While you might be tempted to travel or hang out with your friends, your summer break is the perfect time to make some extra money and add a few professional activities to your resume for the future. Here are six of the most common summer jobs for students.

1. Lifeguard or swimming instructor.  Some basic training might be required, but you usually have good working conditions. Local options could include the department of recreation, a public park, or a private club. Apply early because it’s usually a popular choice.

2. Camp counselor. From day camps to overnight camps that last a week or more, there is something for nearly every interest. Get creative and explore non-traditional camps, especially if you want to utilize your special skills at arts or athletics.

3. Seasonal retail employee. Many types of stores experience an increase in customers during the summer. Malls are popular sources of employment, since regular store employees might be taking vacation time, and busy back-to-school sales start in the summer.

4. Amusement park, resort, or entertainment venue employee. There are a number of possible positions, from ticket booth attendant to ride operator to food vendor, and you may be eligible for discounts and other employee advantages. Contact the hiring manager and find out how your talents match up with their open positions.

5. Childcare provider for school-aged children. Since working parents need care for their kids when they’re out of school, you could market yourself as a cheaper option than summer camp. Full-time nannies often experience special perks such as tagging along on family trips. The job usually requires at least some childcare experience, depending on whether you’re doing only occasional babysitting or applying to be a nanny or an au pair.

6. Tutor. If you’re good at a particular academic subject, consider tutoring other students. Many of them seek extra help during the summer to prepare for classes or exams. If you have experience with foreign languages or standardized tests, for example, your skills should be in high demand. There are many in-person and online tutoring jobs available.

To find summer jobs in your area, check out online job sites, some of which are designed specifically for teens or college students. You could also look in the local classified ads. Take the initiative to contact potential employers, rather than waiting for the right opportunity to fall into your lap, since the most popular summer jobs will fill up first.

Those that are looking for a seasonal summer job, then a lifeguard is a great choice. However, there are many steps that are involved when it comes to having the qualifications to do this job. The majority of those that are interested ask the same question, which is how to become a lifeguard?

The first step is becoming a lifeguard is to take a course that teaches how to become a lifeguard. These are usually offered at local swimming pools through the YMCA or the Red Cross. The key is to find a course that is accepted by all areas in which the person could work. The Red Cross is one of the most distinguished companies to offer this course, however, there are a few other nationally accepted certifications and these are the:

* Starfish Aquatics Institute

* NASCO

Once the person registers for these courses, there are a few things that they are going to want to make sure that they have. The first is the endurance and stamina to keep up with these courses. Those that are in poor physical condition are going to find it hard to keep up with the training. And secondly the person must already know how to swim. The majority of times in order to make sure that the person is ready for the course, they must be able to pass the swim test.

The course will consists of not only physical challenges, but mental challenges as well. There are going to be several textbooks that the person must read and know by heart that are going to cover how to become a lifeguard through words. The person will be required to take tests on these in order to pass. For example, they will be tested on proper procedures on what to do if a person does come into trouble while in the water, the CPR test is a huge deciding factor on if the person becomes a lifeguard or not, and of course the actual physical test in which the person is going to be put in a mock situation and the teachers will grade them on how well they perform. Keep in mind that the type of environment that you will be working is going to dictate the type of course that you take. There are different settings in which the person can be called into, a beach, a pool, water park and so forth, and each has its own training for what to do.

Seasonal jobs are offered to prospective employees for a specific time length marked by a season, event or holiday, in most cases. Whether it is winter or summer, Christmas or whale-watching season, there are thousands of jobs that need to be filled for a short period in order to accommodate increased demand. These positions can be found in many industries, but the most popular seasonal jobs are found within the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors. These industries are susceptible to high and low, or peak and off-peak, seasons that create fluctuating demand for labor. Salespersons, desk clerks, tour guides and waiters are often seasonal workers, looking to make extra money during the time of year when customers and visitors are most likely to frequent their respective establishments.

The wintertime, starting in November, is a popular season for temporary workers to find a job. The most common of winter jobs arises with the commencement of ski and snowboard season. These winter sports create sizeable demand for restaurant, resort and retail employees, not to mention ski and snowboard instructors, all within small mountainside towns around the country. However, if cutting through powder and hitting the moguls does not sound like fun there are other opportunities available during this time of year.

