<p>I’m kind of worry about my D who just finish her freshman year in college. She is not doing much this summer. She started to look for intership but hasn’t found anything yet. My D started looking because she didn’t find any intership and she said that she only has 11/2 months left before college starts again. I believe she’s just giving up too soon. She also started looking for paid work, but again she didn’t find anything. And, D gave up looking too. I feel she needs to guidance, but my husband says to leave her alone. He think that she should do whatever she wants to. And he tell me to stop micromanaging her. Besides, if I ask my D how her job hunting she gets upset. She tells me that she couldn’t find anything. So the only thing she is doing is house work that otherwise I’d have paid someone else to do. To make things worse, we’ll take our vacation during the winter break, so for this summer we won’t go anywhere. I asked her if she wanted to travel alone, but she doesn’t want to. …so I really don’t want her to do nothing for the next 1 1/2 months…any ideas how to encourage her or provide her with some guidance without “micromanaging”</p>
<p>This is a tough summer with the economy. Although my neighbor girl is making big bucks driving the beverage cart for golf tournaments, not everyone lives near a golf course…</p>
<p>If she is willing to clean for you, I would encourage that. There was a thread on here some time ago about what the kids can do around the house. I have no idea what the name was, but people had all kinds of ideas to keep those youngun’s busy. My baseboards need to be painted…</p>
<p>MD Mom, thank u… Poor thing wants to make $ so she’s being doing house work … If I’m brave enough maybe I ask her to
paint the living room :P</p>
<p>No, no, no. Do not pay your kid to work around the house!!! I had the exact same issue here, where my oldest son was too timid to ask anyone else for work. He just asked us, like we own some bank. It wasn’t “scary” and what could we say; at least he was willing to work.</p>
<p>But it didn’t really teach him anything about asking for a job. That’s a risk he was afraid to pursue. What he really, really needed was to step outside his comfort zone. I’m often amazed that the kids who really want to work somehow end up finding a job. It’s true that the easy, cushy, best-sounding jobs go early and quickly, but your daughter has to start sometime.</p>
<p>I suggest she consider tutoring or babysitting jobs. (Put job postings at the grocery store and library and bookstores.) Those jobs are often very easy to find and at least she gets out of the house. If she’s totally unsuccessful, she should also find type of volunteer job: animal shelter or nursing home or daycare facility. Even though she “only” has 1 month and a half before she returns to school, it’s very rewarding to get out of the house and make some money.</p>
<p>Thanks for writing your post. I was feeling badly that my son was losing job possibilities to females. (Yes, he needs to practice his interview skills too.) I think he needed to hear the rejection today before he got moving on other possibilities. Now he’s again getting geared up. I think I’ll follow my own advice: make him take a volunteer position if he doesn’t find regular work. Meanwhile, at least he’s got a few tutoring jobs.</p>
<p>My daughter didn’t arrive home until the very end of May, and many of the summer jobs were already taken by college students who were home earlier. She has put in some applications…even to a theme park in our area that is always hiring…and still no callbacks.</p>
<p>Personally, I think there are more places she should be trying. I even suggested a few, but she seems to be ‘choosy’. “Ugh…fast food?” If I tell her their money is still green, it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>The way my DH and I see it, if she doesn’t hustle more she can just be poor next year. She has some savings…probably enough to cover books for the first and second quarter…but then have VERY little for extras. She knows that books, supplies and fun-money are all on her. </p>
<p>Being poor may motivate her more for next summer.</p>
<p>From your post it sounds a little like you just want her to have something to do, and that earning money would be nice, but not necessarily a requirement. If money is not really an issue (and really, how could it not be an issue…) perhaps she could find some volunteer work. There may be some parks, libraries, soup kitchens, etc. that would be delighted to have some help.</p>
<p>One possibility is taking an unpaid internship or volunteer somewhere in the field she is interested. My D did that at a lab last summer and it paid off this summer with a paid work at the same lab.</p>
<p>Next year she needs to think about getting applications in during March and April. Not wait until she is already home in late May. Although, this does not guarantee a job, for sure.</p>
<p>Obviously too late this year, but for the future. January is not too late for looking at internships. I don’t know if it makes you feel better, but kids do grow up. My older son started looking too late his freshman year and ended up having to work for my brother (who luckily is in the same field and was happy to have him.) This summer (rising college senior) he has a fabulous internship.</p>
