Career Advice

9 Best Summer Jobs For Students

Academy Services Team
04.07.2024 Published: 03.07.24, Modified: 04.07.2024 10:07:32

We’re here to give you the lowdown on the best summer job for students.

For most students, summer is a breath of fresh air. School is out, exams are over and we can all enjoy some much-needed sunshine. However, many also find themselves with, perhaps, a little too much free time on their hands and are in search of a summer job to make some extra money.

Money aside, summer jobs are a fantastic opportunity to gain real life experience that will not only look great on your résumé, but equip you with new, transferable skills and help you widen your professional network. There’s no doubt that a summer job can make you a more employable individual, and benefit your long-term job prospects !

Graduate or student summer jobs can be highly competitive, and the recruitment process can seem daunting, but there’s no need to worry. We are here to help you prepare and give you a taste of what opportunities are out there for teens and uni students without much (if any) professional experience.

How to prepare and apply for summer jobs as a student

When applying for a summer job, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few tips you may find helpful when it comes to preparing for job applications:

Top 9 Best Summer Jobs for Students

Now that you have a better understanding of where to look for jobs and how to apply to summer jobs, we’ll run you through some of the best jobs for uni students or teens…

1. Summer camp

Taking on a job in a summer camp is ideal for anyone looking to work with children in the future, such as in education or childcare. A variety of summer camps run across the United States and Canada that specialise in specific sports or hobbies, like football or coding.

Why not give Camp America a try? It provides the perfect opportunity to expand your horizons and meet new people from all over the globe.

We recommend starting the application process quite early when it comes to summer camps, as they are likely to be popular and require appropriate background checks – even more so for camps abroad, which may require additional paperwork, vaccinations or organization of living arrangements.

2. Babysitting or nannying

Another option for those who want to work in childcare or education is babysitting or nannying. And, like camp, you can do this abroad for a more enriching experience. Working as a nanny abroad can equip you with a multitude of skills, including learning a new language, becoming more tolerant, overcoming language batteries and improving your communication – to name a few. These are all highly desirable skills that will help your career success going forward.

In many cases, your host family will provide you with accommodation and a salary, meaning you can save or enjoy everything you earn, without blowing it all on accommodation.

3. Festivals and music events

Summer is festival season and with thousands of festival, funfair and concert-goers every year, a high number of staff is needed to run these events. Whether that’s litter picking, event organisation or security, extra hands are always needed.

The great thing about working at a festival is that it is essentially a free entry pass. You get to enjoy your favourite artists, while earning money, or you can get a free ticket in exchange for some volunteering – what a win!

4. Fundraising

Fundraising is a rewarding job where you can earn a living, whilst giving back to the community. Most fundraising jobs are hands-on, enabling you to work outside, immerse yourself into local communities, meet lots of new people and get involved in some incredible causes. This could be collecting donations or working at charity events, for example.

One thing to note with fundraising jobs is that many are commission-based, which can work in your favour, but is not always reliable for a stable salary!

5. Tutoring

Tutoring is one of the best paying part time jobs for students, where you earn between $12 to $16 per hour on average. It is a flexible job that you could even do during term time.

Tutoring is also a great way to reinforce your knowledge in a particular subject. However, if you are looking to tutor junior or middle school students, you may need to familiarize yourself with the current curriculum as it could be slightly different to what you know. Alternatively, you could join an agency and receive training and structured learning plans, like Kumon.

6. Retail

Retail is one of the most popular summer jobs for teens leaving school and uni students. Even if you haven’t worked in retail before, you’ll be quick to learn on the job and training will typically be provided once you start. You may even have a trial shift to see if the role is suitable for you.

Working in retail is a fantastic opportunity to brush up on your communication and interpersonal skills in a customer-facing role, which are both highly desirable traits in the workplace.

7. Hospitality

Summer is a popular season for weddings and parties, which means the hospitality sector is booming and many catering companies and event organizers will be looking for more hands on deck for temporary contracts. Since it is so flexible and only short-term, this type of work is ideal for students looking to make some extra cash during the holidays.

8. Go freelance

Going freelance can be one of the most convenient summer jobs for students, since you get to dictate your hours, how much work you take on and how long you do it for. Freelancing is also a fantastic way to put your self-discipline and time management skills to the test, as you become your own boss and take charge of your workload. These are two key skills to carry with you into your future career, that will look great on your résumé and be an interesting talking point in job interviews.

Whether that’s copywriting, transcribing, graphic design or developing, there are plenty of freelance jobs out there, so you can do something you are passionate about and will make you proud. Who knows? This summer job could even evolve into a side hustle that you can bring with you back into the new academic year, alongside your studies.

9. Internships

If you’re not money-oriented and are looking for a summer job to gain industry-specific experience, then an internship could be the perfect arrangement for you. That being said, some internships will be just as well-paid, if not better paid, than a regular summer job!

An internship provides you with first-hand experience in your chosen field, working alongside experts and developing your skills through practice.

A few words of advice from our recruitment team

We’ve put together a few words of wisdom to help students on their job search and get the most out of a temporary job.

If you’re looking for an exciting new role in tech, check out the FDM Career Development Program for fantastic opportunities working with industry-leading companies.

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