When I think back to summer jobs when I was younger, I don’t think of fancy internships, building a career or anything that looked impressive on a CV. I think of sweaty afternoons, doing jobs I probably wasn’t qualified for, earning a few extra pounds and convincing myself that I was basically an adult because I had somewhere to go and something to do. Looking back, some of the things I did during the summer were actually quite funny. Some were proper little jobs, some were more like helping out, and some were probably just excuses to spend time somewhere I wanted to be. If I wanted money for sweets, clothes and going out with friends, I had to find something to do and looking back, I think those summer jobs taught me a lot!
Babysitting - because I fancied the older brother!
This is one of the most obvious teenage summer jobs, except my reason for doing it wasn’t because I had a burning passion for childcare. Sometimes, when you are a teenager, you make decisions based on very important life factors. Like whether there is a cute older brother involved. There may have been a time when I was around 16 years old and babysitting was made slightly more appealing because I fancied the child’s older brother. The child was about 5 years old and the older brother was a little bit older than me. Teenage logic was brilliant. I convinced myself that doing almost anything was a good idea if there was even the smallest chance of seeing someone I liked. Looking after someone else’s children is a big deal when you are still basically a child yourself. Although I do wonder what the parents were thinking about leaving their precious children with a teenager who probably still needed reminding to tidy her own bedroom.
Working at horse riding stables - when I already had horses at home!
This one still makes me laugh because looking back, it seems slightly ridiculous. I spent time working at horse riding stables, mucking out the stables, cleaning saddles, making feeds, filling up hay and water buckets all in exchange for riding lessons, even though I already had horses at home and I was quite good at horse riding. I wasn't even paid! When I finished work, I still had to help with my family's horses. You would think that if you had horses the last thing you would want to do during your summer holidays was spend more time surrounded by horses but back then, horses were my passion, so spending my summer working with them and helping out seemed like the perfect job.
Cleaning a betting shop - before I was even allowed inside!
One of the strangest summer jobs I had was cleaning in a betting shop. I would go each evening after it had closed, empty the rubbish, hoover and clean. What is funny about it was that I wasn’t even old enough to be inside one when it was open. I was under 18, so I couldn’t actually walk into the betting shop during normal hours but I could go in and clean when it was closed. Madness! I was even responsible for making sure the shop was locked up each evening, which was crazy considering I was only about 16 years old. One night I remember finding a bag filled with that day's takings. Someone hadn't put it in the safe. I panicked, rang my dad from the shop phone and he said hide it somewhere and leave a note on the counter. It seemed like a good idea at the time but if someone had broken in, they would have just read the note and found the money. lol I got a bonus in my pay that week for being so honest and trying to help. Each Friday I would turn up to collect my wages, which would come in a little brown envelope and would have to try and get the manager's attention so he could come outside and give me it.
Working in a laundrette - maybe this explains why I hate laundry now!
Another summer job memory that makes me laugh is working in a laundrette. At the time, it was just another way to earn some money but now, as an adult who looks at a pile of washing and immediately feels tired, I have to wonder if this was the beginning of my laundry problems. The sound of machines spinning all day, the smell of washing powder, folding clothes, dealing with other people’s laundry. I think teenage me accidentally ruined laundry forever. I am sure this was the summer I put on a ton of weight as the woman who owned it was a feeder. She made sure all the staff were fed when they were working and she was an amazing cook, so everyone ate far too much, with her asking again and again to eat more!
Car boot sales with my dad - one of my favourite summer memories!
Doing car boot sales with my dad was so much fun, even getting up ridiculously early, loading the car with things we wanted to sell and heading off before most people had even had their first cup of tea. Car boot sales were a proper summer tradition and you never knew what you were going to find. One person’s unwanted clutter was another person’s treasure. Doing them with my dad was probably less about making money and more about spending time together.
When I look back now, I realise those summer jobs were a big part of growing up. They weren’t glamorous, weren't always fun but they gave me independence, stories and memories.
What summer jobs did you have as a teenager?
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