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Community Corner

Despite Bleak Prospects, Experience Helps Local Teens Get Summer Jobs

Four San Bruno teens share their experiences landing jobs in the city.

Across the country, young people between the ages of 16 and 19 were expected to have a really hard time finding summer jobs this years. As the New York Times recently reported, only 25 percent of teenagers were expected to land a job—a lower percentage than in past years.

But here in San Bruno, that hasn't been the case for all teens. San Bruno Patch found four San Bruno teenagers who were working this summer and asked them about their experiences.

Previous Experience, Even Volunteering, Counts

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Mikayla Spooner, age 15, and Maria Lara, 17, landed jobs as recreation leaders at the , beating out more than 20 other teens for the positions. They work with kids, ages 5 to 12, leading them in a variety of sports, games, and arts and crafts activities.

 “We look at a lot of factors when hiring teens, particularly their level of maturity and their experience working with kids," said Dee Fabela, a recreation services supervisor. “This year we interviewed 25 teens for five openings. It was very competitive.”

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To gain experience with kids, Mikayla worked as a volunteer leader in training at the rec center last summer. Then right after she turned 15, she obtained a work permit so she could apply for a paid position.

Soon to be a sophomore at , Mikayla is one of the youngest members of the 23-member recreation staff. “I didn’t expect to get the job, so I was happily surprised,” she said.

Maria, who will be a senior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco, also spent the summer of 2010 as a rec center leader in training and had experience babysitting. She said that her background working with kids helped her get the job.

While most of their friends are “just hanging out,” Mikayla and Maria work 32 hours a week, earning about $10 an hour.

“It’s fun, and it’s not hard to keep kids entertained,” Mikayla said. Added Maria, “The best part is working with kids and being outside all the time.”

Paychecks Helping With Future Expenses

Maria is saving money for college, so her paycheck goes straight into the bank. “I like biology and chemistry and I want to do something in science, maybe related to human development,” she said.

Mikayla is not sure yet what she wants to do careerwise, although she mentions working with kids or maybe being a firefighter. “I live not far from where the fire was and after that I had much more respect for firefighters," she said. "It’s a cool job saving lives. I would like to do that.”

Over at the , 19 of the 26 teen lifeguards are returning employees from last summer.

“We interviewed 20 kids for six slots,” said Jennie Tucker, a recreation services supervisor. “I don’t know if it’s the recession or not, but the staff is staying longer than before. We have a very high retention rate.

One teen who returned this year for the third straight year is 17-year-old Molly McWilliams, a recent graduate of Capuchino High School. The day Patch talked to her, Molly had come to work 45 minutes early.

“I love this job. We all get along, and I don’t dread coming to work like I did with babysitting and other jobs,” she said. “It’s the best job I’ll probably ever have.”

Molly, who would like to be a nurse or a special needs teacher, will attend in the fall. She hopes that that the money she earns will last until next summer. “I usually end up spending most of it on gas,” she said.

More to Being Lifeguard Besides Watching Pool

One teen who snagged one of the six lifeguard openings was 19-year-old Richie Gabbert.

Gabbert, who lives in Linda Mar, just graduated from Pacifica’s Terra Nova High School and, like Molly, will attend Skyline College in the fall.

He also plans to take classes at San Francisco State and eventually major in environmental studies.

During other summers, Gabbert worked at his dad’s construction business and taught little kids how to surf at a surf camp.

“I like being outside all the time, so the San Bruno pool is great,” he said.

Gabbert is saving up his money for college, but he also might use it to visit a friend in Germany or go to his dad’s house in Hawaii.

“My dad now works for United Airlines, so it makes taking a trip possible," he said.

Besides making sure everyone in the pool stays safe, the lifeguards teach water aerobics, conduct swim lessons and clean up after everyone’s gone. In order to qualify, they must first complete a four-week certification program, which they pay for themselves.

“Completing the program doesn’t guarantee a person a job,” Tucker said, “but it’s a requirement for the position. After that, I look at things like maturity and experience working with children." 

Lifeguards, like their rec center counterparts, make about $10 an hour.

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