By Vaishali Bhambri,IANS,
New Delhi : Gone are the days when summer vacation for a high school or college student meant just lazing around at home and meeting friends. Be it for experience or pocket money, more and more students these days are looking for part time jobs during their holidays.
Eesha Singh, a student of the Lady Shri Ram college, said that she prefers a summer job over lazing around and partying with friends during vacations.
“Now that my vacations are on, I am looking for a summer job for some pocket money. I don’t mind compromising on my partying time with friends as long as I am working in a decent environment and making some money for myself,” Singh told IANS.
Acknowledging the growing trend, Darshan, assistant manager at the Lajpat Nagar branch of Domino’s, said the pizza chain has been receiving numerous requests from enthusiastic youngsters for summer jobs in its restaurant.
“Many students have come to us for summer jobs. Most of them want to gain experience; therefore work is assigned to them in accordance with their preferences,” Darshan told IANS.
However it’s more than quick money that most students opting for part time jobs are looking for, Darshan added. Those opting for summer jobs in restaurants, for instance, are looking forward to a career in the hospitality industry.
“The students get paid about Rs.25 per hour and usually their shift is four-five hours a day. Mostly, students who want to pursue a career in the hospitality industry come to us but we have even had Class 10 and 12 students,” Darshan said.
Even if they don’t have any long-term plan on their minds, there are many students who hunt for a part-time job at the onset of their summer break just to spend some “quality” time doing something they enjoy.
The Oxford Book Store, for example, offers summer jobs for avid readers. Youngsters, they say, can identify the market trends better and help their book-loving customers a great deal.
“Students working on a part-time basis here usually help customers in selecting books of their choice. They are young and so they understand the market trend and reading habits of our customers better,” Vijay Pratap Singh, store manager of the store in the capital, told IANS.
“They are paid around Rs.3,000-5,000 per month,” Singh added.
The eligibility criteria for a summer job are quite simple. Sandip Maithal, director people’s resources at McDonald’s India (North and East), said that for a part-time job there a youngster has to be Class 12 pass, be fluent in English and possess customer orientation skills.
“Our selection criteria at the crew level are not very complex. At the start up level, we look for someone who has passed Class 12 and has the ability to communicate in English. Good customer orientation is an added incentive, since the job is fairly demanding,” Maithal told IANS.
“The monthly CTC for a part-time employee is in the range of Rs.5,200 which also includes meals at McDonald’s. They also get all the benefits like a regular employee,” he added.
Similarly, at Pizza Hut, another leading pizza chain, the eligibility criteria for a part-time employee is being Class 12 pass and possessing good communication skills. In addition he or she has to be enrolled in a graduation programme, if not a graduate already.
Chandni, a postgraduate student of Delhi University, summed up her experience of working part-time in a food chain: “I had a lot of fun in my summer job. I was assigned work on the counter and I enjoyed meeting new people every day. Plus, it gave me good money, free food and a great ambience to be in.”