.

 

My 17yos put out a few applications and got no calls at all. I encouraged him to volunteer this summer at our local art center helping with the kids' summer camps. One, it will give him something he can put down on job apps next time around, and two, the experience will be helpful as he is considering going into art education.

[Yolanda in Mass]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/37573330

 

Just saw this story about how this summer, so far, has seen the slowest growth in summer jobs for teens. It mentions the fact that, since teens are at the bottom of the jobs food chain, so to speak, they're suffering the brunt of the bad economy in terms of jobs. I was just in CVS and asked the mgr if they were hiring at all, and she said older workers are taking the jobs usually given to teens.

 

Yolanda

[Yolanda in Mass]

I encouraged him to volunteer this summer at our local art center helping with the kids' summer camps. One, it will give him something he can put down on job apps next time around, and two, the experience will be helpful as he is considering going into art education.

 

That's exactly what I'm thinking. If nothing comes from his job-hunting, then I'm going to tell him to find some place to do lots of volunteer work.

 

Yolanda

[Brindee]

It's the same here. My poor 16yo ds has filled out applications, but received no call backs. Noone has even acknowledged that he sent/brought anything in. He's one that really wants a job, and would be a good worker, and would use the money for school, car, insurance, etc., but noone is hiring teens. We don't know anyone who knows anyone or knows of available jobs either, so that avenue isn't open to us.

 

It's tough, cuz it would sure help if he had a job!

[H0MEFree]

Yep. You can get jobs at fastfood or the forest service or pick up odd jobs and babysitting.

[74Heaven]

and asked "Are you hiring?" telling them her age, what she is looking for. It took her an hour and she did this on her own (after I suggested it for a week) as she is looking for a second part time job. About 4 of the 30 businesses told her to come in or go online and fill out an application (these 4 said to bring in the application personally) and she was hired on the spot at her first go-in. It took her about an hour to make those calls and I helped her make a little mini "script" to give her more confidence. As in "hello, my name .... I am interested in.... I will work any hours.... I am available now.... (I just told her to know those answers in case they asked. She didn't always get to say all of them.) (LOL - she called right during the dinner hour - I told her the fast food restaurants were prob. NOT happy.)

 

However, this is her 3rd job and she is very outgoing. This helps tremendously. I practically had to push her out of the car (I kid you not) when she first went in to ask for an application 2 years ago. We live 20 min from the location of these jobs and I told her to stay very close to a certain grocery/drug store little mini-mini-mall for transportation reasons. Lots of role-playing is good too.

 

I would highly suggest that getting a job is a numbers game for these teens. My daughter called the fllg. kind of places: retirement home as a kitchen/waitress/server/dishwasher, coffee shops, restaurants, pizza hut, mini-family-type "family fun center". I would sugg. every teen who is looking for a summer job practice their phone pitch, fill out applications just for practice and call so many places a day and visit so many a week.

 

Craigslist in the part time job section is also good. Lots of times I think they need someone right away so time is of the essence. And perseverance.

 

Second bit of advice: lifeguarding is my dtr's first job and she had 4 job offers last year after she finished her lifeguarding class - and I am shocked at how many jobs there are for lifeguards. The classes take about 40 hours and obviously they have to be a good (not great, or super-fast) swimmer.

 

Another great job oppty here is serving dinner at a retirement home with a small cafeteria. Those jobs seem to be open all the time. And dishwashers at same places.... The county pools hire cashiers and concession attendants.

 

My sympathies to those whose economies are tighter. We live 20min north of a big city and that helps. I know my second daughter lacks the confidence of daughter #1. So I think it will be harder for her. We also have ran into a big hurdle for jobs for 15 years olds - about 1 out of 20 employers will hire someone who is not yet 16. It is ironic, though, because daughter #2 will probably be a better worker in the diligence, timeliness and work ethic.

 

lisaj, free advice

Edited June 8, 2010 by 74Heaven
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[Yolanda in Mass]

and asked "Are you hiring?" telling them her age, what she is looking for. It took her an hour and she did this on her own (after I suggested it for a week) as she is looking for a second part time job. About 4 of the 30 businesses told her to come in or go online and fill out an application (these 4 said to bring in the application personally) and she was hired on the spot at her first go-in. It took her about an hour to make those calls and I helped her make a little mini "script" to give her more confidence. As in "hello, my name .... I am interested in.... I will work any hours.... I am available now.... (I just told her to know those answers in case they asked. She didn't always get to say all of them.) (LOL - she called right during the dinner hour - I told her the fast food restaurants were prob. NOT happy.)

