Michigan businesses eager to hire teenagers for seasonal positions

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A lot of teens will be looking for summer jobs as the school year comes to an end.

With employees hard to come by, many businesses are looking forward to hiring more reinforcements. Places like water parks, ice cream shops, and even the local zoo will all be looking for some seasonal help. As the weather outside is staying warm, these businesses are excited to get some much-needed help.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce said there will be 235,000 teenagers looking for summer jobs.

Related: Hundreds of thousands of Michigan teenagers prepare to start summer jobs

Lots of businesses are looking for extra help, and high school students on summer vacation can provide just that. Being outside and around animals might be a good selling point for a place like Potter Park Zoo.

“We are, just like everybody else, we are in need of employees. We are in need of good employees,” said John Lawrence, with the Potter Park Zoo. “So somebody that wants to work in an indoor-outdoor environment near animals, this is a wonderful place.”

If animals are not your thing, perhaps hanging by a pool might be more your style. Lifeguards are needed for many aquatic areas. The East Lansing Family Aquatic Center had lots of teenagers working as lifeguards. Jim Jennings, the operations manager for the City of East Lansing, said they hire a lot of high school employees.

He said being a lifeguard is a position that requires a lot of responsibility.

“It is a cool job, it’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great outdoor job, but you do really have to take it seriously,” Jennings said. “There is a lot of responsibility that goes into it.”

If you enjoy working in the shade, seeing smiling faces, and love the taste of ice cream, perhaps Dairy Dan might be a good place to apply. Manager Julie Thomas said employees can eat all they want during their shifts.

“They love being here because we try to make it fun, it’s ice cream, you’ve got to have a good time with it,” Thomas said. “If the customers are having a good time, we are all having a good time, we are just all making money and having a really good time.”

If you are interested in any of these jobs, you can find the job postings on their websites or visit them in person.

With so many 16 and 17-year-olds looking for work this summer, there will be a lot of students who return to class more responsible, with lots of new life skills.

Read next:

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• Cooley Law School recognizes Pride Month with online community conversation
• Summer reading programs kicking off in Michigan
• ArtPath returns to Lansing, celebrates art and creativity

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