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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to wonder what happened to all the students wanting holiday jobs?

50 replies

WhateverHappenedToMe · 18/07/2018 13:07

My office advertised a temp job - city centre, office based, decent pay and benefits, to start asap and run until September. Accepted it's part-time (three days a week, days of applicant's choosing, not weekends), but I would have thought there would have been students around who would be attracted to a job that gave them some money and some free time.

We had three applicants.

AIBU to think that "There are no jobs" is sometimes just an excuse?

OP posts:
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 18/07/2018 13:09

Maybe they didn't think they were qualified?

NameChangedAgain18 · 18/07/2018 13:10

My students seem to be going off on amazing holidays. Some of them on three different holidays!

RedHelenB · 18/07/2018 13:10

I know students who would bite your hand off. Where was it advertised?

Kittykatmacbill · 18/07/2018 13:11

Not sure, they are not applying for the jobs my project recruiting either!

arethereanyleftatall · 18/07/2018 13:13

Yanbu.
I remember the days when I considered uni a rest from my holiday jobs!

TheFairyCaravan · 18/07/2018 13:14

DS2, who is a student, and most of his mates work all year round not just in the Summer.

Storminateapot · 18/07/2018 13:16

My daughters applying for summer jobs all over & not even being called for interview or acknowledged. If you're in Suffolk let me know!!

LivingDeadGirlUK · 18/07/2018 13:16

Yes when I was at uni I already had a job come summer as I had to work all year round.

randomnumber44 · 18/07/2018 13:18

A lot of them could well be doing work experience in their field of study. Graduate jobs mostly want more than just a degree.

CoalTit · 18/07/2018 13:19

What do you mean by "benefits", OP? I know that's used in the US to mean health insurance goes with a job, but I don't know what it could mean in the UK for such a short-term arrangement. Does it mean you pay National Insurance?
I'd also like to know what you consider decent pay, as I had a would-be cash-in-hand employer say that she thought 800 euros a month was "an excellent salary". For the hours she wanted worked as a minimum, it would have been four euros an hour. Thus I realised that people's idea of reasonable pay varies greatly.

Sidge · 18/07/2018 13:19

My daughter is still applying for jobs, no luck so far.

Nobody seems to want someone who can only work for a few months, they want permanent staff. Not helped by living in a very small town and she doesn’t drive.

tictac86 · 18/07/2018 13:22

They arent interested these days in working. My sd is the same and just gets given money. My dd will be made to work

Springersrock · 18/07/2018 13:22

Summer is our mad busy time so we were looking to employ a student or someone over the holidays 3 days a week - nothing taxing, nothing you need qualifications for

Advertised and got 2 applicants - 1 never showed for the interview. The other didn’t turn up for their first day.

On the other hand, DD was looking for summer work (originally she didn’t want to work for mum and Dad), applied to loads of places and didn’t hear back from anyone

She’s now working for us

caoraich · 18/07/2018 13:24

Most of the students I know are working all year round now and just up their hours in their usual jobs in the summer. A fair number of them are also keeping on the weekend jobs and using the weekdays for internships/work experience - there is so much anxiety about graduate posts now, definitely more than when I was an undergrad 10 years ago.
Those from well-off backgrounds who can afford not to work in term time tend not to need to work in the summer either.

The only students I know who are picking up "new" jobs in the summer seem to be those on vocational degrees where they'll be employed in their field on finishing, however most of those degrees will start back earlier than September.

Xenia · 18/07/2018 13:25

If you say the area roughly I bet a MN's student child would do it. Mine have jobs for some of the time already so it may be that it is a bit too last minute.

dayswithaY · 18/07/2018 13:26

My son was looking for part time work. He submitted around 15 job applications, all online, mainly retail. Only 4 of the employers got back to him - all saying no. These applications were really time consuming. Aldi wanted a long written piece giving an example of when you have demonstrated leadership qualities. Most had very long multiple choice questions about hypothetical situations, employment history, qualifications etc. He is 18 and has previous experience in retail and at least 10 companies didn't even acknowledge his application. Some of the jobs that turned childish were for 8-10 hours a week with full flexibility, his point was if they don't want a teenage student to fill that role who would they consider? People over 40 are probably invisible to employers and people in their twenties and thirties with children may need time off. Students definitely want jobs, maybe you live in an area less students? Maybe they are hanging on for more permanent roles. I don't get it either.

dayswithaY · 18/07/2018 13:27

Turned him down not childish! Weird.

wafflyversatile · 18/07/2018 13:31

More foreign students going home for hols. More students who are rich and don't need to work. More mature students with other responsibilities. More students who have jobs all the time. More students who have to do course specific placements.

52FestiveRoad · 18/07/2018 13:36

What was wrong with the three applicants you did have?

IWannaSeeHowItEnds · 18/07/2018 13:40

It might be that their accommodation contracts end in July, so the students return home for August.
I have 2 teenagers who can't get summer jobs. I didn't want them working through GCSE and A level because lots of employers want them to do far more hours than is good for kids who are at school ft and have to study, but there is literally no one here who will employ them just for summer or at the weekend.

DerelictWreck · 18/07/2018 13:53

Agree, we've been advertising a job through the university job boards in our city. Graduate level position, no experience required, permanent role straight in on £25K.

Had 3 applicants in as many weeks.

PilarTernera · 18/07/2018 14:12

YABU it depends on where you are.

My student dd and her friends all seem to have work.

How do you know there are students without jobs in your local area who are saying that? If you are not getting good applicants, maybe you are not advertising in the right place.

MinaPaws · 18/07/2018 14:16

Where are you? DS wants a summer job and is free from right now until September apart from a week when we're away.

DoYouLikeHueyLewisandTheNews · 18/07/2018 14:16

When I was at uni those not from well off families, including myself, worked part time all year then bumped our hours up, transferred to local branches near home if further afield for more hours or got full time summer jobs. Those who had wealthy parents went travelling for the summer. I don't think anyone I knew looked for a temporary part time job over summer.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 18/07/2018 14:19

That's really odd. Are any of the three applicants suitable? What benefits do you mean?

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