Summer will soon be here, and with camp and summer program registration in full swing, now is the perfect time to secure summer help.
Whether you need a part-time driver to baseball games or a full-time summer sitter, you will want someone mature and reliable caring for your kids.
Luckily, the North Shore community is flush with college students, many of them solidifying their plans now for summer. Here are some tips for connecting with smart summer help.
1. Place an ad in the college paper.
The Daily Northwestern is a logical choice, and you can run a short ad in the classifieds or spring for a 1/4-page ad for $132. Not artistically inclined? The Daily production team can help you design your ad. According to Daily Northwestern general manager Stacia Campbell, “For years, people have contacted The Daily to place ads for sitters. The proximity and reliability of NU students has always been an attractive option for the North Shore.”
2. Distribute a flyer on campus.
The Northwestern sororities are all located in between University Avenue and Emerson Street adjacent to campus. While the antiquated “phone room” in the sorority houses gets less traffic today due to cell phones, the women still gather regularly for meetings and are likely more than happy to spread the word about summer job opportunities. Or at the very minimum, post your flyer in a common space.
3. Subscribe to Sitter City.
One of the easiest websites to navigate, Sitter City makes it a breeze to narrow your search down to very specific qualifications for help, including special needs, food allergies, proximity to your house, etc. The site also will geo-locate for you and provide suggestions for sitters in and around your zip code. Many of the sitters have already gone through the background- and motor vehicle-check process and can provide their own car.
4. Post a want ad around town.
Many of the local coffee shops and restaurants on the North Shore (Einstein Bagels, Starbucks, Panera, etc.) offer community bulletin boards where you can post an ad for a summer job. Just remember to be very specific about the qualifications you require, as that will help narrow the responses, hopefully.
5. Utilize social media.
Hit up your friends or moms from school for suggestions for moms they know with college-age kids. Facebook and Twitter work well to send a plea to your local network for ideas and college students they might know and recommend.
