My first summer job

Cerdanyola del VallèsHistorically, the arrival of summer has been associated with the search for seasonal work by thousands of young people who, upon finishing their academic year, want to have their own income. The motivations are very diverse: to go on a trip with friends, to get a driving license, to indulge themselves, to save up to survive the next school year, or to partially or fully fund their studies.

This upturn is also noticeable in companies, a large proportion of whose job offers, upon arrival of the summer season, do not emphasize previous experience as a key requirement for hiring staff. This was highlighted just a month ago by the InfoJobs portal: in June, it published almost 97,500 vacancies that did not require previous experience (39.5% of the total). The categories that grouped the most vacancies without required experience were purchasing, logistics and warehousing; sales and commercial; customer service; delivery vehicle driver, and sales assistant, as well as typical summer jobs to start in the world of work, such as waiter, lifeguard, leisure and free time monitor, receptionist, and tourist entertainer.

Months to look for a job

Rania and Nora Gherarmi, 18 and 16 years old respectively, are two sisters from Cerdanyola del Vallès who have recently started working. In their fourth year of ESO, both took a first aid course which they were then able to supplement with training as leisure and free time monitors, requiring them to complete a month of practical experience at a summer camp in Sabadell. The elder sister already did this two summers ago, and the younger one is currently doing it. "Last summer they asked me back at the camp, this time as a full-time employee, and this year I've returned for three weeks," explains Rania, who just over a month ago also started working as a ticket seller, waitress, and usher at the cinema in a shopping center in Barberà del Vallès. During this month of July, the girl will work at the summer camp during the week and then, on Friday evenings and nights and on weekends, at the cinema. In August, and until September 5th, she will only work at the cinema.

Finding a job, however, has not been easy at all. “In recent months I have sent a lot of resumes through platforms like InfoJobs and Yobalia, and I have also delivered them personally to many places and there was no way any job opportunity would arise,” explains Rania, who “already desperate” was about to apply for a fast-food restaurant chain where she knows that “there is a lot of staff turnover”. Finally, she signed up for the cinema vacancy through the website and everything went smoothly. At the youth center she hopes to continue enjoying the time shared with the children, both young and old, and at the cinema she trusts that her sociable nature will make her day-to-day easier.

Although she seems enthusiastic about this new stage, Rania, who is studying for a degree in Aeronautical Management at the UAB, admits that the hardest part of working every day of the week is giving up time with her friends, whom she doesn't see as much as she'd like during the school year. To avoid dwelling on this thought, she focuses on her goal, which is none other than to save as much as she can. “I’m getting my driver’s license and it’s proving a bit difficult, and then I want to buy a car. These are big expenses from which I would like to free my parents,” she points out.

Vocational discovery

In turn, this July Nora is undertaking the unpaid internship at the Sabadell summer camp that she needs to complete her training as a leisure and free time monitor. In addition, she will continue teaching for most of the summer to one of the second-year ESO girls from her institute whom she has already been helping out all this course. Nora, who will start second year of high school in September, earns between 8 and 10 euros per hour, money that the youngest of the house dedicates to experiences she enjoys (theme parks, activities, restaurants...) and gifts she loves to give to others.

In this case, the job search was much smoother: “I told my best friend, who was already giving private lessons, that I would also like to do it, and by chance, his niece needed a private tutor.” Later, members of the management team of the institute where she studies went class by class to tell students that if they felt up to giving revision classes, they should let them know, and Nora was one of those who jumped at the chance.

This is how she found her second student. “During the course I have been giving two hours of revision per week to each girl, and I feel proud especially of the progress of one of them,” says Nora, who explains that she has realized she has a knack for teaching children. “I had never explored this option, because the world of biochemistry and biomedicine has always appealed to me, but for now I do not rule out dedicating myself to teaching in the field of science,” emphasizes the young woman, who for next year would like to continue giving private lessons to her two students. “Now we have to see if I can combine it with English and the demands of second year of high school!”, she exclaims.