 

However, this is her 3rd job and she is very outgoing. This helps tremendously. I practically had to push her out of the car (I kid you not) when she first went in to ask for an application 2 years ago. We live 20 min from the location of these jobs and I told her to stay very close to a certain grocery/drug store little mini-mini-mall for transportation reasons. Lots of role-playing is good too.

 

I would highly suggest that getting a job is a numbers game for these teens. My daughter called the fllg. kind of places: retirement home as a kitchen/waitress/server/dishwasher, coffee shops, restaurants, pizza hut, mini-family-type "family fun center". I would sugg. every teen who is looking for a summer job practice their phone pitch, fill out applications just for practice and call so many places a day and visit so many a week.

 

Craigslist in the part time job section is also good. Lots of times I think they need someone right away so time is of the essence. And perseverance.

 

Second bit of advice: lifeguarding is my dtr's first job and she had 4 job offers last year after she finished her lifeguarding class - and I am shocked at how many jobs there are for lifeguards. The classes take about 40 hours and obviously they have to be a good (not great, or super-fast) swimmer.

 

Another great job oppty here is serving dinner at a retirement home with a small cafeteria. Those jobs seem to be open al

 

Excellent suggestions. My son has done some of what your daughter did and gone to many of the places your daughter went to. In fact, my mil lives at a swanky retirement village that is hiring kitchen/wait staff like crazy (his younger brother is applying there tomorrow), but...they are not interested in hiring him for the summer. Had he been there as a high schooler, then they would be willing to bring him back later, but they're not willing to hire him for only 3 months. He leaves for college in the fall. Same goes for many places he's applied to.

 

 

If anyone's willing to work the night shift at a 24-hour McD's, there's plenty of openings! Too bad most of them around here are near high crime areas. We're not that desperate yet.

[Brindee]

 

Yep. You can get jobs at fastfood or the forest service or pick up odd jobs and babysitting.

Nope, those aren't hiring here! :glare: Wish they were!

[In The Great White North]

Second bit of advice: lifeguarding is my dtr's first job and she had 4 job offers last year after she finished her lifeguarding class - and I am shocked at how many jobs there are for lifeguards. The classes take about 40 hours and obviously they have to be a good (not great, or super-fast) swimmer.

 

Not around here. Adults are doing that too. And teaching swim lessons. Dd, who was a lifeguard there last year, was told they were going to have more lifeguards with fewer hours and she would only get one day a week! Two years ago, her brother got 40 hours a week at the same pool.

[Yolanda in Mass]

Yep. You can get jobs at fastfood or the forest service or pick up odd jobs and babysitting.

 

Not here either! Fast food, if you're willing to work the overnight shift at the 24-hour places close to high crime areas (hence the openings); odd jobs: did that but not enough hours, no forests around here and, besides, state has zippo money for that type of work.

[Tokyomarie]

Had he been there as a high schooler, then they would be willing to bring him back later, but they're not willing to hire him for only 3 months. He leaves for college in the fall. Same goes for many places he's applied to.

 

This is what my daughter was up against last summer. She didn't work a W-2 kind of job- fast food or anything else- when she was in high school. EVERY PLACE she talked to last summer said, "If you had been here as a high school student, we could find a place for the summer. But we can't afford to hire and train someone who is just going to leave in 3 months."

 

She didn't have much better luck when she got out to CO and needed part-time work with an employer who would work around her school schedule. Why have to work around someone's school schedule when you've got someone who is available whenever you want them?

 

I am very much thinking I need to change the game for my son. I hadn't wanted my girls to be locked into a W-2 job in high school because it would limit our schedule so severely. When I had 3 at home, I couldn't afford to be driving 20-30 minutes one way to take a high school student to work on someone else's time plan. We live semi-rural, and the major business strips are at least 20 minutes away. With only one at home now, and a boy to boot, I'm thinking this kid had BETTER work during high school if he's going to have a chance at jobs when he's in college.

Edited June 9, 2010 by Tokyomarie

[Yolanda in Mass]

I am very much thinking I need to change the game for my son. I hadn't wanted my girls to be locked into a W-2 job in high school because it would limit our schedule so severely. When I had 3 at home, I couldn't afford to be driving 20-30 minutes one way to take a high school student to work on someone else's time plan. We live semi-rural, and the major business strips are at least 20 minutes away. With only one at home now, and a boy to boot, I'm thinking this kid had BETTER work during high school if he's going to have a chance at jobs when he's in college.

 

 

:iagree: Same thinking went on here when my older son was in high school, and same thinking going on now for younger son. He's going to start pounding the pavement today!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Yes! Many young people are having difficulty finding work in our area. It is really sad. The jobs in fast food and retail are all going to adults.

