19 Of The Best Summer Jobs For College Students

As busy and expensive as college life can be, students may use their summers to take on a part-time or temporary job. Working during the summer months can help you keep some money in your bank account as well as gain valuable work experience. Like looking for a job after graduation, you’ll want to find one that’s the right fit during your time in college.

Let’s explore some of the best summer jobs for college students, and where to look for summer employment. 

What To Consider When Getting A Summer Job

When looking for a summer job or side hustle, you shouldn’t necessarily take the first opportunity you see. Consider the factors discussed here when starting your summer job search.

• Your availability: What’s your schedule for the summer – are you taking summer courses or juggling other obligations? If flexibility is important to you, look for jobs that can work with your personal schedule.
• A job’s time commitment: Are you working just for the summer, or do you want to continue with the job into the next semester? Part-time seasonal jobs may allow you to work during the time you’re available, but if you’re looking for long-term employment, you may not have that flexibility. So, be realistic about what you can handle when classes start up again.
• How much the job pays: Pay is important if you have certain financial goals or are paying out of pocket for tuition. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 but may be higher or lower depending on where you live. And, certain summer jobs will pay more than the minimum wage.
• The professional experience the job offers: Thinking about the future, you’ll want a decent amount of work experience on your professional resume – even if the work isn’t in your field. It’s all the better, though, if your summer job provides professional experience in the field you want to pursue after college.
• Your future goals: Certain jobs or companies will look better than others on your resume when you’re looking for work after college. If you can work for a prestigious employer or reputable company during your time in college, that could make your resume stand out as you chase your career goals.

Taking all these factors into consideration will help you find the best job for your situation.

19 Good Summer Jobs For College Students

Now it’s time to check out some of the best summer jobs for college students. These roles may be part-time or seasonal and will vary in pay and perks. The average pay listed below for these jobs is based on data from Indeed.com or Glassdoor.com.

Lifeguard

Average base pay: $15.25 an hour

Public beaches, pools, water parks and other swimming areas need seasonal lifeguards to ensure swimmers are abiding by swimming safety rules. Requirements for this job include CPR certification, training in first-aid methods and being a strong swimmer.

If you like being outdoors and in the sun, lifeguard could be your ideal summer job.

Camp Counselor

Average base pay: $15.91 an hour

Working at a local summer or day camp could be an enriching experience if you enjoy teaching and working with children. You may be expected to lead young campers in sports, studies, crafts and other group activities – all usually taking place outdoors.

Bartender Or Server

Average base pay: $16.01 – $16.14 an hour (plus tips)

Restaurants often hire servers and bartenders on a part-time or temporary basis. You’ll primarily be responsible for taking and serving food and drink orders, handling cash transactions and ensuring that customers have an overall positive experience characterized by good hospitality.

A job in food service can give you valuable customer service skills and experience working in a fast-paced environment. Additionally, thanks to tips from customers, you stand to make more than your hourly pay.

Fast-Food Worker

Average base pay: $13.49 an hour

Similar to being a server, working for a fast-food chain typically requires customer service skills, patience and being on your feet for long periods of time. Although it can be more grueling than many other jobs, working in the fast-food industry can often offer more flexibility in work schedule than you’ll find at most sit-down restaurants.

Barista

Average base pay: $14.94 an hour

Barista is one of the more popular food service jobs for college students, and you can often find local coffee shops hiring workers for seasonal periods. You’ll be responsible for taking and making drink orders in quick fashion, managing a cash register or payment system and operating coffee-making machinery. You should also be comfortable remembering or memorizing different drink orders.

Most coffee shops will provide on-the-job training for new baristas, so don’t worry if you haven’t used an espresso machine or another type of coffee-producing system.

Retail Sales Associate

Average base pay: $14.97 an hour

A retail sales associate will typically greet customers, answer questions and help shoppers find products in the store. You may also be asked to clean floors and rooms, as well as restock shelves as needed.

Receptionist

Average base pay: $16.13 an hour

Receptionists traditionally greet and assist customers or guests in addition to answering phones and emails and performing various customer service duties. You may also have bookkeeping responsibilities such as scheduling meetings, maintaining records, and receiving and distributing company mail.

Office Assistant

Average base pay: $17.04 an hour

Small and large businesses alike hire temporary office assistants from time to time. Duties in this role may be similar to those of a receptionist, and you may also be tasked with maintaining your office’s supplies and resources. Some assistants also take meeting notes and prepare important business documents.

Library Assistant

Average base pay: $16.55 an hour

If you love books, you can assist your local library with shelving books, checking items in and out and helping guests with various services. This job might be perfect for those who like to spend quiet days indoors, and it may be even better if you’re an avid reader who can help people find new books. If you want to stay on campus for the summer, see if your college library is hiring assistants to work the summer months.

Campus Tour Guide

Average base pay: $15 – $21 an hour (depending on the school)

Another option for those who want to stay on campus may be working as a tour guide who shows prospective students around your college campus. In this role, you’ll use your knowledge of the school to answer any questions the prospective students or their family members have. Just be prepared to do a lot of walking backward.

In addition to a base pay, colleges may offer free summer housing to students who are campus tour guides.

Tutor

Average base pay: $23.79 an hour

If you’re especially knowledgeable in a certain school subject, you can pass that knowledge on to students who may be struggling – and get paid for it. Online or in person, you can work with students of all grade levels or peer tutor fellow college students. Your responsibilities may include helping students study, do their homework and write essays. It’s also possible you’ll spend time explaining complex math or science topics.

