Photo: Courtesy of the subjects; NYC Parks; Google Maps
School’s out and New York City is expensive — a Starbucks refresher is at least $6, a fro-yo much more, and a movie? Forget it. The answer to this dilemma might seem obvious — get a job! But when I went to skate spots, public parks, high schools, and malls to find teens who would talk about their summer jobs, most told me they couldn’t find one, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. “Do you know anyone hiring?” one Jackson Heights teen asked me. Many employers won’t hire kids younger than 18, they said, and even fast food restaurants demand prior experience. Of the six teens you’ll meet below, three got their jobs through city programs, two work in retail, and one has an unpaid internship. Some would rather be working at NVIDIA or the U.N. than at the mall, but they said they feel lucky to have any job at all.
Before heading off to SUNY Albany in September for his freshman year, Ethan Stephen will spend his third summer as a lifeguard at Fox Pool, a free outdoor city-operated kids’ mini pool at P.S. 251 in East Flatbush. “I’m not gonna lie: When I chose to work at this pool, I thought it’d be easier because it’s a mini-pool, but it’s an insane amount of kids!” says the 18-year-old, who lives not far from the pool, near Newkirk Plaza.
Eight hours a day, Ethan, who just graduated from Avenues, a private school in Manhattan, patrols the shallow 40-by-20-foot pool to make sure no more than 30 swimmers are splashing around. “But kids try to sneak in, and it’s hard to manage,” he says. He blows his whistle to warn rule breakers; the park ranger stationed near the pool entrance provides the muscle and throws out kids who won’t cooperate. The worst days are rainy ones. Ethan has to sit outside on the deck all day under an umbrella, guarding the pool for when the occasional kid shows up, and he’s not allowed to be on his phone. He has yet to save a drowning child from the three-foot-deep waters or administer CPR, though he has pulled some from the pool who were struggling.
The hardest part of the job, he says, was getting the job. He had to pass an exam that included a speed test. Only lifeguards who can swim 440 yards in six minutes and 40 seconds qualify for a coveted beach job; the cutoff is 7:40 for a pool job, the one he wanted. Before that, he had to take a training course at a gym near Columbus Circle, which included lap swims and sitting in a classroom every week for eight months. “The classes aren’t fun,” he adds. “It’s not something you want to do after school on a Thursday.”
But it was worth it, he says. He earns $22.75 an hour — far more than what his friends make at their $17 per hour minimum-wage jobs. Last summer, working seven days a week, Ethan says he earned about $15,000, 90 percent of which he saved to pay his college tuition. What does he spend the remainder on? “I’m always out,” he explains, “so I’m usually always eating out, which isn’t cheap.”
And then there are the perks of the job. There’s a basketball court next to the pool, so Ethan can shoot hoops when he’s on break. And he likes the kids he has gotten to know over the years since he’s there every summer. “They’re cool. It reminds me of when I was a kid,” he says. “I feel like kids these days are on their electronics more than I was, so it’s nice to see them outside.”
Syrus restocks the minibar with a fruit stick.
Photo: Courtesy of the subject
Syrus Johannesen, who is 18 and just graduated from the High School of Art and Design, says it’s nearly impossible to get a summer job applying cold. Even entry-level positions seem to require two years of experience these days. He got his previous job as a cashier and sales rep at a Koreatown skin-care boutique because his sister worked there and got him an interview. The Washington Heights teen got this summer’s job — a gig at the 11 Howard hotel in Soho — through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program (the largest of its kind in the nation, providing more than 100,000 jobs for New Yorkers between the ages of 14 and 24). It was a bit of a process, he says.
First, back in March, he had to fill out a long application form at school, which included providing six forms of documentation and registering with the U.S. government’s Selective Service System. Then came the multi-hour online training on topics such as work etiquette — mostly common-sense stuff, he says. “There was an hourlong course explaining AI, the different types of models and their purpose, which I feel was not necessary,” he adds.
It didn’t end there. “After that, I got some emails saying that I didn’t do my stuff even though I did, and they said they were going to kick me out of the program, and I got really scared. But I redid my stuff so I’m still in the program,” he reports.
