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Term is coming to an end and summer stretches out in front of you like a never-ending sea of parties, festivals and Instagram posts. Or so you hope, anyway.
This is all great in theory, but how are you going to fund this epic, unending party? Well unless you are on Love Island or Made in Chelsea it is time to get started on that job hunt.
Start early
Get started now! There’s no point leaving it until the first day of the holidays when everyone else will be doing the same thing. Start thinking about what sort of job you would like and look online, in newspapers and local businesses for any vacancies.
Be CV savvy
Give your CV a good health check before you start applying for jobs. Make sure all your latest qualifications and achievements are included, update your contact details, and add any new work experience or referees.
Ask a friend to proofread before you send it out so you don’t address a potential employer as ‘dear Sir/ Madman’ or using its when it should be it’s.
Quality over quantity
Don’t send out hundreds of generic CVs. Take the time to finesse your cover letter and tailor your CV to the jobs you really want.
Although it will feel like you’re doing more by sending out more, the time will end up about the same as writing a detailed cover letter, but there is less chance of receiving valuable offers.
So follow Business Insider UK’s advice and draft a strong cover letter with all the most important information in to start you off on the best foot.
Get your priorities straight
Summer jobs offer one of two things, money or experience and rarely the two together. It’s up to you to decide what’s most important / what you need the most.
If it’s career experience you’re looking for, try speaking to friends of your parents or even your teachers for advice on possible placements. Lots of smaller or independent businesses in major sectors, like law or accounting, will happily take on a summer intern but these positions are often unpaid.
If you’re just working over summer for cash, enquire with local pubs, restaurants and hotels as these kinds of industries often have lots of extra hours on offer and flexible shift patterns.
Location
If you’re currently at university the hardest decision to make can be whether to stay where you are or to go home.
If you live in a small town, staying in a city may offer more opportunities for work, but this can be outweighed by the fact you’ll have to pay rent and buy all your own food. However if you are somewhere like Edinburgh and can get work at the Fringe Festival this provides a month of employment and some amazing memories to go with it.
Dream big
You’re only limited by your imagination when it comes to summer jobs. There are so many cool jobs that only summer makes possible. You don’t even have to stay in the UK! You can work abroad doing literally anything, from picking fruit in the south of France to running a summer camp in Colorado.
Festivals need volunteers from litter pickers to dancers, cruise ships hire entertainers and cabin porters to sail round the world and universities hire campus staff to rent out accommodation and provide tours of local areas.
This article was originally written by Student Money Saver. Student Money Saver can help you realise your dreams with their list of 5 summer jobs you’ve never thought of.
