Find a summer job

Finding a summer job isn't always easy when you are new to the job market!

Your Desjardins caisse and businesses in your area have joined forces to offer you the chance at your first summer job by creating the Desjardins Youth Work Experience program. If you are between the ages of 15 and 18 and you live in Quebec, near a participating caisse, find out more about it!

Here are some more Web sites to help you find a summer job:

Student Connections
The federal government's Student Connections program hires post-secondary students as technological advisors.

Ontario government Summer Jobs Service
The Ontario government's Summer Jobs Service can help you find a job in public service or in the private sector.

Réseau des Carrefours jeunesse-emploi (in French only)
Carrefours jeunesse-emploi du Québec is there to help you find a job. Go to their Web site to get the location of the Carrefour nearest you.

Summer Work Student Exchange
Summer Work Student Exchange is a summer work program that runs for six weeks (from early July to mid-August) and is aimed at students 16 and 17 years of age who are returning to school in September.

PEQ
PEQ (Placement étudiant au Québec) can help you find internships and jobs with employers seeking to bring new talent into their companies. PEQ services are available all year round – not just for the summer!

I'm keeping busy!

Summer is the best time to earn yourself some spending money. Imagine the things you could do or the stuff you could buy. Here are a few suggestions for jobs you might consider, some of which are easier to get than you think!

Watch the ads for summer jobs in your area. You'll see that a lot of them are within your reach, and if you don't find anything, you can always create your own.

Here are a few job ideas worth checking out:

Wading pool monitor
Assistant activity leader
Pool Lifeguard
Recreational Facility Attendant
Instructor
Other jobs

Sitting in your chair poolside, you'll be in charge of making sure that no accidents occur in and around the wading pool.

Your duties:

• Ensure that bathers respect regulations for the safety of all
• Assist bathers in difficulty and administer first aid when required
• Help out with tasks like cleaning, filling, and emptying the pool
• Test regularly for water quality

What it takes:

• No experience required
• High school diploma
• Bronze Medallion certificate from the Lifesaving Society or a first aid certificate from St. John Ambulance
• First aid and CPR certification from an organization recognized by your city
• Ability to react fast in an emergency, administer first aid, and work with the public, especially young children

When it's available:

• Mid-June to mid-August
• Weekdays as well as weekends for some wading pools

Are you a natural born leader with a good imagination and a winning way with kids? Perfect! You could be an assisting activity leader.

Your duties:

• Lead recreational activities using material and equipment made available to you
• Ensure that facilities and rooms are kept need and tidy
• Maintain group spirit and keep order
• Fill out certain forms and keep basic records on recreation center and playground use
• Administer first aid when required.

What it takes:

• No particular experience required
• Secondary 3
• College courses in a related field or similar courses offered by the YMCA or your city's sports and recreation department
• First aid and CPR certification from an organization recognized by your city
• Familiarity with recreation center activities
• Ability to maintain interest of participants and keep order
• Ability to write simple reports and work with the public
• Knowledge of French, if required

When it's available:

• Mid-June to mid-August
• Weeknights and weekends during the rest of the year

The beaches of California may be far away, but lifeguarding is still a popular job with young people and a must for swimmer safety. It's also a great way to enjoy the summer.

Your duties:

• Ensure safety and keep order around the pool - Assist swimmers in difficulty and administer first aid
• Help clean showers, change rooms, toilets, and pool premises
• Check water quality
• Keep records on pool use, water quality, filter maintenance, and maintenance products used

What it takes:

• Experience not essential, but it is an asset
• High school diploma
• Lifesaving Society Bronze Cross certification or, even better, a National Lifeguard Certificate
• First aid and CPR certification from an organization recognized by your city
• Level C CPR certification from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec
• Knowledge of pool rules
• Good knowledge of French, if required
• Ability to react fast in an emergency, write simple texts, and work with the public
• A strong sense of responsibility

When it's available:

• Mid-June to mid-August at outdoor pools
• Year - round at indoor pools
• Days, evenings, and weekends (variable hours)

Like working with people? Interested in contributing to community life in your neighborhood? Then this could be the job for you! You greet and provide information to the people who use municipal recreational and sports facilities

What your responsibilities are:

• Answer public inquiries
• Register people for activities, if any
• Keep statistics on activity attendance
• Patrol indoor and outdoor facilities to make sure rules are being followed
• Keep records on the number of people visiting and using facilities
• Administer first aid, if required

What it takes:

• No experience required
• Secondary 3
• First aid and CPR certification from an organization recognized by your municipality
• Knowledge of the rules regarding facility use
• Ability to write basic reports
• A knack for working with the public and enforcing rules
• Good knowledge of French, if required

When it's available:

• All year
• Days, evenings, and weekends (variable hours)

Can't live without basketball, baseball or soccer? Why not share your passion for sports with others? As an instructor, you could earn money introducing young people and adults to a sport or activity you love.

What your responsibilities are:

• Teach children or adults the basics of a sport or help a specialized instructor
• Maintain group spirit and keep up discipline during the activity
• Distribute and collect material at the beginning and end of the activity
• Administer first aid when required

What it takes:

• A minimum of relevant experience
• High school diploma
• Certification by a recognized sporting body or appropriate organization
• First aid and CPR certification from an organization recognized by your city
• Familiarity with the techniques, principles and methods of teaching your sport or activity
• Knowledge of French, if required
• Ability to spur interest and work with the public

When it's available:

• Evenings and weekends, depending on the activity

Of course, there are plenty of other choices. Your imagination is your best tool for success in finding a job that suits you.

Examples of jobs you can create yourself:

• Pet sitter
• Babysitter
• Painter
• Lawn cutter
• Gardener
• Or even a blend of all of them

Let your neighbors know what you can do to help them in exchange for a bit of cash. Reliability is your most useful asset when it comes to finding customers and word-of-mouth advertising could keep you busier than you think!

If you've got a passion, why not approach local businesses directly to see if they'll let you help out and maybe get to know their employees. This is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the workplace environment and find out whether your passion is all it's cracked up to be. If you like working on cars, for example, offer to be a "gofer" at your local garage. If horses are your thing, why not ask to work as a stablehand? You might end up doing it for free, but the experience you acquire can be a real plus for your future!