In times past getting a summer job was an easy task, but with the contraction of the local job market competition for the limited summer jobs has increased. The fact is that most students who succeed at landing a summer job do so through structured government programmes, including those administered by the National Youth Service and Petro Caribe, or through ‘links’ of parents, other family members or friends.
So what do the others do with the summer? Instead of partying, or in addition to partying, the suggestion is to create your own job. It is a fact that Jamaicans are among the most entrepreneurial in the world and this fact is not lost on our teenagers. With a little creativity, some seed money and a knack for identifying opportunities, you can earn some extra money this summer.
Here are some popular and not so popular job ideas that may work for you:
Go where it’s hot and help people keep cool
Jamaica has been for the past few months experiencing higher than normal temperatures, so the place is hot!!! There are a lot of public places that don’t have cool-down bars, and even the convenience store is just not convenient enough. Bottled water, sports drinks, sun visors, sunglasses, and battery-powered fans will sell anywhere there is sun. Try parks, the beach, the football field, or even a busy street corner near popular summer destinations.
Offer childcare & babysitting services
For parents, one of the hardest things is to find is suitable child-minding services during the long summer holidays. Summer school operates from 8-1 pm, Mondays to Thursdays only. Aside from some structured summer camps that can also be pricey, there are few other options for parents. As a teen entrepreneur, you can provide pickup and childcare services until the parents complete work at the end of the day.
Make and sell arts and craft pieces
If you are not able to buy things to sell but are artistically inclined, consider making craft pieces that people might want to buy for decoration for their homes, etc, and selling them. There is so much value in Brand Jamaica, so get creative and help someone to beautify their space.
Tutoring
Are you a good dancer, musician, artist, or great at English, mathematics or in another subject area? Then tutoring might just be the job for you. Start early by telling people about your plans for the summer. You may use flyers or business cards to spread the word. Once you secure ‘clients’, work out a schedule in which you will accommodate students as well as provide costs for your services.
Running errands/Delivery service
Start an errand-running service for those people near you who are short on time and do not have enough to get everything done in a day. Charge a fee to do things such as grocery shopping, fetching dry cleaning, etc. Advertise by creating your own flyers and posting them all over the community. For the delivery service, identify businesses in your area that would benefit from having their products delivered to their customers’ doors, or if you know of people who like to eat out but do not like to go get their own food, doing a delivery-style business for a fee might make sense.
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