<p>So what can she do this summer? I’d insist that she get out of the house at least part time. Libraries, senior centers, soup kitchens can generally use help. If she can do something really substantive at one of these places that would be ideal. Both my kids worked at the senior center - one helped out in the computer lab and wrote some programs to help them schedule buses. The other taught a class in origami. Those are things that can be on a resume until they get bumped off by better stuff. </p>
<p>Looking for tutoring and babysitting is a great idea. I also agree that in a pinch working for Mom and Dad is better than nothing - but try to make sure it’s more substantial than just doing the laundry. </p>
<p>Finally she might take a class, not necessarily for credit, but just to be doing something. It doesn’t have to be for credit. It could be something fun like art, or a language.</p>
<p>My daughter also looked hard for work with no success. She tried everywhere, grocery stores, shops, chamber-maiding, dish washing. She is now babysitting, and, as someone else suggested, taking an art class and an online college class.</p>
<p>With budgets tight everywhere, a lot of agencies can use some volunteer help. Even a hospital. Child care/day care. Food pantries. Etc.</p>
<p>The number of internships that kids do now has been a surprise to me. I honestly think it is a little excessive, but I guess it is a product of the increasingly vocational focus of college education these days. Among the kids I know, most don’t have good internships until the end of junior, or in special cases, end of sophomore, year. She has plenty of time for that.</p>
<p>Consider things like Habitat for Humanity. My son is doing that this summer in between some other odd jobs he has picked up. Then in late July he leaves for a month to work with the Student Conservation Association where he will be working in the back country of a National Forest in Colorado building trails, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot to all of you for all the
suggestions. It really helps. Last night I was thinking that she really needs to get out of the house and meet people. Intership, paid work, volunteer, it doesn’t matter. I want her to do something productive. At least I feel somehow happy that she’s doing house work. I’ll talk to her. I wonder of someone was an idea about how to approach this issue. Yesterday I asked her if she was looking for intership and she responded No with tears on her eyes and all upset. She said that she coulnt find anything. Now, I’m not sure how to talk to her… Any ideas?</p>
<p>Start by saying you understand how tight the job market is and how hard it is to get internships then you could go on to say that it would be helpful if next spring she would have something to put down on her resume. This is when you could bring up volunteering and give her some ideas; such as animal shelter, nursing home, etc. She could also spend the summer learning some basic skills. You mentioned painting- knowing how to paint a room correctly will always be useful. How about cooking? Could she learn to cook the family meals, do the planning and the shopping? She could then try to find a summer job as a mother’s helper. It is a tough summer for these kids but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a learning time.</p>
<p>My S made a major effort to find an internship for this summer and came up empty handed. He used his college’s career website, job sites, and even asked his aunts and uncles if their companies had any opportunities. He was studying abroad this spring which made it harder, although he started searching via email & web in Feb/March, and did get 2 phone interviews. It was very discouraging, so I can understand the OP’s D being upset and not wanting to talk about it.</p>
<p>So he’s back at a job he swore he’d “never” go back to, working in a warehouse. Same job he had last summer, which he got because a friend was working there and told him about it. The friend got his job because the woman who does the hiring is his neighbor. You can pound the pavement, but sometimes networking pays off.</p>
<p>I echo the suggestion for volunteer work. Habitat for Humanity is a great suggestion. Also babysitting, house-sitting, etc. Another suggestion - if the D is a good swimmer, sign up for a class to become certified as a life guard. It might be too late for this summer, but the certification is good for 2 years so she’d be set for next summer (and maybe to work part time at college or at the YMCA or an indoor swim club over winter break). My D is a lifeguard and had no problem finding a job, and it pays a little better than working retail.</p>
<p>I agree with what’s been said, but I might take a different approach for this summer under the “pick your battles” excuse. It is only one and a half months which isn’t much time to offer an employer, so I’d let it go this year except for the following: 1) I would make her EARN her money by doing only your DIRTY jobs – that way you won’t be a desirable employer when it comes to next year. The bonus is that you will have a clean garage, basement storage room or whatever you put off yourself because you hate doing it. 2) I’d set the ground rules for next year. I’d tell her specifically what she will be responsible for paying for in the 2011-12 school year (the exception might be if she finds an unpaid internship that relates to her major), and that she’ll have to find someone other than you to employ her next summer. If you give her a 10 month heads-up, you can pick the battle next year and hold your ground.</p>
