Summer Income: 4 Alternatives to Food Service

Summer jobs are a great way to earn some extra cash and save up for college, pay off bills or just get some spare income to use on family vacations or added expenses. The average minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which means someone earning even as little as that could make over $6000 over the course of 13 weeks.

You may want a temporary summer job but aren’t interested in food service. That’s okay! There are plenty of alternatives that make excellent summer jobs.

Tutor

Parents don’t want their kids to forget what they learned during the year, and the summer is a great opportunity for children to strengthen any academic weaknesses and prepare for the upcoming school year. As a tutor, you can help children with a variety of subjects including math, language arts and science. If you are a teenager, college student or even an adult with a degree, there are plenty of tutoring opportunities to choose from.

Warehouse Associate

You may not have ever considered warehouse jobs for part-time or seasonal work, but these positions provide an excellent opportunity to learn new technical skills. If you prefer to work behind-the-scenes, a warehouse job is a great fit. Warehouse workers prepare orders, manage inventories, gather materials for shipment and delivery, and more.

Warehouse jobs are highly dependable and teamwork-oriented, so you’ll have a great opportunity to collaborate with your fellow associates and improve your communication skills along with data management, organization and planning.

Housekeeping

Cleaning houses or office spaces is a good way to burn some calories and earn money this summer. If you consider yourself a neat-freak, then housekeeping might even be one of the most enjoyable summer jobs out there. Since people are always making messes, these jobs have frequent hiring needs and availability.

Babysitting

Kids might get the summer off, but adults don’t! Many parents feel bad having to send their kids off to daycare for eight or more hours a day, which is why a qualified babysitter can make a decent living throughout the summer. Take the kids to the pool, fix their meals, play in the backyard and let them fully embrace their summer vacation all while earning some extra cash.

Just because a summer job is temporary doesn’t mean it can’t be beneficial. Rather than counting down the days until your final paycheck, look for a summer job that gives you an opportunity to develop new skills that will help you later. If you’re in college, consider a summer internship in your field of study that not only pays you well but also gives you valuable industry experience to put on your future resume.

Whatever you decide to do this summer, have fun and enjoy yourself! We may wish we could take off and sleep in every day like we did back in middle school, but earning some extra money isn’t so bad either!