Retail outlets, within and far away from ski resorts, often look for seasonal employees to help handle the manic rush of shoppers that bombard malls and retail districts during the holiday season. These jobs vary in length, but are usually shorter commitments than ski resort jobs. These are perfect opportunities for high school and college student on winter break to make some extra cash and even get a discount on their family shopping. Retail positions also offer more flexibility because retail stores open earlier and close later during the holiday season creating more shifts. Restaurants also see larger crowds during the holiday season as families get together for dinner to celebrate.

Ample opportunity exists in the warmer time of year as well. An increasingly popular form of employment is the camp counselor. As camp attendance grows at a rate of 10% per year (according to the American Camping Association), seasonal workers are enticed to take on various responsibilities from maintenance to arts and crafts. Working at a camp can become a regular summer opportunity for those who are encouraged to return the following summer, based on their conduct. Camps offer an outdoors, active environment to interact with children and make a bit of extra money to go out with your co-workers on the weekends.

A less traveled path for prospective employees over the summer is not your typical pool or resort job, but an office job. As current employees leave the country to go on family vacations, offices look to replace crucial members of their organization for a period of a couple of weeks to several months. Volunteer work and non profit organizations are always a great way to gain experience and meet interesting people, but may not be for those who are strapped for cash.

It is important for seasonal workers to know when they will be needed and when they will have to apply or make a phone call to their employer. This process should be started in the months preceding the relevant season. For retail jobs, where increased volumes of shoppers arrive starting after Thanksgiving, applications should be submitted before the first of November. For summer jobs, especially at camps, make sure to make arrangements by the beginning of May.

There are many reasons to look for a seasonal job. Short-term commitments give you the opportunity to learn a lot and gain valuable experience without the constraints of permanent work. If you are not sure of your career path, a seasonal job can help you get your foot in the door and make a long lasting impression while testing a new occupation. Even if you choose to change paths, a seasonal job can always help build a resume and add to a long list of references.

For those that love to work with children, sleep away camps provide opportunities that produce the rewards of teaching in a fun, active environment. There are thousands of jobs across the country at camps like these, and with growing numbers of campers, (10% annually according to the American Camping Association) there is the need for more hired help each summer. Most positions at these camps target younger students and even old campers, but as an older applicant you should not be deterred; there are numerous supervisors needed to ensure proper operations.

It may be hard to decide whether you would like to work for a sleep away camp or just a day camp. However, sleep away camps have several benefits over those of day camps. Resident camps often pay lower wages, but counselors are able to earn more over the course of the summer for longer hours and increased commitment to the children (counselors are essentially on duty twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for the summer season). The personal rewards that come about from working with children are also greater. Sleep away counselors are able to connect with campers and make a difference in their lives, more so than counselors that are only with the same group of children for several hours a day. Lastly, resident camps offer counselors benefits including housing, transportation and meals, which may also offset the lower wages.

Sleep away or resident camps provide an assortment of activities to entertain young attendees including: horseback riding, arts and crafts, swimming, tennis, kayaking, sailing and archery among many others. As a sports or specialized counselor you can choose to concentrate your efforts on a single activity while general counselors often spend more time with a single group of children and create closer bonds.

Camp jobs are a popular source of income for young adults and have become part of a very competitive market. While extensive experience with children is not necessary, it does help to show the ability to communicate and interact with young adults and children alike. Baby sitting, volunteer work and coaching are all ways to express your interest, and experience working with kids. However, even without a proper resume, it is possible to win over camp directors with a positive, enthusiastic attitude and a hard working spirit. Camps are very dynamic environments and if you assert yourself, you can be sure to fit in.

Not only is it important to communicate properly with children, but also it is often crucial that applicants are comfortable and enjoy the outdoors. Many sleep away camps are located in the wilderness near mountains, lakes and rivers. The environment becomes a large attraction and part of many activities including instances when campers go on hikes, make fires, pitch tents for the night and go swimming in the lake. This is why employers want to know you are ready to take on the rustic environment while managing a group of children. Some camp directors may ask if you feel comfortable leading hiking trips of several miles in the sun or if you are comfortable sleeping under the stars among animals, insects, trees, weeds and pollen. Make sure you are comfortable with these surroundings before making a commitment.