Every day we hear more and more bad news about the job market, which can be discouraging as we work to prepare our students to join the work force. But there’s some great news – seasonal employees are still in high demand and summer jobs are no exception! Kids hear so much theory about what it takes to be successful, that sometimes what they really need is to learn it first-hand. Regardless of the type of position, students learn from filling out a job application, interviewing, and being responsible for showing up on time each day! Take this opportunity to connect your students with summer employment, and you will help them make valuable career connections while developing personal leadership skills.

Online: I found two great websites to help your students navigate the summer employment opportunities available.

Our first stop is SnagAJob.com. Students simply have to type in their zip code and a list of local jobs pops up. You can narrow jobs down by employer or by city. Head back to the home page and students can sign up for job alerts in their area to be emailed to them. This could be a great tool even if your students aren’t looking for a job just yet, to open their eyes to local opportunities.

Summerjobs.com is more specific to what we would typically think of as a “summer job”. Camp counselors, lifeguards, and swim instructors can find employment here! You have the option to sign up and become a member of the site, but you can search without registering by simply typing in a key word. When your options come up, you can sort by title, location, employer, and date posted. I like this site because it also gives a brief description of the industry related to the job, which could easily be used to enrich your curriculum!

Push your students to gain career skills by getting a summer job. They will appreciate the money now and the value of the experience later!