The best time to start looking for a summer job is about three months before you want to start working. That means if you’re targeting a June start date, begin searching in March. Employers for camps, resorts, parks, and retail ramp up hiring in waves, and the earlier you apply, the more options you’ll have.
When to Start Your Search
Summer hiring doesn’t happen all at once. Large employers like theme parks, resorts, and summer camps often post positions in late winter and fill them by early spring. Government agencies, including state and national parks, typically open applications between January and March for jobs that run from April or May through October. Retail and food service businesses tend to hire closer to Memorial Day, but waiting until then means competing with everyone else who waited too long.
A good rule of thumb: start the application process three months before you want your job to begin. If you apply early, you can expect to hear back for interviews within a few weeks. Most employers reach out for phone or in-person interviews about one to two months before the position starts. Applying to 10 or 15 places over a couple of weeks gives you much better odds than sending out two or three applications and hoping for the best.
Where to Look Beyond the Big Job Boards
Indeed, LinkedIn, and Google’s job search tool are obvious starting points, and they work. But summer jobs often hide in places general job boards don’t index well. Here’s where to expand your search:
- Your city or county’s website. Municipal parks and recreation departments hire lifeguards, camp counselors, groundskeepers, and activity leaders every summer. These jobs are usually posted on the local government’s employment page, not on Indeed. Pay is typically in the $14 to $18 per hour range, with flexible scheduling.
- State parks and natural resource agencies. State park systems hire seasonal workers for frontline roles like answering visitor questions, registering campers, cleaning buildings, mowing, and maintaining trails. These positions often pay around $15 to $16 per hour and can offer up to 1,040 hours of work across the summer season. The application process is usually simple, sometimes just an online interest form that takes a few minutes.
- Camp and resort job boards. Websites like CoolWorks, Camp Channel, and the American Camp Association’s job board specialize in seasonal positions at summer camps, national park lodges, dude ranches, and outdoor resorts. Some resort programs, like work camper positions at RV and outdoor hospitality companies, include discounted or free housing on top of hourly pay.
- College career centers. If you’re a student, your school’s career services office (and platforms like Handshake) aggregate summer positions and internships from employers who specifically want to hire students. Many of these listings won’t appear on general job boards.
- Local businesses directly. Restaurants, ice cream shops, landscaping companies, pool management firms, and small retail stores often hire by posting a sign in the window or spreading the word locally. Walk in, ask if they’re hiring for summer, and leave a resume or fill out an application on the spot.
Jobs That Are Easiest to Land
If you don’t have much work experience, focus on positions with high turnover and large seasonal demand. Restaurants, fast food chains, and coffee shops almost always need summer help. Lifeguard positions are in chronic shortage in most parts of the country, though you’ll need a current certification from the Red Cross or a similar organization. Retail stores in busy shopping areas staff up for summer foot traffic. Landscaping and lawn care companies add crews as soon as the weather warms up.
Summer camps are another strong option, especially for high school and college students. Counselor roles often come with room and board, which effectively raises your take-home pay even if the hourly wage is modest. If you have a specific skill like swimming instruction, archery, arts and crafts, or playing a musical instrument, you become a more competitive applicant for specialty counselor roles.
For college students looking to build a resume, internships follow a similar summer timeline but require earlier applications. Many competitive internships at large companies fill their slots three to six months in advance, so applying in January or February for a summer start is common.
How to Apply Effectively
Tailor your resume to the job, even if your resume is short. If you’re applying to a pool as a lifeguard, put your certifications and any swim team experience at the top. If you’re applying to a retail store, highlight any customer service experience, even informal experience like volunteering at school events. A one-page resume is perfectly fine for a summer job. Employers care more about reliability and availability than about a long work history.
When you apply online, follow up. If the employer has a physical location, stop by a few days after submitting your application and introduce yourself to a manager. Mention that you applied online and wanted to put a face to the name. This small step separates you from the dozens of faceless online applications sitting in a queue. For jobs at parks, camps, or government agencies where in-person follow-up isn’t practical, a brief follow-up email after a week or two is a reasonable substitute.
Be clear about your availability. Summer employers need to know your start date, end date, and any weeks you’ll be unavailable for vacation or other commitments. Being upfront about your schedule makes you easier to hire because the manager can plan around your availability instead of discovering conflicts later.
Documents You’ll Need on Day One
Once you land the job, you’ll need to handle some paperwork before or during your first few days. Every U.S. employer is required to verify your identity and work eligibility through a Form I-9. You’ll fill out Section 1 on or before your start date, and you’ll need to present original, unexpired identification documents by your third business day on the job. A U.S. passport alone is sufficient. If you don’t have a passport, a driver’s license paired with your Social Security card or birth certificate also works. Copies, photos, or scans of these documents won’t be accepted; you need the originals.
You’ll also fill out a W-4 form, which tells your employer how much federal income tax to withhold from your paychecks. If this is your first job and you expect to earn under the standard deduction threshold for the year (roughly $15,000 for a single filer), you may not owe any federal income tax, but your employer will still withhold unless you claim an exemption on the W-4. Most states have a similar state tax withholding form. You’ll need a Social Security number for all of this. If you don’t have one yet, apply through the Social Security Administration within 30 days of starting work.
If You’re Under 18
Younger teens have fewer options, but they exist. Federal labor law allows 14- and 15-year-olds to work in certain non-hazardous jobs like retail, food service, and office work, with restrictions on hours: no more than 8 hours on a non-school day and no more than 40 hours in a non-school week during summer. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds face fewer hour restrictions but still can’t work in jobs classified as hazardous, like operating certain machinery or working on roofs.
Some states require a work permit (sometimes called an employment certificate) for minors. Your school’s main office or guidance counselor can usually issue one or tell you where to get it. Many employers won’t schedule your first shift until the work permit is on file, so handle this before your start date.
If formal employment feels out of reach, consider building your own summer income. Babysitting, pet sitting, tutoring younger students, mowing lawns, and washing cars are all viable ways to earn money while building references you can use when you apply for a traditional job next summer.