Casual summer jobs for the already-employed

November 24, 2011 11:46 PM

JobFilter: I have a casual job. I just found out that my shifts over the summer holidays (in Australia) are going to be fairly scant. Where can I get a second job, on short notice, that will be fairly flexible in terms of hours?

I currently have a casual job at a cinema in Ballarat, VIC. It's brilliant, apart from the fact that they seem to have somewhat too many staff, which results in me working very few shifts. I thought this would increase over the school holidays with the increased demand for movies, but alas, the new rosters came out today and I have three shifts in the space of three weeks. This sucks because (a) I need to save money over the summer and (b) I'm going to be extremely bored.

So, I need a second job! Help me, MeFites! What kind of jobs can I get at this late stage (retail stores usually hire in August/September for the summer season)?

I am an acting student (so playing a Christmas elf in a shopping centre would be awesome, but I don't know how you get those jobs) and I also have lots of experience in running events, clothing retail and supermarkets. I'd be up for doing pretty much anything. Preferably in Ballarat, but I wouldn't be averse to commuting to Melbourne if the job was good.

Realistically I would probably have to leave in March when the uni year starts up again, since I already have my cinema job, so something summer-specific or something that doesn't care about its employees leaving (telemarketing? Temping?) would be ideal.

Also, this job would have to work around the cinema job, so when I do have shifts, they would take priority. Usually my cinema shifts are evenings and weekends.

So... any ideas?

posted by lovedbymarylane to work & money (3 answers total)

Sign up to a temp agency, and tell them you can only work weekday mornings. They'll (probably) find you something, and it usually pays pretty well.
posted by lollusc at 12:51 AM on November 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

You may be on the tail of it, but a lot of retailers are looking for temporary Christmas staff. Just go round to everywhere you'd like to work, drop in a resume with a big cover letter that says you will be happy to leave again come the New Year. It'll give you a leg up over applicants who will try and use the christmas rush as a foot-in-the-door for a full time role.
posted by Jilder at 2:35 AM on November 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

In addition to looking for another job, can I suggest making friends with whoever schedules the shifts at the cinema, being friendly and chatty and pleasant with them on a regular basis, and making it clear that you would really like more shifts. In my experience, this can be all it takes to go from nearly no shifts to working as much as you want.
posted by emilyw at 5:51 AM on November 25, 2011 [4 favorites]