Launches jobs campaign and opens summer application offering exciting jobs and a pathway to success!
CHICAGO – The Chicago Park District announces the opening of its 2025 seasonal job applications as it prepares for the best Summer yet! Chicago residents, ages 16 and older, can apply for one of 3700 summer employment opportunities including Recreational Leaders, Lifeguards, Junior Laborers, Special Recreation Leaders, and more. Each of these positions plays an integral role in the Park District’s summer operations and provides opportunities for teens and young adults to earn competitive wages between $17.02 and $19.75 an hour, along with valuable resume building experience while keeping them active and engaged.
“I am proud to be the leading single agency in the city providing Chicago teens the largest number of good paying summer jobs! While the frigid temperatures are upon us, we are working on summer jobs launching Parks ‘Your Perfect Summer Job’ campaign and opening our online summer job application today!” said Park District General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño. “Last year we increased the base pay starting above minimum wage and while nearly 80% of summer hires are youth, these job opportunities are open to all. Our seasonal workforce not only offer rewarding experiences, personal and professional growth and the pride of providing quality and enriching experiences families come to expect from parks.”
Most Park District summer jobs require little to no experience which makes them ideal for teens seeking their first jobs. Based on the position held, seasonal employees will gain valuable skills including youth engagement, emergency response, natural resources and sustainability and facility maintenance which translate to a number of attractive career choices, both in public service and beyond.
“Our recent efforts to strengthen our workforce are paying off especially for our youth! Not only are seasonal workers earning a better wage, our hiring campaign encourages residents to work at a park right in their community, building a diverse team,” added General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño.
The Chicago Park District leads the city as the leading single employer of youth and young adults, ages 16 and older. Each summer, the District’s summer workforce represents every neighborhood and reflects the rich diversity of the city.
- Last Summer, the Park District hired 2,547 young people, ages 16-25; a 15% increase from the 2023 seasonal staff.
- Of those 2024 hires, 87% were between the ages of 16 and 20.
- 55% Women/Female, 45% Men/Male, 0.4% Nonbinary. This is the first year we included a “nonbinary” gender option in our application system.
- 78% of Seasonal youth hires identify as a person of color.
- Due to its robust and early recruitment efforts in 2024, the District saw great results in hiring more than 700 lifeguards. As a result, Parks was able to open all beaches seven days a week and all pools six days a week – an increase from pools being open five days a week in 2023. We attribute our successful hiring efforts our innovative Lifeguard Explorers program launched in Fall 2023 which teaches participants the required skills to become a lifeguard.
- The District received 11% more lifeguard applications in 2024 than in 2023, 130% more than in 2022.
A listing of available Park District’s summer jobs can be found on the District’s website at chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. Watch for posters at park fieldhouses, schools and other community anchors, information shared on electronic billboards scattered across the city and on all Park District social media.
“Your Perfect Summer Job” opportunities are available for qualified candidates, ages 16 and up, to apply at chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. More than 3700 seasonal employees join the Park District team every summer to strengthen our summer workforce. Wages for summer jobs range from $17.02 to $19.75 per hour. In addition to competitive wages, working for Parks promotes life-skills building, flexible work schedules and pathways to careers and can lead to full-time employment with the Park District.
Here’s additional information on the seasonal jobs being offered this Summer. Seasonal Recreation Leader, Junior Laborer and Attendant do not require prior work experience.
Recreation Leaders
Summer Recreation Leaders guide enriching activities and fun games with children and teens, and develop valuable management, and program/event planning skills. Employees can count on a flexible schedule that allows them to enjoy evenings and weekends off. More than 230 park locations will offer six-week day camp, and serve over 25,000 campers, which allows applicants to work near their homes and/or to explore new areas of the city. The commitment for this position is for six-weeks, from mid-June to early August. Candidates, 16 and older, can apply at chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs.
Junior Laborers
A perfect candidate for the Junior Laborer position would enjoy being outdoors, visiting a variety of neighborhoods and learning about the landscaping world. Our Junior Laborer team helps maintain the parkland that is used by millions of park visitors during the summer. 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. Apply for this position and build skills in trade jobs and work outdoors in nature as a Junior Laborer this summer at chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. Candidates must be 16 and older. These positions start as early as April and run through June.
Attendant
Attendants are essential to our parks and help maintain our facilities clean and orderly for visitors to use when attending an event or program in our parks. They are also critical to our summer maintenance operations response and assist with waste disposal and overall cleanliness on a daily basis. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Learn more at chicagoparkdistrict.com/jobs.
Lifeguards
Lifeguards are the front line of safety and are essential to park pool and beach operations. Over the past two summers, the Chicago Park District has successfully opened all 22 beaches and 77 pools as a result of recruiting and training some of Chicago’s most skills swimmers to join our world-class lifeguarding service. This year, we are on track to continue that trend and will hire 700 qualified candidates to build our team. Applicants must be strong swimmers and demonstrate their skills by passing the Park District’s swim skills test at one of several assessments being offered in the coming months. Candidates will have access to a full schedule of Swim Test dates upon completing the Lifeguard application. The next test will be offered Saturday, March 1st, 9am at Whitney Young High School, 211 S. Laflin. After fulfilling the swim test requirements, candidates will be assigned to an American Red Cross Blended Learning Waterfront Lifeguard Training Course. The Chicago Park District will provide participants with a $400 stipend for completing the course, and $100 to cover the cost of certification.
In efforts to cultivate future lifeguards and build a continuous pipeline for this vital role, the Park District launched the Lifeguard Explorers Training Program and expanded free Learn to Swim programming in targeted communities. Since these efforts were implemented, more than 200 youth, have participated in the training which pays participants a $475 stipend upon completion of the program. More information on the Lifeguard Explorers Training can be found on the Park District website.
Special Recreation Leader & Inclusion Aide
Special Recreation Leaders lead recreation activities and games for children and adults with intellectual disabilities during our summer camp experiences like fun and games, sports skills and drills, and arts & crafts. This is the perfect job for individuals interested in exploring employment opportunities in this field, and enhancing skill development, encouraging socialization, and promoting independence for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Candidates must be 16 and older. These positions run from mid-June to early August. Apply at chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. Inclusion Aides must be 18 years old and over.
Teen Opportunity Fairs
The Park District will host three Teen Opportunities Fairs in March to connect teens with information and job readiness support, including assistance with completing and submitting their summer job application (HR to confirm). Applicants will also have the opportunity to interview on site with the Chicago Park District for the position of their choice. The Fairs are open to candidates 13 to 19 years old. For teens between the ages of 13 and 15, the Park District will offer information about job readiness opportunities, including Junior Counselor and Junior Lifeguard positions.
The 2025 Teen Opportunity Fairs are scheduled for Saturday, March 1st at Washington Park, 5531 S. King Drive, Saturday, March 8 at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Boulevard and Saturday, March 15th at Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Entry is free. To register and receive additional information about the Teen Opportunity Fairs, visit chicagoparkdistrict.com/teen-opportunity-fairs.
Applications are open now for these and dozens of other seasonal job titles. The listing of positions is available at chicagoparkdistrict.com/summer-jobs. Candidates must be 16 and older by July 1, 2024. Some positions start as early as April and run through September.