By Elly Niedzviecki
As the school year is winding down, summer jobs are a topic of interest among many high schoolers. I interviewed a couple of Grade 11s to give some examples of what Harbord students are doing this summer.
Alexandra Blake, a grade 11 student here at Harbord, started working as a camp counselor/cycling instructor at Jack of Sports last summer and will be returning this year. Jack of Sports is a privately owned camp that has different themes you can apply for like cycling, art, multisport, etc. The schedule is pretty flexible and you can pick the weeks you would like off. Alex also shared that the hours were pretty good, with an 8:30 a.m. start and a 4:30 p.m. finish. Leaving nights and weekends free. The minimum wage is lower for privately owned summer camp employees. A good thing to look into when you’re applying to any type of summer camp job. Alex also mentioned that this summer they would potentially be switching to the regular minimum wage, which is higher. She added that the application process was very easy and you always receive an email back regardless if you got the job. This is pretty helpful actually, as many places just don’t get back to you. Another pro to working at Jack of Sports, and most likely other summer camps, is that once you're hired you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot next summer. Alex also compared her experiences to some of her friends who worked at the city's camps. If you work at a city camp you are definitely going to receive the full minimum wage, however, the application process is harder as it’s quite disorganized. They applied in the winter to work during the summer and heard back about the job in June. So it’s probably best to apply very in advance and have a backup plan. If you're interested in working at a summer camp you can also look at YMCA day camps, Pedalheads, or if you play sports you can see if sports clubs are running any camps. But even just a google search for popular day camps should steer you in the right direction.
Grade 11 student Otis Kroesen was asked about his experiences working at Fiesta Farms. Many Harbord students are probably familiar with this grocery store at Christie and Essex. He mentioned that the application process is very easy and the probability of you getting hired is pretty high, especially now that they are hiring for summer. He says that while it isn't the best job ever, it’s pretty easy and the schedule isn’t too bad. Since it’s close to Harbord, if you live in the area and are looking for a summer job, Fiesta Farms is a good option.
While these are only two examples, places all over the city are hiring for summer positions. Even if you keep an eye out when you're walking around you’ll probably spot a help wanted sign. If not, here's a link to Toronto’s Recreation Jobs website that has a wide selection of jobs including a description and even tells you what responsibilities and qualifications are needed. https://jobs.toronto.ca/recreation/