Speak Out: What Was Your First Summer Job?

It’s a longstanding summer ritual for teens across the country. Once the final school bell rings in June, teens don their retail/camp/food service uniform and head to work, sacrificing precious free time lounging by the pool.

A shift in that ritual has occurred in recent years. Slate reports that only 25 percent of teens currently have summer jobs, the lowest number on record. Slate reports that this shift has occurred because more teens are taking summer classes or taking prep programs, and that teens vying for menial jobs have faced competition from older workers and immigrants.

If your teen opts to work this summer, here are some local places hiring for seasonal positions:

The is hiring lifeguards, swim lesson instructors, and water aerobic instructors.

The following Mount Vernon Plaza stores are hiring summer retail positions.

• Michaels Arts and Crafts is hiring a cashier and a sales associate.
• T.J. Maxx is hiring a sales/merchandise associate.
• Petco is hiring a stock person.

The AMC Hoffman Center 22 movie theater in Alexandria is hiring crew members, and for those with a sweet tooth, Alexandria frozen yogurt shop Sweet Frog is hiring team members.

Patch wants to know: What was your first summer job? Were you scooping ice cream at the local ice cream shop, or were you a counselor at a summer camp? Take our poll, and feel free to commiserate with your summer job tales in our comments section below.