“This is what allows us to live all year round”: in Bordeaux, students attack summer jobs

Summer is fast approaching. So for tourism professionals, the recruitment of seasonal workers is a major issue during the month of May. Almost everywhere there are forums, meetings and events to find profiles of young people available during the holidays and who wish to work. The first jobs that come to mind are those in hotels and cafes, but other areas need reinforcement in July and August, as is the case in Bordeaux.

No experience sought

Commerce, logistics, agriculture, home help, catering, hotels… In the lounges of Bordeaux City Hall, many young people, mostly students, came to submit their CVs to get one of these 1,500 job offers. ‘seasonal employees. “So I don’t have any particular experience. I’m a student,” announces one of them when arriving at a stand. “To be a maid, we don’t look for experience. For washing dishes either, and for anything else in the kitchen, we’re not looking for any either,” the manager replies.

A summer job to deal with inflation which obviously does not spare its students. “If I can make a little extra money this summer, to cover the rent a little, that’s good,” says a student. “The remuneration during the summer job is what allows us to survive the rest of the year,” explains another student.

Profiles that evolve

“Since the Covid-19 crisis, we have seen a trend where young people are looking for a job, certainly to finance studies, a license or a vacation, but do not necessarily want to devote the two months of summer, while employers, the minimum is precisely being able to work July August or even more”, notes Corinne Esquirol, from Infos Jeunes Bordeaux who organizes this Summer Job forum.

Another development noticed by the organizers: more and more applications from high school students and minor adolescents who also hope to land a summer job.