For the past three years my daughter has worked seasonally at a local snowboard park and done babysitting in the summer. This year, she wants a full time (or near full time) summer job so she can save up for college and for spending money when she heads off to college in the Fall.
She has been called by several places and interviewed by one and everything goes well until the interviewer asks her what her college plans are. When she tells them she will be going away to school mid-August, they basically tell her “thanks, but no thanks.”
We don’t want to lie to a potential employer, but this getting ridiculous! I’m wondering whether she should just tell them she is going to the local community college and then give her notice on August 1 (2+ weeks). Thoughts?
If I didn’t have a job, I would seriously considering lying in the way you mention. She could even say, on August 1, that she is leaving to work on campus at the local college. That way, she could come back next summer without being questioned. Ya gotta hustle…
The only summer job my daughter had any luck finding (without lying) was at a theme park that was basically hiring summer help. Even then, she was a little vague on the exact date in August that she had to leave. She wasn’t willing to lie, and it definitely cost her some jobs.
We had the same issue - once the local employer found out my kids were attending college out of state, they weren’t considered any longer. Their friends who lied got summer jobs and then quit when it was time to go back to school.
The only exceptions were seasonal work (like summer camp counselor), temporary work, or really desperate employers. My D (attending a top LAC) worked at a nursing home in the dining hall without misrepresenting her time frame because they were so desperate to find help.
When my S got his job they told him they have a three months trial period for every employee, during which they can both end the working relationship without notice.
Sometimes, it helps if you can work when home on break or in subsequent summers. There’s a regional grocery chain that hires a lot of students, many of whom go off to college and come back to work during winter break. Some businesses experience an upswing in need during the summer months (ice cream parlors). Sometimes chain will hire a student who can then transfer to a store in the college town.
Even a teen who thinks he’ll stay into the school year may be out in 3 months because he’s bored/his sport starts/he finds a better job. I’d think short hires would be pretty common in industries that do hire teens. Look at places where it seems like every kid in town has had a job at one time or another.
My oldest never had just one job. Nothing wrong with piecing together part-time as you find it.
This thread makes me feel a lot better. This is the exact situation in which my D finds herself. She goes to college out of state. Either she has called, or I have pounded the pavement to, every place we can think of that might be hiring. The only places willing to hire her for the summer are fast food places that would basically give her less than 20 hrs a week (more like 10 from what I hear) and absolutely no say in her schedule. Minimum wage for less that 20 hours a week and probably the worst of the worst possible schedules doesn’t really seem worth it.
I’m not sure how much the out-of-state college makes a difference. Her younger sister, who will attend college locally this fall, also can’t find a steady part-time/summer job. It seems like even the more entry-type jobs (i.e., store clerk) are taken by either adults above typical college age or young adults who aren’t going to college. Older D only has only one friend who has managed to keep a decent job. This friend takes 1 or 2 classes at a time at the community college and works full time managing a local movie theater. Other than that, really very few college kids work around here unless they have a connection through their parents.
Look for seasonal businesses…My dd just got a job at our local outdoor Concert venue…look at pools, camps,
But also look at places like Movie theaters that do more business in the summer.
Also get an account on nextdoor dot com which is a site/app that lets you communicate with people in your neighborhood. Have her see if anyone needs someone to watch their kids for the summer/schlep them places.
We tried, but a grandparent recently moved in with the family so they no longer need a sitter in the summer. Thank you all for your comments so far. There is a summer job fair at the high school next week. I think I’m just going to tell her to tell them that she is going to the community college (if they ask). Some teens are so flaky and quit jobs after a few months anyway, I’m surprised they are being so picky! She’s in the top 10% of her class and has stuck with the same seasonal winter job for three years, for crying out loud!
I saw this happen with some kids returning home for the summer from college after freshman year. Very few businesses wanted to hire them for just the summer. The kids I know ended up in a pretty lousy fast food situation.
Does your local government have a teen job program? Our does and I know people whose kids got jobs that way. My D is waiting on an internship through the same program.
Agree about the seasonal work-many of D’s friends work at a nearby water/amusement park in the summers. Others work at summer camps, as D has for the last 3 summers.
Fast food work is better than no work. I did it myself…and believe me…it made me appreciate more what my college degree would enable me to do!
My kids really didn’t have this issue. One was on quarters and didn’t start classes until mid September. She was a lifeguard and picked up TONS of hours between August 15 and when she left in mid September.
The other kid worked in a restaurant. He was gone each summer for 4-6 weeks to music festivals, but his employer was awesome and let him work when he was here. It helped that the kid would do anything…weed the gardens, wash dishes, bus tables…anything. His college started right after Labor Day.
I agree @thumper1 No way would I tell my kid that fast food work, even very part time, wasn’t worth it. You can throw some odd jobs in with that little one.
H and I both worked fast food in college. Believe me, I know the downsides, but if you need spending money…
Fast food jobs aren’t available to kids in some places, either. In my neighborhood, most of the people who work in the fast food restaurants are at least 30, and most are people who are learning English. Evidently, the managers of the restaurants think that these adults are better workers than kids would be – and they’re probably right.
This particular fast food place had some pretty bad health and safety policies. I’m amazed that they haven’t been shut down or caused a salmonella outbreak. Perhaps that is why they needed summer students to work there–any adult would have moved on.