Housekeeper

Average base pay: $14.94 an hour

Some people who need help keeping their house in order will hire an individual to assist them in doing just that. Housekeeper responsibilities can vary a lot depending on who you’re working for, but be prepared to perform duties such as dusting, vacuuming, doing laundry, and deep cleaning kitchens and bathrooms. You may also be tasked with meal preparation and running errands.

Dog Walker

Average base pay: $18.21 an hour

Perfect for dog lovers, dog walkers help care for people’s dogs if the pet owner’s work keeps them too busy. In this role, you may perform daily dog-related tasks such as taking one or more dogs on a walk and making sure the animal goes to the bathroom, is fed on time and gets the right amount of exercise. Some pet owners may ask you to dog-sit for periods of time inside their home as well.

Familiarity with and comfort around dogs is a must for this job.

Babysitter

Average base pay: $21.17 an hour

Parents may be looking for a sitter in the summer when their kids are home and out of school. To be a successful babysitter, you should be comfortable around children, be patient and have the right kind of personality for the job, since you may be spending long periods of time entertaining kids. However, babysitting might require no more than being present in the home while the children sleep.

Babysitters who can cook and prepare meals and snacks will generally appear more hirable to parents, though.

Nanny

Average base pay: $21.17 an hour

A more involved job than being a babysitter is working as a nanny, which will usually require caring for children several hours a day or the entire workday. You may have to prepare meals and snacks, get children to and from places, plan fun activities for the day and perform other duties at the request of the person who’s paying you.

Some nanny work may even take you outside of your area or even the country, which can be a perk if you like to travel and see new places. 

Delivery Driver

Average base pay: $18.75 an hour

As a delivery driver, you’ll drive a company vehicle or your own car to deliver food, supplies or other products to customers or other businesses. Restaurants, warehouses and post offices may be hiring part-time delivery drivers, as there’s almost never a shortage of items for drop-off. Food ordering services such as Uber Eats, Seamless and Grubhub often hire delivery drivers and sometimes let employees set their own work hours.

Most employers of delivery drivers require that you have a clean driving record, along with car insurance and a vehicle registration that are both up to date.

Landscaper

Average base pay: $17.63 an hour

Landscaping companies are usually hiring laborers to work on customers’ yards as well as residential lawns and gardens. The responsibilities of a landscaper usually include mowing, trimming, weeding and general garden maintenance. You’ll likely be outside most of the day and getting dirty, but you may enjoy the work if you like physical labor.

Farmhand

Average base pay: $16.71 an hour

People living in or near a rural area could get work as a farmhand for the summer. As part of this job, you may care for animals, operate farm equipment, maintain crops, clean stalls and repair fences. You should be comfortable around animals – duties may include milking or grooming livestock – and physically strong enough to operate machinery and buck hay bales. As with landscaping, you’ll be outdoors most of the day and doing dirty work.

Summer Intern

Average base pay: $17.70 an hour

If you want to get ahead in your desired field, paid summer internships can be an ideal way to gain experience and make some money between semesters. Responsibilities will depend entirely on the company you work for and the type of work you’re doing. Base pay for most internships is $14 – $18, but this number will vary by employer. Some internships don’t pay at all but may reward you in course credits.

Regardless of the pay, internships can look great on a professional resume and give you valuable hands-on experience in your field of study.

Benefits Of Getting A Summer Job As A College Student

If you’re unsure about giving up your free time to work over the summer, think about the ways a summer job can benefit a college student. For example:

• You can make money while in college. Being a full-time student may not allow too much time in your schedule for steady work, depending on your class schedule and extracurriculars. Working during the summers is a great way to make money while in college and have funds on hand for food and various activities.
• You can offset tuition and other college costs. You can reduce the amount you may have to borrow in student loans by paying as much out of pocket as possible toward tuition, food and housing. As a result, you won’t owe as much in interest if you start repaying your student loans after college.
• You’ll gain hands-on work experience. Whether a summer job is in your field of study or not, you’ll experience firsthand the daily grind of professional life. This can prepare you for when you enter the professional world after college, and possibly give your resume a boost when you’re seeking more permanent employment.
• You can expose yourself to networking opportunities. You can make connections anywhere you work. Networking with peers in your field and gaining potential references before you even launch your career can give you a leg up when looking for employment after college.

How To Find The Best Summer Jobs

Online job websites such as LinkedIn, Indeed and Monster can be helpful for summer jobseekers by providing information on a job’s expected duties, salary and hiring requirements. Many job sites also have apps that enable jobseekers to easily search for new opportunities right from their phone.

Employers also often post job listings on social media, allowing for sharing among colleagues and friends, as well as on one’s larger social media network. Word of mouth through the power of social media can be a great asset if you’re seeking employment immediately.

Some businesses still accept in-person employment inquiries and applications. If they’re eager to hire someone quickly, you could potentially be interviewed the day you walk in. For the sake of cultivating your networking skills, consider attending any job fairs held at your college, too.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a full-time student, you can help offset your college expenses by getting a part-time job during the summers, and you’re even better off if you can find work you like. Lots of summer jobs are available to college students – each with its own unique responsibilities, perks and compensation level. Think about what you hope to gain from a summer job and consider the kind of work you’re willing to do. Start looking early, though, so you have as much time as possible to find the right opportunity for you.

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