Syrus, who majored in film in high school only to discover he hates the industry (“I’m done with film forever!” he says), suspects he got assigned to the hotel because he indicated an interest in international affairs. Like all SYEP jobs, the gig will provide 25 hours of work a week at $17 an hour for six weeks. While saving for tuition, he also needs the money, he says, to buy thrift-shop clothes and snacks — like his daily cookie from Duane Reade. He also loves to travel with his family; he has visited more than 20 countries, including Liechtenstein, Iceland, South Korea, Spain, Poland, and Brazil. His mom, an artist and a flight attendant, provides the plane fares, but she expects him to cover his other trip expenses.
When we first spoke, Syrus had yet to start the job and said he wouldn’t know exactly what position he would be assigned (bellhop? front desk?) until his first day. He only knew he was supposed to show up in a black button-down shirt and black pants. “It seems like a nice hotel,” he said of the 207-room 11 Howard, which he had only checked out online. “I’m also low-key expecting it to be boring, I’m not going to lie. And slow. But I don’t know.”
We spoke again the day after his first shift. He was assigned to the hotel’s food and beverage department. “I had to refill minibars,” he explained. He spent the afternoon restocking rooms with chips, protein bars, cookies, gummy bears, and Altoids, along with beer, wine, and Champagne. He was tempted to do some snacking, he admitted, “but I didn’t.” His overall job is assisting the food and beverage manager, and the hotel has a restaurant, a café, and room service, so he expects his duties will vary over time and will include helping at events like an annual barbecue for staffers.
With its Scandinavian décor, lounge, and library, the hotel is larger and prettier than he expected, he says, and he loves the vibe. “They’re very polite, and I’m very polite too, so it’s nice to have a ton of people smiling and introducing themselves to me,” he says of his fellow staffers.
I asked what his dream summer job would be. An internship at the U.N., he said. But that’s a possibility for next summer: “I’m just grateful to have a job!”
Adam sells fragrance dupes at the Queens Center mall.
Photo: Anne Kadet
Adam Mohamed, who is 18 and just finished his freshman year at Baruch College, would love to have landed a business internship this summer. Instead, the Corona teen is working at a fragrance kiosk at the Queens Center mall between the Auntie Anne’s and the Apple Store.
The business, Alt. Fragrances, sells dupes of pricey perfumes. The best seller, his personal favorite, is Crystal, a $39 mock version of Baccarat Rouge 540, which typically sells for $350. “I’m pretty new, but I’m doing all right,” says Adam, who makes $17 an hour and works 30 hours a week. “I usually make my sales goal.” He doesn’t earn a commission, but he is expected to do about $70 in sales per hour.
This is Adam’s first job, and it wasn’t easy to find. The day-camp gig he had considered paid only $10 an hour — not enough to help pay for college. He learned of the kiosk opening through a friend of a friend working at Alt who, on a group chat both were on, asked if anyone was looking for work. “That’s the only reason I got this job,” he says. “If there wasn’t this opportunity, I probably would not have a job this summer because of how difficult it is.”
He saves the majority of his paycheck for tuition, but it’s tempting to spend a lot when you work at the mall. Some of his co-workers blow most of their earnings at Starbucks and Auntie Anne’s (“Who doesn’t love their pretzels?” he says.) He spent his own first paycheck at H&M buying new pants for work.
His employer provided his shirt — a black polo with the company logo. It’s 100 percent polyester, however, and the kiosk is located directly under the mall’s sunroof, so it’s sweltering. He and his co-workers pooled their money to buy a fan, and another spent his own money customizing a cotton shirt with the Alt logo. “The sunroof is really annoying!” says Mohamed.
Time can drag when there are few customers and he’s manning the kiosk solo, he says. To get more shoppers, he tries handing out scent cards or calling out, “Hey, you want to smell anything today?” But most people walk by without acknowledging him. I ask how he keeps his spirits up. “I don’t, really,” he says. “It’s a job, at the end of the day. I’m getting paid for it. That’s what keeps my spirits up, bro.”
