If You Can’t Commit to a Full Season
Most seasonal employers understand limited availability dates whether due to school schedules or other factors. We recommend providing the employer with as much availability as you can. Make sure you factor in travel time or other commitments when coming up with your window of availability. Employers need staff to cover their entire season, so many will hire a combination of full-season staff, early-season staff, and late-season staff. Employers often give preference to those who can work the entire season – but there are plenty of short-season opportunities out there as well!
If you can’t, or don’t want to, commit to a full season, it’s helpful to consider the typical season length in the industry you’re interested in. National parks and resorts tend to run long, while summer camps, dude ranches, and Alaska employers tend to have shorter operating seasons.
The typical university student or teacher will return to school well before their visitor seasons have ended. For this reason, and because travelers are active during the late summer and throughout the fall, additional employees are often recruited to join the staff for August, September, and October. If seasonal employment is new to you and you’re free in the autumn months – you may want to consider applying for shorter-term employment – maybe 6 weeks at the end of the summer season – to see what it’s all about. This offers a terrific opportunity to discover a new place in a less busy time, and meet and work with fun and interesting people.
If you’re a student job seeker limited by your school break, or if you’re Older & Bolder and specifically interested in a shorter season, many employers have these opportunities available. As a student with availability beginning in late spring to around the first part of August, the winter holiday break is a great time to start your job hunt and submit applications. If you’re Older & Bolder, you also may be able to work just the first half of the summer season, or if you’d prefer to work last summer through the fall, look for those ads to start popping up on the site in July.
Whatever opportunity works for you, grab it and get ready for the ride of your life!
