<p>I was planning on taking a full load summer classes this summer so I didn’t find a summer job. However, I just found out today (after already going to 2 classes) that the professor decided to cancel one of my classes for second summer. So now I only have one class that meets on Tuesday and Thursday and that leaves me with way too much free time to do nothing.</p>
<p>Soooo…is it possible to find anywhere that will hire me for one month? I am going back to school on August 20th. Any suggestions on what to do with my free time or where to start looking for a 1 month job? </p>
<p>Thanks for any tips or advice! </p>
<p>PS: also I live in the Boston, MA area so if anybody has any leads or whatever haha (just throwing that out there just in case)</p>
<p>In my college town the apartment rental agencies are always looking for short-term help in August to help with painting, cleaning and everything else necessary to get all those apartments ready to flip.</p>
<p>This probably will sound stupid, but around here, the vegetable stands are starting to get busy. Maybe you could work at one of those during their busy times–which may even be when you are not in class.</p>
<p>You might also want to try shadowing in a field/job that you are hoping to get down the road, if you can’t get paid to do what you’re interested in. It can help you have better insights as to what the job requires/offers. Churches also can use volunteers to help needy/older folks repair/maintain their homes & its great experienced. Non-profits can also always use volunteers if you don’t NEED the cash.</p>
<p>Volunteer, set up job shadows. Can you take a different class? Agree that your summer looks a little light now. Advertise for pet-sitting/lawn-mowing?</p>
<p>Register with a temporary help agency. I’ve usually registered with more than one agency if I really want to keep busy. They usually have different kinds of work available (office, warehouse, computer).</p>
<p>If you have a Target nearby, check with them – ours staffs up very heavily for stocking in preparation for the back-to-school (K-12) and back-to-college (for our local U) and I’ve seen help wanted signs at both the local stores – at least around here they’re not looking as much for long-term employees; this is just a peak demand time. The temp service is also a good idea.</p>
<p>Companies use temp agencies when they want access to an employee pool but don’t want someone full time who would be more expensive because of cost of benefits, etc. The work often is lower level – filing, answering phones, etc. – but are great because you can take or not take an offered gig and sometimes the temp job leads to a full-tim offer.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’re in Belmont right now, but I Googled Belmont Mass temp agencies and got several hits.</p>
<p>Are these temporary agencies legit? Any advice on finding a good temp agency?</p>
<p>Sorry for my skepticism. I just read a few google/yelp reviews and there were many that were pretty negative (and for the positivie ones, there were some accusations that the temp agency wrote many of the positive ones themselves! lol)</p>
<p>Look in your phone book (are these are even used any more?), or do an internet search for “temp agency” or “employment agency” and your city. Kelly and Manpower are a couple of nationally known companies. </p>
<p>How they work: the agency contracts with businesses and when a business needs temporary help, they tell the agency. The agency does the screening/testing of potential employees (you) and when a business calls with a spot, the agency contacts you (if your interest/availability/skills match what the business wants) and you decide if you want to accept the job or not.</p>
<p>When you register you tell them your hours available, the minimum hourly salary you will consider, what kind of skills you have, what kind of work you want to do, provide references, etc. If you claim to be able to type, you will be given a typing test. Other tests might include putting something in alphabetical order (before they send someone out to a filing job).</p>
<p>The agencies in the phone book or with established physical offices should be legit - they will go out of business if 1) no businesses contract with them; or 2) potential employees don’t register with them. They are offering the business a service - they have screened employees for skills, references, etc. and handle payroll. Your employer is the agency, not the business you are sent to work for.</p>
<p>Sometimes different agencies have their own specialties - some work with particular clients/corporations; some specialize in office work/manual labor. You may want to register with more than one, since some agencies may not have any work to offer you or may not specialize in your particular skill area.</p>
<p>Unless you have some truly superior skills (clerical, software, etc.), you won’t get a second look from a temp agency. They are overwhelmed with highly skilled, very experienced workers who have lost their jobs in the last few years and are available to take on assignments of any length. My S was able to earn great summer money temping 5 years ago. It’s a very different world now. I think you may have to beat the bushes for the usual summer stuff–mowing lawns, painting houses, baby or pet sitting. Good luck.</p>