Lack of opportunities

Hasna Segnor, mother of Rania and Nora, thinks it's great that her daughters are starting in the working world and, what's more, are doing so progressively. “It’s an experience they have to live through, but at their age I’m not in favor of them working 30 or 40 hours a week,” she states. Segnor finds a weekend job, or one with few hours a week, more suitable, which they can even balance with their studies during the school year. What neither Adlan, her husband, nor she wanted was for the girls to accept a very grueling job, or one in which they couldn’t give their best, which according to her, in Rania’s case, is being “patient, responsible, and fun,” and in Nora’s case, “her involvement, generosity, and commitment to others.”

Hasna is also proud that her eldest daughter has been called back from summer camp and that the institute recommends her when a student needs private lessons. "In the end, this reflects the education and manners your daughters have, and in part, it is the result of the work that parents have done for years and years," she emphasizes. Among the benefits that a first job can bring to her daughters, she highlights "the fact that they begin to value the world of work, earn money, the responsibility and the organization that having a job implies." Also the commitment that signing a labor contract implies, since "it obliges you to be punctual, meet objectives, know how to behave and be responsible for what you do."

Regarding the desire to work of the new generations, the mother of Rania and Nora admits that there are all sorts, and that "not all young people are willing to commit to a job, nor do they all intend to live off handouts." She is particularly critical of companies, which currently find it difficult to hire workers without experience. "But if you don't give them the opportunity to work and learn - Hasna suggests - how do you expect them to develop and acquire key competencies nowadays?"

Economic independence as a motivation

Sara del Pino, also from Cerdanyola del Vallès, has just turned 20 and has been babysitting two siblings aged 8 and 10 for a few months. The opportunity arose because the mother of the children is a client of Belén, Sara's mother, at the aesthetics center she runs. This alignment of factors brought Sara closer to the goal of saving money for, among other things, a trip with her partner this summer. "I wanted to have money, so I was open to working almost anywhere, I hadn't imposed any kind of limitation on myself," she explains. The young woman admits that the fact that more or less everyone in her circle was working also helped her to take the step. "You see that everyone is working, earning their money and living their lives, and you also want that independence for yourself," she says.

Even though she doesn't have a clear idea of what she would like to do, working with children is something Sara particularly enjoys. “I’ve always liked children, and that makes it not complicated for me to take care of them. Since they are not so little either, I play and I entertain myself a lot with them, we have a lot of fun,” she explains. During the experience, she hopes to be able to teach them everything possible and that when they grow up they will fondly remember their time in her life. A memory that from September, when she continues with her intermediate vocational training in dental hygiene and starts her practical training, will need to be continued forging on weekends and during holiday periods.

Becoming responsible and independent adults

Belén Rubio's youngest daughter recently starting work evokes feelings of nostalgia in her – "Because she is growing up at a tremendous pace" – and pride – "Because she wants to be economically independent, which after all is what all parents seek." Knowing the girl, however, she fears that "her self-demand will make her think she is not good enough for the job she has to do." A job that Belén knows she will perform perfectly. She states that she does not lack qualities. And it is that apart from loving children, "Sara is loving, empathetic, good, sweet..." The young woman's vocation has always been to do something related to children, so her mother is sure that "she will enjoy the experience to the fullest."

Rubio explains, however, that they, as parents, have also encouraged her to work this summer. “It’s good for her future that she starts opening doors, whatever the field,” she states. That is why when her client told her she needed a babysitter for her children, she didn’t hesitate for a moment to recommend her daughter.

In fact, starting in the working world is something that, in her opinion, all young people should do as soon as possible. “Nowadays, young people are a bit too comfortable living under their parents’ wing, and working brings them skills and values they don’t acquire at home, while studying, or on the street, such as having superiors and having to be accountable, having a schedule, a responsibility, and a commitment,” Rubio continues. In the end, it’s about them stepping out of their comfort zone and seeing, as parents, that “once you’ve equipped them with the right tools, they know how to develop and become responsible and independent adults,” Rubio concludes.