What's a job that I can work for a month?

July 29, 2010 10:19 PM

What kind of job can I do for a month in between traveling?

Pretty soon I'll be back in the US after a 2-month stay in a foreign country, and a little over a month after that I'll be going again overseas for grad school.

What kinds of jobs can I look for that I can do for a non-calendar month, get paid, and leave? I'll be around from early mid-August to mid-September, so just the tail end of the summer. I've already asked around to my friends and family, but no dice so far.

I have a recently-acquired BA, but little job experience - I worked as a student assistant in a library for 2 years, and food service for 2 years before that. I'm willing to do just about anything, but I don't know what kinds of jobs are open for such a short time.

posted by Gordafarin to Work & Money (6 answers total)

Best answer: temping! if you have a BA, you likely have some computer skillz, so you can be a temp. just call up a couple local temp agencies the day you get back, you'll go in and take some lame computer tests, and they'll do a mini-interview, look at your resume, and put you in the system. you might not work every day, but it'll be some cash in your pocket for sure.

other than that, i really can't think of anything that would hire you for just a month.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:26 PM on July 29, 2010

When I was in between jobs and going to school full-time a few years ago, I did a lot of merchandising jobs. Basically, it's stuff like doing resets in grocery stores (when they change the shelves around and move sections from one part of the store to another). Or often companies will pay a person to go into the store once a week and make sure their product is in stock, that it's on the right shelf (they pay big $$ for shelf position) and looks good, is filled, etc. Sometimes the jobs are to put up signs or promotional stuff. There's a wide variety and usually the jobs are temporary in nature. Most of the jobs I did I also had a lot of leeway as far as when I did the job; it just had to be done within a certain time frame.

A good place to start is NARMS. They have job listings and I'm not sure if they still have it, but they used to have a little merchandising "course" you could take online and then get "certified" in. It's silly but if you've never worked retail it will get you familiar with the terminology.

This site is a good resource also. I've linked to a list they have of different companies that do merchandising, but even better are their forums where you can get a lot of advice about the job, companies to avoid, etc.

It's not for everybody and I wouldn't want to do it as a permanent way to make a living, but it's good for extra money and very flexible.
posted by cottonswab at 5:09 AM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Another idea might be an amusement park, like Six Flags or other summer tourist attraction in your area. If the summer workers are starting to head back to school, they may have a few slots that need to be filled for a month or so before they shut down for the fall. Landscape companies may be in the same situation if they have hired college kids to work over the summer.
posted by CathyG at 6:08 AM on July 30, 2010

Also check the gigs area on Craigslist. You may be able to make a few bucks here and there driving an elderly person around, helping someone move, etc.
posted by chiefthe at 7:06 AM on July 30, 2010

one more: go hang out outside the Home Depot with the others who are vying for day labor.
posted by CathyG at 7:05 PM on July 30, 2010

I just moved from Tennessee to the DC area using a moving company. The mover, a really great guy in his 30s, owned the moving truck but got his assignments from a large, national moving company. He said companies like his prefers to hire short-term. Obviously, it wouldn't utilize your degree, but it would pay $15/hr or so, and you'd be in great shape. This time of year is busy, so I doubt you'd have trouble finding work.
posted by leeconger at 11:34 AM on July 31, 2010