[Chris in VA]

Jann, has your dd looked on sittercity.com? That's how I found my babysitting job.

[74Heaven]

I am very much thinking I need to change the game for my son. I hadn't wanted my girls to be locked into a W-2 job in high school because it would limit our schedule so severely. When I had 3 at home, I couldn't afford to be driving 20-30 minutes one way to take a high school student to work on someone else's time plan. We live semi-rural, and the major business strips are at least 20 minutes away. With only one at home now, and a boy to boot, I'm thinking this kid had BETTER work during high school if he's going to have a chance at jobs when he's in college.

 

I'm pretty big on developing a strong work ethic and I think it is worth it even if I end up driving way too much. And your rural location, etc. sounds very similar to ours. (My brother thought I was crazy because this was during the high gas prices 2 summers ago.) A neighbor teen has a weekend dog kennel job 1/4 mile away (think very rural area) and she makes $50 a weekend doing morning/evening dog kennel chores. I consider that the premium oppty for a rural teen. We didn't get that lucky.

 

Also, we have found employers very flexible - way too flexible imho because I think the teens take advantage of it. The kids trade shifts for everything. IOW, "I need a sub because my friends are going to play Ultimate Frisbee" rather than, <smile> "I need a sub to go to my grandma's 100th birthday party".

 

Another good job oppty is swim instructor - those are sep. certifications in my state and kids can do one and not the other. And a banquet server or working for a catering company. It turned out my dtr went to a retirement home to get a job and the retirement home operated a kitchen at a summer camp out by our home so my daughter was able to work there.

 

After all these years, one of my favorite is still the retirement home dining room. Besides the intergenerational experience (my daughter didn't even know she loved older people til she had the job - and they loved her back!!!), the hours are very set. 3-4 hours at dinner time for most of these jobs. Some kids work 2-3 evenings a week; kids with sports often just worked the weekend shift.

 

Above all, keep trying! As we all know, the experience is as valuable as the job! And I hope we are all reminding them constantly that the rejection is NOT personal.

 

Oh one other tip, if your child doesn't have a $10 (in our state) food handler's permit, have them get one Now. That makes them more hirable, gives them a quick food safety lesson (there's an easy pamphlet and/or onine video at our local health dept. followed by an easy test). We have had these permits come in handy at retreats, youth "soup kitchen" serving opptys, etc.

 

lisaj, mom to 3 teenagers and 2 sanity-givers

[Photo Ninja]

There are not many jobs available, and I have not seen anything in the way of summer jobs. Those who have jobs keep them during the summer, and other summer jobs are taken by students who had the job, went away to school, then came back to take the same job for the summer. Those who are looking for jobs are frustrated.

 

Fortunately, my college dc have jobs. One has worked at the same place for 4.5 years, but will leave when he goes away to college in August. My other ds had a job, went away to school, but they hire him for when he is home on breaks from college, so he came home to a good paying job, 30+ hours/week, for summer break. They made an exception for him, though. They would not have hired anyone else. They wanted him back. My dd got a job in March, teaching swim lessons at a swim school. This is a year round job, and it made it worth the time and money she had put into getting her lifeguard certification and her swim instructor certification. It gave her an edge over others who applied because, while those are not required, they prefer employees to have them.

 

I am so glad my dc found jobs. They really are fortunate because most their friends don't have jobs.

[Tokyomarie]

I'm pretty big on developing a strong work ethic and I think it is worth it even if I end up driving way too much. And your rural location, etc. sounds very similar to ours.

 

Now that my son is the only one at home, I can afford to do the driving. When my girls were in high school, I was already driving 250 miles a week for co-op, music programs, and church youth programs. That didn't even count the odd purely social event with friends who lived 30 minutes away. I simply couldn't split myself in two so I could take one child one place and another somewhere else.

 

But, yeah, now that it's just my son, YOU BET, I'm happy to drive him!

[QueenCat]

My dd17 wasn't having any luck either. Then she went to the Work Force Commission and applied for the summer youth program - guaranteed job for 8 weeks, 30 hours per week, minimum wage. She starts tomorrow working front desk at a car dealership. Hopefully that along with her regular baby sitting jobs, she can start getting ready for college.

 

That is good to hear! Our local summer youth program is only for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, or who's parents qualify for a few social services programs.

[m0mmaBuck]

DSS18 knows that once he graduates he has "room and board" covered here with us but anything beyond his basic necessities are his responsibility. He has only turned in 2 applications as of yet and seems to think he can just wait for a dream job to fall in his lap. It's terribly frustrating and reading about all of these kids who are trying so hard and still having trouble finding employment stresses me out even more.