Babysitting Best Recession Proof Summer Job
Youth's Best Bet for Summer Employment is Babysitting
Jun 21, 2009
There is a glimpse of hope for youth weighed down by the summer job search. Babysitting provides young people the opportunity to work for an important group in society, parents. Parents, strapped for cash and scurrying to find childcare options, will find teenagers and young people helpful.
Finding babysitting jobs can be easy. For example, a Washington D.C. internship program job bank led to one babysitting opportunity from a Capitol Hill working couple. The job bank email said, "We are looking for a loving person with experience caring for young children to provide part-time care primarily for our son. Our schedule is flexible, although we prefer mornings."
Strong Desire for Babysitters
Opportunities for parents to cut back on their child care expenses present a work opportunity for youth looking to make extra cash. Parents need someone to care of their children while they are at work. A parent of a newborn or toddler will be looking for a person who understands the needs and nutrition of their baby. Likewise, parents of younger children need a babysitter with patience, energy and reliability. It is better for parents to hire a qualified babysitter without paying the exorbitant child care costs. As babysitters, young people can make anywhere from $10 to $25 an hour.
Competing With Adults
The summer job search has remained dim for teens because of the recession. Teens are competing with adults for normal teen jobs in the summer, which makes them feel left out of usual job opportunities. The typical teen jobs at an amusement park, grocery store, mall shop, etc. are coveted by laid off adults who need income to support their families and for daily living expenses.
Promise to Restore Summer Jobs
President Obama promised to deliver over 600,000 in new summer jobs with 125,000 for youth employment. Yet, the unemployment rate is steadily climbing. Many cities, such as Washington D.C. which has the largest summer job program for students nationwide, suffer from high costs this year and have sliced their normal nine-week youth job program to six weeks. (The D.C. summer program provides work placement for youth 14-21 years old. Over 21,000 young people were serviced in 2008 with a $55 million dollar program cost.)
Youth not wanting to wait for Obama's job plan to take effect, or who feel abandoned by city summer programs, can create their own path searching for parents needing babysitters.Young people looking to find babysitting opportunities can use these six options to assist them in their job search.
Babysitting Job Opportunities
- Local Newspapers – Local newspapers have a job section. Simply look for ads for those that are needing babysitters. Ads will have job description, contact information and age of children.
- Social Networks – Popular social networks such as Facebook have parents who use the medium to advertise their needs. Young people can transform this social network into a job or career network.
- Online Job Board – Many online sites and networks such as Inetgiant have job boards with employment information readily available. There are ads with babysitter tags that young people can use to browse potential opportunities. It is as simple as Googling specific job positions.
- Church/Community Centers – Many churches and community centers are filled with parents who are looking for cheaper and more convenient alternatives for child care this summer. Young people should talk to the parents they know there and see if they could use babysitters. These centers may also post job opportunities on their bulletin boards.
- Family – Young people can talk to family members of younger relatives to see if they may need their services this summer. If not, ask if they can help with recommendations for finding other parents in need of babysitters.
- Schools – Many schools offer job posts on their bulletin boards even when students are out for summer vacation. Teachers and school professionals can recommend young people to babysitting opportunities.
Hope for Summer Employment
For many young people, this summer's job possibilities seem bleak due to the economy's downturn. However, with a knack for caring for children and the ability to use daily resources, making money as a babysitter may be the light at the end of a dismal tunnel.
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