<p>My D. had hardest time finding anything, including volunteering. One place said plainly, they have over hundred on waiting list to …volunteer. Forget jobs, interhships. They need to look for all of these at their colleges, it is much easier to get there. My D. has job on her campus and internship at Med. Research lab and she also used to volunteer there. Well, she was pesistent for summer something, despit my reassurance that she does not really need to do anything, since she is so busy with everything during school year. Her persistency paid off. What she originally was thinking as another volunteering opportunity, turned out to be much more than that. She is very happy that the place tailor activities to individual needs and took into consideration that she is pre-med. It will be more shadowing than volunteering, huge learning opportunity in area of her personal interest. But I really left her to her own devices, except for telling her not to listen to anybody who brags about what they are doing in a summer.</p>
<p>My daughter had planned a full summer language course two summers ago that did not work out. I did not want her sitting around the house and lucky for us, we live in an area that has lots of stuff going on. She volunteered to be a program aid at a summer camp for archeology.</p>
<p>Depending on where you live, perhaps she could put a flyer out to all the neighbors offering to pick up mail, dog sit, or mow yards when people are on vacation. She might also house sit for people. Many folks don’t want to board their pooches and are happy to pay a college student to stay in their houses. If there are parents with young children around you neighborhood, perhaps she could offer to babysit for a weekend away for the parents. For many of these jobs, it is better if you know the people, so it does hinge on where you live.</p>
<p>I skimmed the thread, so I don’t know whether you mentioned what her major is, but if it is science, a language or engineering, NSA offers summer internships, but the application process starts in August. She could start this summer looking for something for next summer.</p>
<p>As an aside, my daughter has not worked because she usually has done some academic program in the summers, so she never has any money (she took a great scholarship offer, so I don’t care about her not working). Her brother made up a coupon book for me for Mother’s Day, so jokingly, I told her that she could make a coupon book for me for my birthday. She said, “Oh, yeah, coupon for pedicure with me, you pay. Coupon for tea (at our favorite tea place), you pay…” It was funny, but I do try to enjoy that time when she is home and not overwhelmed by what she needs to do. Take your daughter to lunch!</p>
<p>^Yes the same type of plan for my D. Instead of language, new musical instrument. She bought it by herself and has learned a lot just in couple weeks on her own also. She went thru first book in one evening. She said, it makes her happy, I am happy when she is. Well overall she ended up doing quite a bit in addition that we never see her anyway since she is with her friends most of her free time. She continue taking private piano lessons, since she does not have time for her piano at school. She lined up few MDs to shadow and the latest and greatest addition was volunteering place, which turned out to be better than she thought. Well, she also will be busy applying to Med. Schools, just got her MCAT score. So not too shabby after constant complaining on her part that she has nothing to do in a summer and all her friends are having awesome opportunities (some of which turned out to be created by parents in power to do so, while she is completely on her own).</p>
<p>Thanks all for the advice. Dd learned thAt she needs to start looking x summer employment early. So for this year, I’m still worry. I spoke with her again and she’s still looking online and by walking to the stores/businesses. I think she’s concentrating on retail jobs. Let’s see. If dd doesn’t find A job I’ll be happy that she’s learning basic skills of job hunting - resume, cover letter, interviewing,
Shell be looking for baby-sitting jobs too. It’s really though out there for young ppl. The economy is not helping… Again thanks all for the great suggestions</p>
<p>It seems that i’m back to where I was when I first posted. Dd has been looking, but she hasn’t been able to find anything. It seems that she gets discourage to keep looking because she has not found anything yet. Now, I’m thinking if I should tell her exactly what to do, or let her handle it her way. I’m tempted to tell her how many job ads she needs to reply a day and places to go in person. The other side of me thinks that I should encourage her to keep looking but let her figure out and manage her own job hunting. So anyone has an advice for me about what approach would serve as a better learning experience? and why?
I’m also tempted to tell her that she needs to volunteer and look for a job. I just don’t want her to be around the house doing some housework for me. She’s also reading and exercising, but I want her to do something else and have contact with people…again, i’m back to the same dilema - telling her what to do or let her handle the situation. Any words of wisdom?</p>