Making money during your summer vacation can be a great way of cutting down the number of loans you need to take out to study. It can also enhance your resume, meaning that you’ll be a more appealing candidate when you enter the job market.
In this article, we cover some of the best vacation jobs for college students, including some of the highest-paying summer jobs you can apply to. From working with kids, to working the land we cover what each role entails, how to apply, and what you might expect to earn.
Full time summer jobs
1. Camp Counselor
Hourly rate: $15
Find open camp counselor jobs here.
If you love being a role model for kids then this is the perfect role for you. If you live near a camp that isn’t residential, you’ll be able to head home at the end of the day, and might even get days off. Otherwise, you’ll join a residential team where camp time is all the time.
Camp counseling is a great opportunity to build a resume in education but to be successful in securing a role you’ll need a strong background in health and safety and first aid, it may even be worth getting some certifications before you apply.
Sports clubs, dance companies, and theatre groups will all have summer camps in operation, these tend to favour those who are based locally or people who have trained with them previously. If you’re not already affiliated with a youth group, some of the more established companies for camp counselor roles include BUNAC, Camp America, and Americamp.
2. Summer Intern
Hourly rate: $50 plus benefits
Apply for a summer internship here.
Interning during the summer has to be one of the highest paying summer jobs available with salaries of over and above $100,000 prorated across the summer months.
These roles tend to be in technical specialisms like accounting, finance, IT, and engineering and you’d be expected to be majoring in one of these subjects in order to be eligible to apply. These placements are a great opportunity for you and the company to test each other out so that when it comes to graduation you might have a lucrative role to go to.
1000s of summer internships are available at big-name firms like JPMorgan Chase, KPMG and Deloitte as well as smaller public and private sector organisations.
To secure a top-paying internship you need to get in quickly, programs can open up to a year in advance and they’re highly competitive. You’ll need to work on your resume and make sure you’ve honed your interview skills prior to applying.
3. Farm Hand
Hourly rate: $14 – $16
Find a summer farm job here.
Open to getting your hands dirty? Throughout the summer months, farms are actively recruiting for additional support to work picking and harvesting crops or feeding and caring for the animals.
It’s a physically demanding job, with the potential for it to be super rewarding if you enjoy being outdoors. You’ll need to be physically fit, able to lift heavy objects safely, and available for long shifts in the heat of the summer sun.
Depending on the role, you may be provided with basic accommodation and food alongside other seasonal workers, and you may get a small share of the product (particularly for vineyard work).
4. Administration Assistant
Hourly rate: $20
Find an administration job here.
If you’d rather spend your summer indoors enjoying some decent AC then perhaps you’d enjoy working in administration?
You’ll need a solid grounding in computing skills and some roles will also require transferable skills in customer service. Hours will usually be 9-5, Monday to Friday, and contracts can run all summer long so you’ll only get to enjoy your break and catch up with your studies on the weekends.
If you’re looking to make some savings before college resumes, this can be a great way of banking a few months of wages to put towards your living costs.
If you’re looking for a remote summer job then keep an eye out when you’re applying for administrative roles as some of them lend themselves to online working.
5. Lifeguard
Hourly rate: $13 – $17
Find open lifeguard jobs here.
Head to your local pool this summer and maintain the safety of its visitors. You’ll need some certifications to become a lifeguard, specifically lifeguarding, first aid, and CPR and of course, you’ll need to be a proficient swimmer.
These roles tend to either be linked to a summer camp, meaning you’ll have to be great with kids, or an outdoor pool, so you’ll have to enjoy spending long periods outdoors.
You can expect nearly full-time hours throughout the summer with contracts ranging from around 20 hours per week to upwards of 35.
Part time summer jobs
1. Babysitter / Nanny
Hourly rate: $12 – $20
Find open babysitter jobs here.
Babysitter pay varies wildly state by state and can be hugely dependent on experience. Overall, the younger you are, the less you’ll earn, and the wealthier your state the more you’ll earn.
Fancy a career with pre-schoolers or elementary schoolers in the future? This is a great way of gaining work experience. You might be asked to arrange fun summer activities, plan some basic educational sessions, cook meals, clean, and even administer medication.
You don’t need any specific qualifications, although some experience could enhance your application. Some employers might want you to have CPR and First Aid training and to see evidence of your college credits so far.
Want to become a nanny after you graduate? You’ll need to complete 2000 hours of childcare and specific childcare training to become a Certified Nanny.
2. Server
Hourly rate: $12 plus tips
Find server jobs here.
Working as a server may not be one of the highest paying summer jobs but there’s potential to make bank when it comes to tips. Depending on the restaurant, people could tip up to 25% of their bill. Even though you’ll be expected to share this with the kitchen, bar, and front of house, in higher-end places this could be pretty lucrative, especially if it’s cash in hand every night.
Although waiting tables can be a full time role, typically over the busy summer months many more part time server positions will open up. Shifts and work packages will vary from place to place but you should be able to make a fairly stable income throughout the summer. Plus, if there are term time shifts available you may be able to pick up some casual or part-time hours once school resumes.
3. On Demand Gigs
Hourly rate: $10 – $35
Find a delivery driver job here.
Want to spend the summer being your own boss? Why not spend your summer joining the gig economy? You can set your schedule, work on your terms, and if you want to take some time off then you don’t have to ask for anyone’s approval.
From Shipt, to TaskRabbit, to Uber Eats there are loads of different flexible summer roles. You might be delivering, putting up someone’s furniture, or even filling in as a last-minute babysitter.
The big downside is that the work isn’t guaranteed and you have to pay fees to the website or app that you’re using. It’s worth noting that the more you do and the more ratings you receive as a gig worker, the more work that will come your way moving forward.
Plus, if you have time when you resume your studies come fall, you can pick up bits of work whenever you want.
What to consider for your summer job
How old do I have to be to work?
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the minimum age for employment. Currently, that age is 14 for non-agricultural work. Your hours are restricted before you turn 16, and before 18 you can only do work that is “not hazardous”.
What is the minimum wage for each wage group?
The minimum wage varies by state. At a federal level, the absolute minimum is $7.25 per hour. You’re entitled to this once you’re over 20 years of age. Before this, the minimum wage is $4.25.
Some occupations such as babysitting are not subject to the minimum wage law.