Parenting Daily

As promised, I’m back with another installment on Teens and Summer Jobs. Last week we went over some of the basics of why summer jobs (and part-time jobs, in general) are good for teens. Today I’d like to share some obvious and not-so-obvious ways to find summer work. As always, if you have suggestions or stories about teens to share, or would like me to post on a topic, let me know! I love getting comments, no matter if you agree or disagree with what I say. Now let’s move on and try to find those teens some work!

1.  Pay attention to signs. Many fast food restaurants will advertise “Now Hiring” on their changeable copy signs (the ones that you see people manually changing every once in awhile) or will put a good old-fashioned “Help Wanted” sign in a window that sees a lot of traffic.

2.  Check the guidance office at school. If school isn’t out for the summer yet, have your teen check with the guidance department at his or her school to see if there are part-time jobs advertised there. There are usually notices of babysitting, nanny positions, yard work/landscaping help needed, etc. around this time of the year.

3.  The want ads. Check the local newspapers either in hard copy or online. If you’re going to be vacationing elsewhere for the summer (lucky you!), have your teen check the online help wanted ads for your summer location. “Part time employment”, “Summer work”, and “General Help Wanted” are good categories to concentrate on.

4.  Remember their Younger Summers. Where did your teen go when they were younger than working age? What activities did he or she participate in? It may be a lot of fun for your teen to now be a camp counselor or day camp teacher someplace where they spent happy summers in their younger days. Have your teen call and investigate if there are options for them at those places and make sure they mention they used to be participants! The fact that your teen is already familiar with the organization’s culture, mission, rules, etc. can save an employer a lot of time and expense for their new hire budget!

5.  Unpaid internships. Okay, this may be a harder sell if your teen really wants some cash to call their own. But if they have a strong interest in a particular career field and are going to be applying for college in the next few years, trying to get some sort of internship in the field that interests them is a great opportunity. It also adds many of the same benefits of work mentioned in last week’s post. You don’t need to wait to see an internship advertised—many, since they are unpaid, have little or no budget to run ads—simply have your child call places they’re interested in and let them know they could be available for an unpaid summer internship. Even kids in junior high can handle some light responsibilities. You never know until you (they) try!

6.  Use your network! The old adage of “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is especially helpful for your teen. Chances are, you know someone who runs a business of some sort. Don’t be afraid to hit them up and see if they’ve got an opening for your kid. Especially for teens that have never had a job, they need helping building references. Working for someone they know or who knows your family is a great way to start building the reference list!

Any other ideas? Please post them in the comments! Happy Hunting!

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