The job does have its upsides; it’s relatively easy once you learn the product, he says, and it’s fun to advise customers who don’t know what they want. Since it’s seldom busy, he doesn’t mind if someone tries 30 scents before making a purchase. “When they’re gonna wear it every day, it’s nice to know that you actually succeeded in getting them something they like,” he says.
But what’s his dream gig? An internship at a big tech company: “A job is about enjoying where you’re at — that is my goal. Getting a job at Google, NVIDIA. Getting a job somewhere I feel comfortable. Here, well, I’m under the sun.”
Brigitte Lloreda, who is 17 and just finished her junior year at the Academy of American Studies in Long Island City, loves hanging out with her little niece and nephew. So when it came to finding her first summer job, she knew she wanted to work with children. The first week of July, she started as a teaching assistant at A Child’s Place, a pre-K program in Woodside, a job she landed through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program. She chose it from three other options because of the early hours and its proximity to her home in Flushing.
Every morning, Brigitte hops on the 7 train and arrives at the school by 7:40 a.m. She’s finished by 2:30 and has the rest of her day free. She thought she would spend her afternoons with friends, but during her first week, except for the afternoon of the Colombia-vs.-Switzerland game (she’s Colombian), she went straight home to take a nap. “Working with kids is really tiring!” she says.
The school day has a strict schedule: coloring time, playtime, bathroom time, activity time, affirmation time (“I am beautiful! I am safe!”), recess, bathroom time again, lunch, nap time, and snack time. She assists the two classroom teachers with whatever needs to be done. Activity time is her favorite because that’s when she gets most involved with the kids. The first week was Ladybug Week so everyone made ladybug crowns and bracelets. Next is Tiger Week.
Going in, Brigitte feared the kids might be disrespectful. “And I was worried the teachers might not like me because I’m young and they’re older,” she says. “But honestly, the teachers are not that old and they care a lot about the kids and the SYEP workers.”
She gets a kick out of the children, who call her Miss Brigitte. Her favorites are the outgoing students who ask a lot of questions, but she loves them all. “They’re in their own little world,” she says. “They experience life differently, like they were just born. And it’s interesting — certain kids have manners, and some don’t. You can tell how their home life is.” She especially loves the preschooler who approached a fellow student who was crying and encouraged her, “Don’t forget to breathe!”
She earns about $425 a week for about 25 hours and plans to put half into savings. “I like the idea of maybe moving out or buying myself a car or something important,” she says. With the other half of her earnings, she plans to go shopping at stores like Target, Primark, Easy Pickins, and Aéropostale, along with the occasional splurge on a Manhattan or Brooklyn restaurant for a friend’s birthday. The place has to be affordable, offer a decent menu, “and have, like, a cute aesthetic so we can take cute pictures,” she says. Their most recent choice: Superfine in Dumbo.
Beyond the money, Brigitte appreciates the discipline she’s developing. “It’s a very good job for someone my age to have,” she says. “It teaches me to be patient. They’re not my kids, so I have to be respectful and not yell!”
Theo edits videos in his room for an urban-culture publication.
Photo: Theo Locke
Theo Locke has his dream job: a video internship with a magazine devoted to NYC graffiti and hip-hop culture. The downside? He’s paid mostly in swag. He doesn’t mind. “I’m not working there for the money, just the fun,” he says. His second summer job as a lifeguard brings in the cash.
In the hierarchy of NYC summer jobs, a creative internship ranks highest — at least among students at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, from which the Washington Heights 17-year-old graduated last month. “There’s a lot of stigma in going to work at fast-food places like McDonald’s,” he says. “I wouldn’t say you’re judged, but you do get poked. It’s, ‘Oh, you’re working at Taco Bell for the summer.’ But the people saying that usually aren’t working at all.”
That’s true of some of his friends, Theo explains, who get money from their parents and don’t need to work. ”But I feel a job is something you should get going at pretty early,” he says, adding that he started working when he was a high-school freshman. “You want to figure out if you’re capable of working the mundane nine-to-five because, unfortunately, that’s probably where your life is going.”
Compared with his lifeguard gig, he’s a lot more excited about the ten-odd hours a week he puts in at Living Proof, a small publication he has been reading since its 2022 launch. He landed the internship after seeing a job post on the magazine’s Instagram page. After submitting a 90-second Reel “of my friends doing street art and hip-hop-related stuff,” he received a prompt reply. “It was pretty cryptic. They sent me an address in Chinatown and said, ‘Come to the office tomorrow at 9 a.m.,’” he says. He met the publication’s two founders at the interview and was starstruck. And when he landed the job, “I was incredibly stoked,” he says. “I told all my friends, and they were all super-jealous and said, ‘Damn, I should have done that!’”
Theo’s main job is to create short Instagram Reels based on the magazine’s celebrity interviews, but he also gets to attend parties and photo shoots where he meets his favorite NYC graffiti artists. “Recently, they had a collaboration with Reebok, an event I did the videography for,” he says. “They had a gift bag for me — a free hoodie, two pairs of sneakers, books, and past special editions of the magazine.” He occasionally earns cash “when I do something especially good,” but seldom more than $40.
I suggested maybe Theo could sell the sneakers. But it was too late. “I’m wearing them right now,” he said.
Barra shows off her “slime hands.”
Photo: Courtesy of the subject
Barra Levy-Mazie, an 18-year-old who lives in Windsor Terrace, hoped to find a job close to home this summer. What she landed was a part-time gig at the new FAO Schwarz at the Nordstrom near Columbus Circle — an hourlong train ride away. But she’s grateful to have a job at all.
She first tried applying for work at neighborhood shops and grocery stores, hoping to get hired as a barista or fro-yo-shop employee. She walked around filling out applications in person or applied online and then followed up with phone calls and visits. Zero response. “An ice-cream shop ghosted me; a frozen-yogurt place ghosted me,” Barra says. “Lots of ghosting.” She considered a second summer working at an overnight camp, which was a lot of fun but the pay was terrible. “Four weeks after tax is $430,” she says. “You’re on the clock 23 hours a day, you get no sleep, you’re responsible for so many kids.” She also considered babysitting, which pays better — typically $20 to $25 an hour. “But it’s short hours, so you don’t make enough,” she says.
Then she learned through a friend of her parents that FAO Schwarz was hiring a team of 20 for its new location. An application and a short interview later and Barra was hired. “I was lucky my parents were asking around and heard of the job,” she says.
Her first day was the store’s soft launch on June 19 — the construction crew had just finished up the night before. And because she was still taking classes at Bard High School, Barra had missed some of the training sessions. She came in at 10 a.m., got a little tour of the different interactive stations (build your own make-up kit, make your own purse), and was assigned for the rest of the day to the Brio zone, where kids assemble wooden trains. “I learned a lot while I was doing it,” she says.
But figuring it out as she went along didn’t feel overwhelming — most shoppers don’t know about the new FAO Schwarz and don’t see it unless they happen to take their kids down to the lower level for clothing and shoes. “A lot of people are surprised to see us,” says Barra. “They’re like, ‘Where’s the home section?’ It hasn’t been so busy yet.”
The shoppers are different from the tourists swarming the main FAO Schwarz at Rockefeller Center, she has observed: “They’re Nordstrom customers. They’re wealthy. They don’t even ask what the price is. It doesn’t matter to them.”
So far, she says it’s been fun. The customers are sweet, the pay ($19 an hour) is decent, and she switches between zones and time at the register so it doesn’t get that boring. The downside, she says, is the long hours: “It’s technically eight hours with an hourlong lunch break, but being there for nine hours is a lot. You have to stand the whole time, and my legs get sore. If I’m working that day, I do things after, but I get very tired.”
Her favorite part of the job? The Mix-Mart zone, where she helps toddlers customize their slime with charms, colors, and scents. “We do get covered in slime,” she says. “But it’s not messy if you have slime hands. And I do have slime hands. That means I know how to play with slime so it doesn’t get all over me. It’s not really messy if you do it right!”
Related