It’s Time to Apply for Summer Jobs

Asian woman civil engineer close up portrait on workplace, thinking about her project

The sidewalks may still be covered in ice and snow, but winter is ending soon. With that in mind, employers are starting to recruit for summer positions.

Summer jobs come in a range of sectors, including seasonal positions for amusement parks, retail, summer camps, resorts, campgrounds, as well as landscaping, tourism, and agriculture. Municipal, provincial and federal governments also post a selection of summer jobs in many departments, giving students a huge selection of opportunities to expand their skills sets, earn some money and build a resume.

Where to find summer jobs

Start with the obvious.

Search engines like Google are a good starting places to start any kind of job search. Start with keywords like summer, jobs, a job title (e.g. landscaping) and location (e.g. Toronto). See which sites are posting jobs of interest, and sign up for them to send you alerts for futures positions.

Connect with companies on social media.

Many companies and organizations post job opportunities on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can follow companies offering summer employment to get posts about vacancies.  Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date so employers can find you and be impressed.  You can conduct searches on each platform using hashtags like #summerjobs. 

Job Boards.

Use the popular sites such as Indeed.ca, as well as specialized job boards such as JobPostings.ca, Student Times and Talent Egg that focus on student summer jobs.

The government is hiring.

Summer job postings for all levels of government can start as early as January, and they fill very quickly. 

Here are a few to check out:

• Federal:
  • Government of Canada, and
  • The Federal Public Service Student Recruitment Service
•  Provincial:
  • Ontario Public Service Careers
  • Ontario Government specialized Ontario government-funded programs that support youth such as:

1. 1. 1. Youth Job Connection
      2. Youth Job Connection Summer
      3. Contact Employment Ontario
      4. Aboriginal Law Summer Program
      5. Indigenous Youth Work Exchange Program
      6. Apprenticeships
      7. Articling Student/Summer Law Program
      8. Employment Ontario Employment Service
      9. Engineering Development Program
      10. First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program
      11. Focus On Youth Summer Program
      12. Internship at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
      13. MaRS Studio [Y]
      14. Ontario Disability Support Program Employment Supports
      15. Ontario Global Edge Program
      16. Ontario Internship Program
      17. Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (grades 11 and 12)
      18. School of Social Entrepreneurs
      19. SmartStart Seed Fund
      20. Starter Company Program
      21. Stewardship Youth Ranger Program (Rangers)
      22. Stewardship Youth Ranger Program (Team Leads)
      23. Strategic Community Entrepreneurship Projects
      24. Summer Company
      25. Summer Employment Opportunities
      26. TalentEdge Internship and Fellowship Program
      27. Transportation Technician Initiative (engineering tech graduates)
      28. Young Entrepreneurs Make Your Pitch (grades 9 to 12)
      29. Youth Business Acceleration Program
      30. Youth Investment Accelerator Fund
      31. Youth in Policing Initiative
      32. Youth Skills Connections

• Cities, such as
  • City of Toronto
  • The Municipality of York Region
  • Peel Region
  • Durham Region
  • Other local cities such as Markham and Richmond Hill

Classifieds’ listings.

Check out sites such as Kijiji’s Summer Job search, as well as Craigslist.

Think of which employers are busiest in summer.

For jobs in camps, check out Ontario Camps. 

Remember that you can also create your own business and offer pet sitting, gardening, babysitting, elder care, house-sitting services, for a fee, to friends and family. (The provincial government offers support for summer companies, offered through JVS Toronto, through our Youth Services.)

Look around you – nearby Malls might be hiring students, for example. Put on a decent interview outfit, take your resume and walk into stores. Ask about summer hiring. Google companies you would like to work for, and apply online.

Besides an opportunity to build your resume and earn an income, summer work can have a lasting effect.  Hard work and a good attitude can get you invited back for multiple summers, or turn into on-going work opportunities.