TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hire Aspirations

ADVERTISEMENT

By LIZ BLEAU and LAURA FRAZIER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

BRANDON - Teenagers who eschewed parental prodding to get on the stick and find a part-time job before school lets out next week could be in for a long, hot, jobless summer.

Many Brandon area employers who hire teens for summer work say they have filled those slots. Some will hire fewer summer workers because of the sluggish economy. They also must compete with jobless adults applying for any work they can get.

Alan Jones, a manager at the Sonic fast-food drive-in on Brandon Boulevard, said he will hire only two more teens this summer to add to the crew of five teens. "We're seeing more people coming in for the jobs we have," he said, "including adults and even some college students who have quit school to save up so they can return."

Brady Sturgeon, general manager of the We Care Florida Car Wash, also on Brandon Boulevard, said more adults are going after jobs there - work typically attractive to the younger crowd.

"The economy is bad," he said.
Sturgeon employs eight teens and may bring on a few more to cover for vacationing staff members, he said.

Sixteen-year-old Sam Shuttleworth of Brandon, who has been working at the car wash for about three weeks, said he's glad he hit the pavement early because many of his friends are hard-pressed to find job openings.

He said he landed his job after a long, hard search.

"I looked all over, at Publix, McDonald's, you name it. When I applied here, I told the boss I'm a hard worker, and he gave me the job."
Shuttleworth said he wanted a summer job to keep busy and save for car insurance. He rides his bicycle to and from work.

"Right now, I can't afford to drive my car," he said.

Steven Cofield, 17, of Brandon, has been working at the car wash for six months and also has friends facing major hardships finding places to earn summer paychecks.

Most of his check keeps his truck filled with gas, and what's left goes into savings.

"I spend just about every dime on my truck," he said. "I live with my grandparents, and they care take of me, so I don't have a lot of other expenses."

At the Campo Family YMCA in Bloomingdale, youth and family program director Tony Stickeler said a higher-than-average number of adults applied this year for summer camp counselor jobs, but he hired high school students to fill all 35 positions.

"When adults see what is expected of the job, they kind of shy away and ask if there are any openings at the front desk or on the fitness floor," Stickeler said. Most adults, he said, are put off by the prospect of nonstop days spent supervising, entertaining and mentoring dozens of active young children.

"When it comes to camp and summertime, my honest opinion is no one can do it better than a high school student. They can relate the best to the kids," Stickeler said.

A few lifeguard positions are open at the YMCA, but jobs there in general are few and far between.

"We have pretty low turnover," Stickeler said. "When something comes open, we post it on the board, and it's always picked up pretty quickly."

The county's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department traditionally hires teens to fill positions as lifeguards and counselors in recreation programs. Those jobs are filled, department spokesman John Brill said.

The department has hired 10 lifeguards, 185 recreational leaders, 52 recreation aides and 20 recreation therapist aides who work with disabled children. The numbers are down about 28 positions from last year, Brill said, because the department lost grant money for 14 camp art teachers and 14 park ranger positions.

The summer park department jobs pay $7.61 to 11.81 an hour, Brill said.

At Dunkin' Donuts on Bloomingdale Avenue, assistant manager Tina Perez said 10 adults and 10 high school students round out the staff.

She said many of her teenage workers are asking for more hours to contribute to their families' incomes or help bankroll college savings accounts.

"The way the economy is today, the kids are helping out just as much as the parents," Perez said. "They are more mature about life now than they were 10 years ago."

Adult employees are available to work mornings during the school year, but Perez said teen recruits offer other advantages.

"They are like sponges," she said. "You can teach them anything, and they absorb it and accept it."

Perez has a few positions to fill at the Dunkin' Donuts set to open in June on Brandon Boulevard east of Valrico Road. She said about 10 percent of those she has hired so far are teenagers, and they mean business.

"They all say they want full-time hours when summer starts," she said.

Alesia Stanley, 17, has worked at Sonic in Brandon for about a year. She serves customers about 25 hours a week during the school year and plans to put in about 35 hours a week during summer. She puts half her earnings in savings, uses some to pay for car insurance and pockets the rest for spending money.

She said she was eager to join the work force.

"I wanted to prepare for after I graduate high school and to pay for going to the movies and fun stuff like that," Stanley said. "I felt bad asking my parents for money all the time."
SUMMER JOB TIPS

Parents

•Take an active role in your teen's employment decisions.

•Discuss with your child the type of work involved and training and supervision provided.

•Become knowledgeable about child labor laws.

Teens

•Know your rights to a safe and healthful workplace.

•Learn to recognize hazards, and speak up when you see them.

•Participate in training programs or request training if none is offered.

•Use safe work practices.

•Learn where you can get information about child labor laws, health and safety and your rights.

Source: www.youthrules.dol.gov

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com. Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523 or lfrazier@ tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT