Your parents have probably already asked you to start looking for a job. Whether it’s a job that only requires you to work on the weekend or everyday, many people are scrambling to find jobs for the summer. 

Summer is one of the best, and worst, times to get a job. Plenty of job opportunities open up as the weather becomes warmer and the outdoor activities grow larger. However, that also means that many other people are willing to take up the jobs that you would have wanted. 

There is also the problem that the job you want won’t match your work ethic. For example, if you are a very strict and professional worker, you might not be a great babysitter. If you have a very loud and energetic personality, working in a library is not your best option.

So, as high schoolers, what is the best job?

A fun and always shifting job is being a babysitter. While this is a generic job, it is actually very rewarding and helpful. Babysitters are responsible, creative, outgoing, and adaptable. They must always be on their toes and ready for the next thing. This is a job that wouldn’t have to be an everyday job. You have a flexible schedule, it’s a casual work environment, and you get paid to have fun. The average hourly pay for babysitting is around $12.75. Your hours are determined by the parents or guardians of the children you are babysitting. However, if the parents of the kids find you as a responsible and reliable babysitter, you could get paid more.

Another job that involves working with kids is a camp counselor. As a camp counselor, you must be outgoing, responsible, helpful, and energetic. You have to have an energetic and exciting disposition, considering that you are working with younger kids rather than people your own age. Usually, in New Providence, a fun and known camp counselor job is at JayCee Park. There, your job is to have fun with the kids outside, as they either play a sport, play on the playground, or do one of the many arts and crafts at the table. If the weather becomes hot enough, then the camp takes a trip to the Community pool, right next to the park. So, not only are you getting paid to play sports or make tissue paper flowers, you are also getting paid to relax by the pool side in the shade. You can even choose to work full days, or half days. The estimated pay is around $13.86 per hour. You can choose to work half days, which is Monday-Friday, 9am to 1pm. 

A great outdoor and indoor job is being a lifeguard at your local community pool. You can choose to be a lifeguard at three outdoor pools, either New Providence Community Pool, Clearwater Swim Club, or Crestview Swim and Tennis Club. If you prefer to work indoors as a lifeguard, Berkeley Aquatics is open for new employees. In order to be a lifeguard, you must be dedicated to your work, responsible, helpful, and constantly on your toes. You must also have taken lifeguarding classes and be CPR, first aid, AED (automated external defibrillator) certified before working as a lifeguard. Being a lifeguard is more professional than other jobs, in the sense that you are now in charge of multiple lives. You have to constantly be watching and observing, making sure that the pool environment is safe and clean.

Grace Dalton, a junior at NPHS, works as a lifeguard at New Providence Community Pool. Her experiences at the pool have been enjoyable as she explains, “I like working with others and socializing with people of all ages. I also enjoy being outside, being able to do multiple activities/tasks (like walking, cleaning, dive tests, etc), and having the ability to move around as opposed to sitting at a desk all day.“

New Providence Community Pool pays around $11 per hour, and you can choose to be a substitute, and half day guard, or a full time guard, 5 days a week for 8 hours a day. The average pay for a lifeguard is around $11.82. Berkeley Aquatics pays about $11.49 per hour.

Of course, during the summer, who could forget about the nice scoops of ice cream you get from one of your favorite shops? 

Zita’s ice cream shop is a popular place for people of all ages. You must be professional, organized, patient, energetic, and you must work well with others in order to work at this ice cream shop. There are no special requirements to work at Zitas, but if you work well under pressure and are a fast learner, the better suited you are for the job. Ice cream shops, especially popular ones like Zita’s, are extremely busy during the summer, so you always have to be on your toes and ready for anything. They have flexible hours including morning and night shifts, 7 days a week. Employees earn hourly wages plus tips. 

Another popular indoor job choice is to work at Dunkin Donuts. To work at Dunkin, it’s important to be organized, reliable, friendly, helpful, and it would be important to be skilled in multiple regions of work. Not only does Dunkin have flexible hours for its employees, but the employees can also receive bonuses on top of their $9 per hour pay.

Melanie Huashuayo, a junior, works at the local Dunkin in New Providence on Springfield Avenue. She says that she “[enjoys] the effort [she] has to put in and it really helps [her] learn to communicate with different people.”

Working at the local library, either by stacking books or by tutoring, is also a great way to spend your summer. This is a volunteer job, so this work is good if one needs community service hours. If you prefer working in a quiet environment, are detail oriented, adaptable, creative, patient, and organized, and you work well with children, working at your local library is a great job. The library provides plenty of work. For example, tutoring elementary, middle school, or high school classmates would not only help you stay up to date with your classes, but it would also help others understand their math, science, language arts, or social studies assignments better. In order to peer volunteer, you must be an A- average student 

Working in the library, you must shelve books, help smaller kids at the arts and crafts center, give tours of the Salt Box Museum in town, and even sometimes write reviews of new books.

There are plenty of job opportunities for new workers. These are some of the more popular jobs that are around New Providence for new employees who are just beginning job searches. Beginner jobs with friends could improve your work skills and job experiences. If you need any more advice on future jobs, ask a fellow sophomore, junior or senior.

If you need more information on the jobs above, here are some helpful links:

Camp Counselors: https://www.newprov.org/download/Recreation%20Department/Summer-2018-Brochure.pdf

Lifeguards:

New Providence Community Pool: https://www.nppool.org

Clearwater Swim Club: http://www.clearwaterswimclub.com

Crestview Swim and Tennis Club: https://crestviewclub.com

Zita’s Ice Cream: https://zitasicecream.com

Library Volunteers: https://www.newprovidencelibrary.org/services/teen-services/volunteering 

Dunkin Donuts: https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en/careers#