Have you been looking for a part-time job this summer to make some pocket money or fill up your schedule until school starts again in the fall? If so, you are by no means alone. Dozens of high school students and recent graduates have been scrambling to find summer placement, and many searches have been futile.

Why is it so hard to find a minimum-wage, part-time job? Are employers simply not willing to hire students or are there just not any positions available? How can students even find out about available positions?

Kaia de Bruin, a recent Schreiber High School graduate, is perplexed by the whole process.

de Bruin stated, “Applying for summer jobs has been more of a hassle than applying for college, for me. Local businesses seem reluctant to hire at all, especially when it comes to students who are interested in working seasonally.”

She has applied to several retail positions around Port Washington and is looking to work at stores similar to J Crew. Beyond this matter of personal preference, she “would've been happy to work anywhere.”

Danielle Zuckerman, one of de Bruin's classmates, got down to the root of the issue.

“It becomes increasingly difficult to find a job as college students return home and swipe them. By the time many of us realize we need a job, its too late,” she said.

Personally, I did not start looking for a summer job until the last week of June. I arranged a small directory of local shops and businesses and called each one in order. Like de Bruin, I would have been happy to find any job at all, as long as it meant that I would have something to occupy my time. Of the close to thirty stores I called, two reported to have positions for students available. I completed lengthy on-line applications to both, and have yet to hear back.

So what can we do to ease this plight of the high school student? Is there a “Common App” of sorts that can be tailored to summer jobs for students? Should school counselors keep a list of openings with them and remind kids to start looking early? 

For those still on the hunt, be sure to check out a listing of availabilities right here on Patch. Author Emily Wood recently published an article covering organizations with openings. Click here to read more.

Employers, there is an abundance of students ready to fill any vacancies you have. Please post local availabilities in the comments section below so we can help these students wrap up their search!