TSR Wiki > Life > Making the most of your summer

The summer holidays can seem a long and drawn out time when you're used to the daily guidance of school or college. When the summer comes you have no work to worry about, so how are you going to fill those listless days until it's time to pick up your books and head on back to class? For some people, the summer just means lots of sun-bathing, beach-going, ball-playing, water-fighting and general frolicing; but other people might find this way of passing their time unfulfilling, so what else can you do?

Summer Jobs

This is likely to be an unpopular option for some, but it is a popular one among students of all ages. Many businesses boom in the summer months, as the fine weather (well, mostly) encourages more people out of their homes and onto the streets, and into the shops. In order to cope with this demand, restaurants, supermarkets and all sorts of local shops and businesses may be interested in acquiring some summer staff. As well as earning you valuable job experience, this will give you the opportunity to earn yourself some money, and thus in your time not working you'll have the freedom to do more than your friends will.

Help me find a summer job!

• Summer Job Guide for Students

Other Work Experience

In addition to full time summer jobs, there are other ways of gaining useful work experience and cash. You could try good old fashioned work experience, even if it's just fora couple of week, that could give you enough money to see out the summer and keep you busy while friends are on holiday. You may wish to work part-time so you'll still be able to join your mates for a barbecue in the sun or a trip to the beach most days. Maybe you could do some volunteering, although you're unlikely to be paid it'll certainly keep you occupied during the summer months.

Help me find these things!

• Summer Job Guide for Students

Holidays

Yes, who doesn't like holidays? You've worked hard throughout the year (or you should have) and now you deserve (or maybe you don't) a nice holiday to take your mind off things. Although many of you may still have an expenses paid trip somewhere with your family, now that you're old enough you can always think about doing something just with your friends, whether that be to a seaside resort in this country, or something more ambitious, like going to a holiday resort abroad. Taking the opportunity to do things like this for yourself will set you in good stead for university life; and even if you're not planning on university, it's likely to improve your self confidence, as well as giving you some life-experience, and a nice topic of conversation.

Travelling at Home

Feel like you want to get away for a bit, but don't want to stay in one place? Why not just get up and go? Jump on a train, visit some places you've never been. Most big cities have plenty of overnight accommodation and holiday resorts are bound to have B&B's so you can keep on the move. Why not see how many cities you can visit in one summer? You might be surprised how great some of them are!

Travelling Abroad

Whilst holidays abroad are a big step in themselves, how about travelling? This can be even more daunting: not staying in one place but constantly being on the move gives you the opportunity to see far more, and possibly giving you better experiences, but don't forget that this is an uncertain time, as you'll never know where your bed is for the night. If this is an option for you, planning in advance is essential. And always make sure your parents or guardians know what you're doing and can keep in touch with you at all times.

Festivals

There's always music festivals going on and the biggest of those take place over the summer. If you've managed to save up enough from a little job here and there, or just from pocket moneys and EMA, these are a great way to spend a few days of your summer - stuck in a field with no showers and poor toilet facilities, getting sweaty and listening to loud music, what more could you possibly want?! Remember to book early, because tickets to the big festivals sell out fast. But don't worry if you miss out, smaller more intimate, and sometimes more local, festivals, will still provide and enjoyable atmosphere to while away a few days without the parents.

Read

Read, read and read some more! You have so many free hours now, so why not use them productively? Read novels, read newspapers, read factual documents. Read anything and everything, and fill your mind with knowledge!

Okay, so maybe it's not that exciting, but you'll certainly have plenty of time to yourself. Go to the park, grab a seat, and do some reading as the world walks by. You never know, someone may just start an interesting conversation with you if they see you reading their favourite book.

Other Links

Wiki Pages

• Job Searching Tips
• Getting a Job at 16
• Summer Job Guide for Students
• School and College Student Job Experiences
• Work Experience and Internships
• Part-time Work