Summer jobs bonanza – but London is top spot

Opportunities abound for those looking to earn some extra cash this summer, with over 12,000 temporary jobs on offer, according to new research by job search-engine Adzuna. The study, conducted this month, shows 12,427 seasonal roles up for grabs in the UK, as the summer jobs bonanza floods the labour market with opportunities for temporary work, a 24.3% increase on 2015.

Geographically, the seasonal openings are clustered in Southern England, meaning savvy jobseekers should head towards the capital for the pick of the roles. London currently hosts 3,864 opportunities – the most of any region – followed by the South East (2,207) and significantly higher than all other UK regions. Together, London and the South East offer more summer openings than the rest of the UK combined (see table 1 below).

This is partly due to the calendar of summer sporting events hosted in and around the capital, which require significant temporary manpower to run. Tennis tournament Wimbledon is powered by 6,000 seasonal staff, in positions including 250 ballboys, 192 court attendants, 2,200 catering staff and over 800 stewards. Similarly, South East summer sporting fixtures like Henley Royal Regatta and Ascot also trigger thousands of temporary positions.

Festivals remain another large employer of seasonal staff. Glastonbury leads the way, typically hiring in the region of 34,000 employees, while Reading Festival requires 8,700 workers and Leeds Festival employs around 5,000 temporary workers.

Show me the money

Teachers are most in demand this summer, with 1,478 roles currently on offer, reflecting the booming summer school business. Other prolific summer sectors include Hospitality & Catering (1,436 roles) and the IT sector (814 roles).

However, the most lucrative summer roles on offer are looking for highly skilled individuals in skill shortage areas. An opening for a locum GP in Greenwich is currently offering a rate of £1,200 per day. Meanwhile, emergency vets can expect in the region of £300 per day to work on standby at major sporting events. Other examples of well-paid summer jobs include top-class chef positions, commanding over £270 per day, and specialist youth support roles, offering £150 per day.

At the other end of the spectrum, the worst paying summer jobs include Cleaners, Festival Assistants and Baristas, typically receiving just £7.50 an hour – on a par with the National Living Wage.

Quirky summer positions

For some, however, it’s not all about the money. Jobseekers with a penchant for fruit could opt for a role as a Strawberry Picker (£7.50 an hour) this summer, while Mixologist positions are available for cocktail aficionados (£11.00 an hour) and, following the trend for Alice-in-Wonderland-themed tea parties, roles are even available for actors to play the Mad Hatter! (£7.50 an hour).

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, commented: “Plenty of jobseekers will be looking to boost their bank balances with seasonal work over summer, and the good news is that there are thousands of openings to choose from. The summer calendar of sporting and social events offers many options for temporary work, particularly in London. Meanwhile, skilled professionals can cash-in on holiday season and earn big by taking on specialist locum cover positions.”

Table 1: Summer Job Vacancies – By Region

Table 2: Best Paid Summer Job Vacancies

Table 3: Lowest Paying Summer Job Vacancies

Weird and Wonderful Summer Jobs titles