With over 100 days in between the end of Summer Term and the start of Michaelmas Term, there are a huge variety of experiences available that are both fun and flexible and will help boost your CV.
- Check CareerHub
There are hundreds of opportunities that employers have advertised on CareerHub. You can search through the ‘Opportunities’ bar on the home page. Under ‘Types of work’ you can filter by several options, including working while studying, internship, volunteering, and graduate employment.
If you’re interested in working for a particular employer, you can search for them under the ‘Organisations’ tab. If you click ‘+Follow’ on the employer’s profile, you’ll receive a notification whenever they post a new job vacancy or attend an event on campus. It’s also worth looking at the full range of things you can do on CareerHub to make sure you’re making the most of it.
- Networking and speculative applications
Can’t find anything you want to apply for? Not all organisations advertise their summer opportunities online. To find these, you might have to make a direct approach. This is known as a speculative application – check out our dedicated speculative applications page.
Use your existing contacts,wider network (ask friends and family to make introductions for you!), or do some research to identify organisations you might like to work for. LinkedIn is a great resource for finding organisational contacts or reaching out to LSE alumni who might be able to help you in your search – check our dedicated LinkedIn page and read our blog posts!
Knowing more people means knowing more people that might know of a vacant summer position. There are various ways to do this, but the best place to start will be the networking part of our website and coming along to our .
- Tourist industry
Working in the customer service industry can give you a huge range of skills, highly valued by employers. During the summer period a large number of shops, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and similar employers require extra work for a fixed period, so are a great idea if you’re looking to supplement your income and gain some extra additions to your CV.
These kinds of jobs are often advertised on general job sites such as Indeed or TotalJobs, but you can find more information on the Overseas Job Centre and the World Travel and Tourism Council, or by approaching local employers, asking about summer opportunities and handing in your CV.
- Volunteer
Volunteering over the summer can lead to some of the most fulfilling experiences of your life, both personally and developmentally. A Deloitte survey found 82% of employers are more likely to choose candidate with volunteering and 85% are willing to overlook CV flaws when a candidate includes volunteer work.
Our Volunteer Centre can help direct you to roles and advise you on what’s out there, but the easiest way to start would be through our Opportunities bar on CareerHub which includes UK and overseas-based roles.
Select ‘Volunteering’ under ‘Types of Work’ and then you’ll see a large range of volunteering opportunities, both UK and abroad, that can give you the chance to do anything from coaching careers to caring for sea turtles. In addition to being a great way to meet new people and get new experiences, volunteering also looks great on your CV, so have a look at what’s on offer for you.
- Temping
Temping is a great way to generate some income on a short-term basis while you’re free over the summer. After joining an agency, they will find jobs for you to fill in for when needed in a range of roles and businesses; from SMEs to FTSE100s.
When you join a temping agency, they may require you to complete some IT tests to demonstrate your skills to potential employers. There are also a huge range of temping agencies: many are for general jobs across London, but others will specialise in certain areas or sectors, so have a look at a few and find out what’s best for you. Use our list of recruitment agencies to find one locally to you.
- Go international
If you want a holiday over the summer but also need to work, then combine the two and have a working holiday. Current students have access to GoinGlobal, which is a great resource with jobs boards and advice on approaching the jobs market in a variety of countries.
- TEFL and Summer Camps
Doing a TEFL qualification and position is one of the most popular ways to work internationally. TEFL involves teaching English abroad, so have a look at our page on this to find some more basic information. Our Resource Centre in the Saw Swee Hock (SAW) building has books on teaching English abroad if you need to know more.
Working in summer camps can be immensely rewarding. Doing this will give you experience working with children, and you will also gain a range of interpersonal and developmental skills.
These camps run around the world, so they can also be a great way to go abroad and have some fun, as well as gaining essential work experience. Check camps like PGL or Camp Beaumont for more local locations, but also have a look at places like Camp America or Bunac for outside the UK.
- Building your own enterprise
If you’ve had an idea for something great that you’ve never been able to explore it properly, then a free summer is the perfect time to start.
LSE Generate is LSE’s dedicated programme for helping students who are thinking of starting their own business. They can help you at any point in this process: whether you’ve just thought of something or if you’ve got some traction and have some buzz already. Email generate@lse.ac.uk and see how they can help you.
- Event stewarding
Event stewarding is amazing for all kinds of experiences. This can be a good way to gain more skills, but you’ll also get to go to the event that you steward without the cost. In the case of the many festivals that happen around summer, it can mean a free ticket for a whole weekend that could save you a lot of money.
Stewarding gives you great experience of working in a team and dealing with difficult situations and is also a good opportunity to build on your assertiveness skills. There are several specialist websites for these jobs, such as e4s and Showsec, but you can also find these jobs on more general sites like Indeed.
- Preparing for your next year of university
If you haven’t completed your degree, or you are going on to further study, the summer is a great time to get ahead.
This might include researching deadlines for internships or graduate roles; carrying out a skills audit to reflect on your current competencies and areas you wish to develop next year; updating your CV or LinkedIn profile with experiences from the past year; or reaching out LSE alumni for informational interview to help you explore your future career ambitions.
Hopefully this has inspired you to make the most of your summer. If you need any additional support with identifying or applying for opportunities, you can book a one-to-one appointment with one of our Careers Consultants through CareerHub – just click on ‘Appointments’.
