During the summer months (June, July, August) in the United States teenagers and college students are out of school and looking for jobs – summer jobs! It is very common for young people in the US to work during the summer months to save money (maybe to buy a car or to save for college or just to have spending money to buy all those things their parents don’t or won’t buy for them). Some teenagers and college students also work during the school year, at an after school job, but the amount of time they can work is limited by law (for all those 18 years old and under) and their time for work is limited because they are in school during the day. So, summer time is when most young people look for work. It is pretty easy for teenagers to find work this time of year, in fact there are some really common jobs for them to take, which I have listed below. You may notice that a number of these jobs are temporary, which works well for both the employer and the employees, as the employees only have a few months off from school so they aren’t looking for a full-time job just yet. These young summer workers are mostly just looking for a chance to earn a little money and gain a little experience to help them when they look for better jobs in the future.
The following is list of common summer jobs that teenagers and college students take when they are out of school.
Camp counselor – Summer camps are popular places for young children to spend their time in the summer, when school is out. Summer camps are often staffed with young adults and teenagers, just a few years older than the children who attend the camp. The camp counselors run different activities for children to do during the day (e.g. arts and crafts, sports, hikes) to keep them busy.
Lifeguard – This is a job that lets a person sit out in the sun at the beach or at a pool, but it is not an easy job. Being a lifeguard is serious business because it requires watching over people in the water and helping them out when they are in trouble or at risk of drowning.
Mover and packer – People in the United States tend to move homes more in the summer months, compared to other times of the year. So there is more work for movers (and packers) in the summer. This is a good job for strong young people looking to earn extra money, but it is also hard work.
Waiter/waitress – It is very common for high school and college students to take on a job as a waiter or waitress during the summer months when many people are traveling, on vacation trips, and eating out more.
Parks and recreation – When the weather is good more people travel to state and national parks or they just spend more time in their local neighborhood parks. So, there is often extra work to do to keep the parks clean and help those visiting the parks.
Lawn mower/landscaping – With good weather comes extra yard work, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, keeping the trees trimmed, etc. This is a great job for those who like to be outside and work with plants.
Babysitting – Although teenagers often babysit year round, when school is out during the summer parents have to find people to watch their children when they go to work. This means there are many more babysitting opportunities in the summer than during the rest of the year.
Did you have a summer job when you were younger? What did you do? Are summer jobs in your country similar to those in the United States?
