Summer holiday from Uni - where are the jobs?

[MrsClattenburg]

DS is now back from Uni for the (ridiculously long) summer holiday so will be back living here May-Sept.

He's trying to find a job and started looking before he came back home but hasn't been successful with any of his applications so far. Listening to Jeremy Vine discussing this now and it's so depressing... loads of people applying for just one job and so understandably, why would a business then want someone back from Uni for 4 months rather than someone who won't leave after the summer?

If your 18+ year olds have summer jobs, where are they working?

We live in quite a touristy area so cafes, hotels, pubs, ice cream kiosks, visitor attractions etc
Also worth trying supermarkets because students with term time jobs will have left for the summer holidays so sometimes they take on temporary summer staff

It's really hard, we live in a non-touristy area with limited public transport. My DD will be back in a few days having applied for all sorts online to no avail and printing out CVs to take round to all the local businesses.

He needs to go in person. Pubs, retail, supermarkets, theme parks all hire temporary employees. It’s difficult if you live more rurally with poor transport, but in a town/city all my friends’ kids have found jobs (two at local pubs, one in an independent department store, one flipping burgers at a theme park, one at Sainsbury’s). My own DD is still at uni until end of June doing a paid internship within the uni and will come home for five days before going abroad for another paid internship. The former she found by monitoring the uni info pages and applied in February. I think Easter is when you need to line up summer jobs.

Sympathy, my Ds18 still trying to get a part time job but it’s very hard . Local bar job had over 400 applicants (!)

The problem is that unless they're independants, taking a CV in in person results in being told you have to apply via the website (which says there are no vacancies) however we do have a few cafes nearby which he'll try.

@MrsClattenburg I know this might not suit if he needs the money, but I strongly suggest volunteering instead. Or learning to drive if he doesn’t. Jobs are often given on a who you know basis now. It’s not open competition. Mostly dc are known to the business owners.

Young people doing Saturday jobs up their hours in the holidays. They don’t disappear! They want the money too. I would try any business but we know there’s a crisis and only a few are getting jobs. Do be open to volunteering. My DD got fantastic opportunities via the NT. Much more than flipping burgers! She learnt a lot the rooms to give info to visitors, helped revamp the dc offering, learn talks and have them to visitors, did meet and greet, helped update the inventory and much more. Turned out it was very useful!

I think he's probably a couple of months too late applying. Most places will have their positions filled by now. My kids have worked weekends and evenings in restaurants since they were 17 so they have always had that to fall back on. I think if he isn't working part time during term time then he should start doing that. Experience is what will make him stand out. It won't help with this summer but there are more to come.

Probably too late but training as a lifeguard opens up a number of opportunities and not just holiday time.
Be enterprising and offer car wash/ cleaning in local neighbourhood. Dog walking etc.

@SnokenDo you think there are loads of part time jobs during term time? Where? As parents are squeezed financially far more dc are wanting jobs. The entry part time jobs for people who just want a few weeks aren’t there. Plus some degrees are full on and Oxbridge doesn’t want term time working.

I do agree with cleaning, gardening, collecting shopping, car cleaning could bring in something.

Cities have more jobs.

i live rurally and my dc stayed in the uni city as there were no jobs near me.

Pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes etc are the main ones where we are. It’s mainly students from the uni who work there during term time so when those students go back home for the holidays the students returning home from their uni take their places. This is what I did, 2 of my younger cousins are coming back in 2 weeks and both have jobs waiting for them at bars/pubs.

I have no idea where OPs son studies but there should be less competition for all year around part time jobs than summer jobs. Once my kids had got a foot in with one restaurant they have been able to get other restaurant/pub jobs. They are not Oxford students though and have plenty of time to work 8-12 hours a week and more in the summer.

Pubs and restaurants are closing. You have to get lucky now. Or it’s who you know.

My DD works in a hotel, zero hours, so some weeks nothing and others 5 full days. She took a gap year though (starts uni in Sept), so was able to get herself established as a first job. Now she will be able to work there in holidays by staying on the bank staff. It took a good while to find the job though. She's hoping the skills she now has may help get a term time job (seaside uni, touristy area)

Most students I know either go back to their pre- university job or work in a chain where they can transfer between working term-time at uni and in home town in the holidays. By my second year of uni I just stayed working in my university town job as it was easier than doing a different job.

Having the same problem. Dd finishes GCSEs and was looking for waitressing or pot washing - anything really but most places don’t even reply. So many people applying for each job.

It's very hard. My student ds has not been successful the past three years in getting any summer work, he has managed to get a few weeks of work at Christmas in his Uni town. It is really depressing. We live close to a large city but it is run down and whilst there are a lot of restaurants they are mostly indian and tend to just employ their own relatives/ family. The whole work situation for young people is thoroughly depressing right now. The country is in a mess.

Mine has had no luck in her uni town either (biggish uni, smallish town). We aren't near an unis with departing students leaving spaces. Her 6th form job was "permanent" and they don't have people back for the summer, all the staff are year round. She is volunteering but could use the money. I agree it's often who you know and even if volunteering doesn't lead directly to paid work it makes contacts, provides references etc.

@NerrSnerrHow long ago was that? There are few jobs anywhere now. It’s all over the news. In my day - that day has gone!

Babysitting might be worth investigating . P

My DC were lucky. DS got a job in sixth form through word of mouth / DD back from uni holidays and got her in at the same place. This was about 3 years ago!
I think you have to go in to local cafes/pubs and take your cv. Be persistent. V hard to get ‘chain’ jobs as it’s all about online tests etc.

For anyone with sixth formers, three of my kids got jobs cleaning at their schools which really was ideal for them as just a couple of hours each day term time and then some deep cleaning weeks in the holidays. It paid well.

My experience of a job was a long time ago but I know 3 current students who work where they had a job when they were doing a levels in the holidays. I also know one student who works between 2 Tesco stores depending on where they are. Actually I know another student who stays in her university town to work too.

No advice but sympathy @MrsClattenburg
DD is finishing her 2nd year, she had a job at a high street chain last summer (after applying for about 60-70 jobs) - couldnt transfer to the one in her uni city...so started looking for jobs again in year 2. After lots of searching got a zero hours contract at another high street store - she gets between zero and 17 hours a week, but mostly 1 x 4 hr shift per week or fortnight. She cant transfer to a nearer one near home....so has applied for loads of jobs in the towns near where we live but has got nowhere. It's pretty depressing - i heard JV too!!

Supermarkets, not sure about the others but a lot of tescos are picking up summer temp contracts at the moment, our branch is hiring as is the next town along.

That's what happens when you raise the minimum wage and employers NI - companies just employ less people.