‘SUMMER JOBS’, Enjoy, Learn and Earn

Summer in the Philippines is tantamount to pleasure, the beaches and resorts, getaways, road trips, travel, mountain top adventure, staycation, and diverse festivals for art, food, and music. While the luxury of enjoying summer is relative to the spending capacity in most cases, summer can still be savored through invoking one’s creativity. Many just figured it out and went beyond just frolicking with fun; they earn decent sum through summer jobs.

At a young age, I have witnessed my older cousins get summer jobs for extra money to be spent on the next semester’s cost and probably some of it for a personal project or plain enjoyment. I had no chance to try it since our family always goes home to my father’s province. Until summer of 2009, I got my first summer job.

Customer Service Representative

With an enticing pay, I applied for a call agent representative position and got the job. I am not sure if this arrangement is still allowed today but that company accepted me back then and I took with me great memories and a decent sum. Aside from earning, I was given hardcore training on English language, communication, delivery, selling, and customer handling. For me, it was like being paid for while learning. With a short yet fun-filled experience, I’ve become more confident and definitely filled my wallet.

Government Internship Program

I always get mixed reactions every time I show my interest in getting a summer job in our town’s City hall or Provincial capitol. Most thought it was dull and plain boring and probably they were right. So, instead of getting one with the local government offices, I applied for a government agency internship program. The Social Security Services System (SSS) caters internship for those who are considering employment with the government.  The rate was decent (national/manila rate) and the experience was enriching. I got to perform day-to-day functions of regular employees (of course with supervision) and improve my work ethics and professionalism. At the end of the program, we received a Certificate of Completion (which can be used for employment application) and a pay more than enough to enjoy the remaining days of summer.

Office Admin/Clerk

For introverts who enjoy summer indoors but not totally passive, you can try the admin/clerk job. A good friend got this summer job which pays well and she got to stay in the office away from the sun. According to her, she usually disburse payments, accepts collections, deposit to bank, record daily sales and expenses, communicate with customers (which she loves), and prompt the owner/manager of operational concerns.

Sales and Marketing

Most of the adventurous young embark on sales and marketing summer jobs. Some of my friends join the sales team in out-of-town assignments like shop station on different beaches for a slipper product or truck shops for various summer outfits and accessories. Aside from they’ve got to enjoy different places, beaches, towns, cities, and magnificent landscapes, they are paid and the travel expense is free.

And a lot more…

There are exciting summer jobs out there and you just have to pick which practically fits you. Take the fun and the pay altogether as basic considerations. Here are some of the summer jobs you might want to consider:

Barista/Bar assistant at a resort
Watcher at a pool or beach
Service Crew
Part-time Virtual assistant
Copyreader
Writers
Part-time SEO specialist (if you understand SEO)
Taking Online Surveys
Data Encoder
Campaign Coordinator (During elections)
Mystery Shopper/Food Critic

Just one last note

Today, enjoying summer is no longer confined with entertainment, leisure and vacations but has evolved in self-enriching and monetizing activities. Meanwhile, summer jobs have transformed from the stereotypes into creative and fun-filled projects which reward decent pay. Before planning for that summer gig or picking a part-time work, consider taking a summer job which adds value to you financially and holistically.

Enjoy!

Photo Credits: Ryan Acorda (IG: ryanx08)