Summer Job for Teen
Hello. My teen (almost 16) girl is having a heck of a time finding a summer job. Does anyone have a cafe or small business needing a hard worker?
Jun 21, 2022
Hello. My teen (almost 16) girl is having a heck of a time finding a summer job. Does anyone have a cafe or small business needing a hard worker?
Parent Replies
Well Grounded in El Cerrito is, I think, hiring and does hire teens. It is walkable from BART.
Supposedly the job market for teens is booming right now, but we didn't find that to be the case. My 17 yr applied to over 50 places and got interviews at maybe 4. She eventually landed a job at a cafe that just had a simple hiring sign in the window. She has job experience and a food certificate, but she is going to college in the fall, and many of these places want long term help, not just for the summer. They seem willing to remain understaffed rather than hire someone for just a few months. 16 is often the minimum age and 18 is the norm at a lot of the shops on 4th St. Your teen's best bet at 15 is to work at a summer camp, but it may be too late. We also found that applying on Indeed did not produce many interviews. Walking down College Ave, 4th St and Solano with resume in hand helped the most. I did see a hiring sign at Acme Breads, but everyone there seems to be 18+
We had similar experience with our 17-year-old son. He got a late start job-hunting, because he'd heard that so many places are hiring and desperate for workers. But he applied to 10-20 places, and heard back from almost nobody. I think the lesson learned is to start early. Summer camps are great places for teens to work for sure, but you have to start applying in the spring; they have paperwork, orientations, training, etc. At this point, our son will piece together some babysitting and some housesitting. You might try that.
Just here to say that your teen is not alone. Mine didn’t find anything either, so is driving for Uber eats, which is probably not an option for a 15 year old.
Our local Round Table Pizza, Sprouts, Chipotle and Starbucks are hiring. I am in San Ramon. I recommend if you live in the Berkeley or Oakland area that your daughter go to the businesses (grocery stores, coffee shops, pizza places, sandwich places) in person and ask for a summer job.
Mr Mopps is looking for people. They may want someone longer term, but it's worth stopping in.