Summer job in Oregon (Portland, Eugene: home, employment, camp)

[andrey39rus]

Hi. I'm a student from Russia.
I'm going to the USA this summer (J-1 visa, work and travel program)

I need a job for summer.

Look at this - Portland Parks has more than 700 jobs on summer Aquatic Team for city's pools | OregonLive.com

..more than 700 jobs on summer...

I tried to call but there was no answer.
Who can call to ask if they take on the work of foreign students?
503-823-PLAY (7529)
V/TDD: 503-823-2223

Thanks for your responds!

[andrey39rus]

In every park nobody pick up a phone! What is it?))) Only answer machine.
How can I talk with employers? please help =))))

[Minervah]

My advice is to just keep trying. Unemployment is very high in Portland. This would be a dream job for many, many people. I suspect that every time you try to call, hundreds of others are doing the same thing. The lines are probably extremely busy.

In the meantime don't rule out other opportunities you may find while waiting for this one.

Good luck to you.

[andrey39rus]

Thank for good advice!
And other question.
Where I can look at statistics of an unemployment rate on states?
I think it's very important information.

[Minervah]

Here is a website from the government bureau of labor statistics. There are other good websites. Just google "unemployment rates by state."

Local Area Unemployment Statistics Home Page

[Nell Plotts]

If you have experience as a swimming coach another place to inquire is the Multnomah Athletic Club.

[haggardhouseelf]

My son has worked as a lifeguard at the local city pools the past couple of years during the summer. We're in Eugene, though, not Portland. Eugene is about two hours south of Portland.

Anyway - I'm not sure if it's the same in Portland, but in Eugene there are tons of summer jobs that they begin hiring for usually in late April to early May. You need to be a Red Cross certified lifeguard, though, and it also helps if you have experience, especially if they don't know you. They also like their lifeguards to be able to teach swimming classes as well. My son had a hard time getting hired as a lifeguard at first because he was so young and they weren't sure how he would do with teaching classes... so they let him volunteer with other swim intructors for a little while to see how he would do and give him some experience. Once they felt good about him, they hired him on and he's worked himself up over time. He also took part in a junior lifeguard training program each summer from the time he was 12 until he was old enough to go through the red cross certification program (15).

Anyway - I just thought I'd share all that with you to give you a little insight.

You might try restaurants or places on the coast... busing tables, host, cashiering, dishwasher, etc. The Oregon coast really gets busy during the summer so businesses there hire up summer staff.

Good luck!

[gypsydoc]

Here's another Oregon employment statistical site.

OLMIS - Current Unemployment Rates

If you have art experience or other sports, etc., Portland Parks and Recreation will be hiring counselors for the day camp projects.

Employment

Hope that helps!

[haggardhouseelf]

The State of Oregon is hiring people to help run the state parks for the busy summer season... you can apply for a park ranger assistant position.

[Nell Plotts]

Portland Parks & Recreation will doubtless do in-depth background checks which are much easier to do if you are a local applicant. Unless the OP is participating in a recognized foreign student exchange program I think the odds of getting hired are slim to none.