Chicago Park District Launches “Your Perfect Summer Job” Recruitment Campaign
New campaign highlights the diverse and unique employment opportunities available this summer at the Chicago Park District, jobs that build life skills and a pathway for a strong future.
Join the Chicago Park District at the next Teen Opportunity Fairs event Saturday, March 25 at Malcolm X College from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.!
CHICAGO – The Chicago Park District is spotlighting summer employment opportunities as part of a new marketing campaign featuring the Lifeguard, Recreation Leader and Junior Laborer job openings available for qualified candidates, ages 16 and older, to apply now at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. The campaign, entitled “Your Perfect Summer Job,” targets students on spring break, and encourages them to learn about the unique, exciting summer jobs that they can secure today.
The “Your Perfect Summer Job” campaign focuses on informing job-seeking Chicago residents about the variety of employment opportunities available at the District to help them find a job that best suits their interests, schedules and experience levels. The District’s summer jobs offer competitive wages, life-skill building opportunities, flexible work schedules and pathways to careers and full-time employment. Even more attractive is the unique opportunity to work indoors and outdoors, depending on the position, and to have summer nights off.
“The ‘Your Perfect Summer Job’ campaign shines a bright light on the jobs that make a difference in people’s lives in the summer, and reminds all Chicagoans that Lifeguards, Recreation Leaders and Junior Laborers are unique jobs that are interesting, unique and fun, and deliver critical services that make our city a better place to live,” said Rosa Escareño, General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District. “Jobs at the Park District are like no other. I encourage Chicagoans to find their perfect summer job at the Park District and embark on a meaningful and worthwhile career opportunity.”
By making the job opportunities available now, earlier than ever before, and starting to actively recruit vital summer employees, the District will reach a wider audience, including students on spring break available to complete the application process during their hiatus from school. In addition, making it possible to apply for summer jobs in the spring will help the District better assess recruitment strategies, and address workforce needs prior to pivotal summer dates.
More than 2,500 seasonal employees from all walks of life join the District team every summer, and help strengthen the summer workforce. Each one of these positions plays an integral part in creating the meaningful summer experience that Chicago residents and visitors have come to love and expect from the Chicago Park District and its 614 parks and 26 miles of lakefront.
Lifeguards
The Chicago Park District operates one of the largest aquatics programs in the country, and is seeking lifeguards now to ensure visitors can enjoy our beaches and pools safely this summer. The summer lifeguard season starts as early as May, and runs through early September. Spending a summer lifeguarding in Chicago is a job unlike any other. Being a lifeguard along Chicago’s gorgeous lakefront or neighborhood pool is an opportunity to gain life-saving skills and to be part of the best trained lifeguard corps in the country, undergoing nearly 100 hours of life safety training each year. New this year, the District is covering the $85 cost for the required American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard Certification training, Registration for the free training courses is open at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/lifeguards. For more information about the lifeguard application process, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs.
Recreation Leaders
Many of Chicago’s families look forward to the start of summer Day Camp at their local park. In 2022, more than 25,000 campers enrolled in 230 park locations for six-week day camp. This experience is made possible with support from our summer Recreation Leaders that are at the helm, guiding enriching activities and fun games with children and teens. Recreation Leaders develop valuable management skills while working with kids, and can count on a flexible schedule, which allows them to enjoy evenings and weekends off. The commitment for this position is for six- weeks, from mid-June to early August. Candidates, 16 and older, can apply at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs.
Junior Laborers
When Chicago residents are not at the beach or in our park fieldhouses, they spend their summers enjoying leisure activities in our parks and green spaces, which are maintained with help from our Junior Laborer team. As the city’s lead green agency, Junior Laborers gain entry-level experience in landscape maintenance to help sustain our flourishing green landscape of nearly 9,000 acres, while building skills in trade jobs and working outdoors in nature. To become a Junior Laborer this summer, candidates, 16 years and older, must apply at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. These positions start as early as April and run through June.
The “Your Perfect Summer Job” campaign launches today at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. Watch for posters at our fieldhouses, in billboards throughout the city, and on social media featuring “Your Perfect Summer Job” opportunities.
In combination with digital advertisements, the Park District is hosting Teen Opportunity Fairs to match potential employees with job opportunities. At the fairs, candidates will be able to connect in-person with District staff available to answer questions about the openings and the application process. The next event is scheduled for Saturday, March 25 at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about the Teen Opportunity Fairs, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/teen-opportunity-fairs.