Town offers up summer job opportunities

The Town of Islip will be hosting walk-in interviews for over 600 summer jobs at Brookwood Hall in East Islip on Saturday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Brentwood Recreation Center on Tuesday April 16 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

All open positions began at $15 per hour with higher salaries depending on experience.

With a robust summer offering for town residents throughout the Town of Islip, pools, marinas, and summer camps will be in need of employees.

Typically letters are sent out to the previous years employees, but the walk-in interviews are designed to be a one-stop shop for the application process.

All applications are online and laptop computers will be available at both job fairs for potential employees to complete on the spot.

“It made a lot of sense to have job fairs, especially available at two different time slots, so people could come when they were best able to,” said Deirdre Wahlberg, Town of Islip’s deputy commissioner, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs,

“There is a wide variety of work available,” said Mary Pat Klueber, who is also a leader in the parks department.

Klueber is the first point of contact who will meet with potential employees and gauge interest and determine which position would be the best fit.

“We will have a board with all the different jobs and a short synopsis of what the job entails along with any qualifications, certifications or age requirements for the position,” said Klueber.

Potential employees will then meet with the department head and interview the same day.

“When they leave [the job fair], they will be done with the process,” said Wahlberg.

Response time will vary between immediate acceptance and while others may take up to 30 to 60 days for a response.

With two job fairs, certain positions can only be decided on after the April event.

Some positions are open to those as young as 16 including:

• Recreation Aide: Assists in conducting planned activities at recreational facilities; Enforce safety rules and regulations at recreational facilities; May administer first aid when necessary; Cares for equipment, materials and supplies; Acts as a sports official;
• Recreation Specialist, Arts and Crafts: Assists in conducting planned activities at recreational facilities; Enforce safety rules and regulations at recreational facilities; May administer first aid when necessary; Cares for equipment, materials and supplies; Knowledge, skill and ability of recreational specialty learned through experience and or/specialized training; Will provide daily pre-planned arts and crafts activities for camp participants.
• Water Safety Instructor: Teaches swimming to children at various town pools.

Other positions require applicants to be 18 or 21 years of age. Applicants must meet the age requirement by July 1 when the programs begin.

Some positions, such as camp counselor, will require training prior to the July start date.

The summer jobs are open to everyone, not just Town of Islip residents.

“We encourage all ages; we have jobs for beach cashiers where you sit in a booth, check IDs, collect fees, and that position has typically had a mixture of younger people and retirees,” said Wahlberg.

“This is a great first job for a 16-year-old because you learn how to be an employee. We get calls from parents all the time and we tell them, ‘Why don’t you have your son or daughter call us?’ That way, they can learn how to be an employee and ask questions and speak up for themselves about matters like salary, work hours, family vacation,” said Wahlberg.

“It’s giving back to your community; you’re meeting the people of your community, you’re learning social skills,” said Klueber. 

For a full listing of summer jobs available, please visit: islipny.gov/part-time-jobs