Small Business Ideas: Summer Jobs

Summertime is coming and with it, the search for summer jobs. There are a variety of people who look for summer jobs. Teens, college students, teachers and others are just a small sampling of those searching for summer jobs. There are a variety of jobs that are available or that a person can create during the summer. Listed here are just a few.

Teenagers, college students and teachers are all good candidates for taking care of children. The American Red Cross has courses for teenagers 12 and above to become certified in babysitting. You can also become certified in CPR and first aid to increase your chances of getting a child care job.

For adults looking to get into the child care business, research your local department of health to see what qualifications you need to become certified or licensed to do day care from your home. If you follow the regulations, you may also qualify for the federal food program to feed your charges. All of this will increase the likelihood that you will be chosen to care for the children of friends and neighbors.

If you are a high school student, upper middle school student or teacher tutoring may be the summer job for you. Pick a subject that you are great in – or more than one – and advertise. You can help children who are younger than you so that they can start the next school year on a better foot. Before school lets out, let your principal and the principal of the middle schools and elementary schools in your area know that you want to tutor younger students and let them know what subjects you are great in.

This summer job takes a working lawn mower and a gas can. Before you start, go door to door in your neighborhood to see who needs their lawn mowed and or trimmed. Make a list and then bring your mower and mow the yards. Make sure you have a bagger on your mower or you also carry a rake so that you can clean up your clippings. You can also trim the yard and any bushes that might need trimming. This can be a tough job, but can be worth it.

You need a certain expertise to be able to do this, but it can be a good business if you have that expertise. Summer is a busy time for those who can repair mowers. You can also sharpen mower blades and things like that. If you can repair mowers, you may also be able to repair string trimmers, chainsaws and other small engine tools that are used mostly in the summertime.

Have a green thumb? Help a neighbor start and keep a garden. You can till the ground, plant the seeds, keep the garden weed free and then pick the vegetables. The only equipment needed would be a rototiller. After tilling the soil, you can do everything else by hand. If you don’t want to plant seeds, you can use plants that are already started that you can buy at a local nursery. After that, weeding and watering the garden are simple after that.

Landscaping is a little tougher than starting a garden. It takes a little more know-how and style. If you have the expertise – or would like to develop it – you can plan how you want a yard to look, where you want trees, flowers or bushes to be planted to make the yard look its best. You can also choose the plants that would work best in the environment.

This might be the easiest of the summer jobs – or the hardest – depending on how you choose to do it. You can go to local businesses or homes that might have indoor plants. You can make a deal to come in and water and clean the plants on a weekly basis. For this job, all you need is a good watering can and some soft cloths to wipe the dust from the plants.

Another easy job for anyone who likes dogs. Find your neighbors who have dogs and offer to take their dogs for walks while they work. You can take several dogs at a time, or just one at a time depending on what you want. You can also offer to clean up after dogs, if you want. There are many companies who make great money cleaning up dog doo in people’s yards. Just invest in a good pair of gloves and a good pooper-scooper!

Some kids and teenagers are really good with animals. With just a little time, they can teach pets simple tricks like sit, stay, roll over, etc. For this job you just need to know a little about dogs and how and why they act the way they do and you are set. There are many sites on the internet that can give great tips, and there are many great books out there as well. The most important thing you need, though, is a love of animals.

If you live close to a lake, river or the ocean, you can always just go fishing. There are many people who love fish but hate to go fishing. You can do that for them. If you don't want to go fishing, maybe you can lead fishing tours or just go find some night crawlers and sell them to those who do want to fish. There are lots of opportunities here!

There is absolutely no skills needed for this job. Keep your ears open and you will know which families are going on vacation. Many of those families will feel uneasy about leaving their homes unattended while they are gone. They would love to have some just sit in their homes and make it look lived in while they are gone. You will need to keep the home clean, pick up the mail and keep the yard maintained. This is a job more suited for high school seniors or college students.

This is just a short list of some summer jobs. There are many more. Some jobs are more suited for younger people and some more for older ones. I am sure if you put your head to it, there are many more summer jobs that are available or that can be created.

If you have other ideas, feel free to add them in the comment section!