Summer’s here and you may be thinking your teen needs to get a job. While working in the food service industry has pros and cons, there’s a lot of ways it will prepare them for jobs later in life. If you get some resistance when suggesting a summer job to your teen, here’s a list of seven reasons why a food service job should be considered for their first job:
- It makes you a better customer. Working in food service teaches you what a difference a friendly face can make when you’re working behind a counter.
- You’ll make friends fast. The fast pace and constant collaboration makes one shift feel like five when it comes to getting to know people.
- You wear a million hats. A job in food service gives you experience in an endless number of different categories.
- Your communication skills will be unrivaled. You get used to dealing with co-workers, managers and customers, which will turn you into an expert communicator
- You learn what’s important (and what’s not). When you’re juggling three different orders with a bunch of requests from your manager, you get a crash course in prioritizing what’s important over what can wait.
- You’ll stay active. A great thing about food service is that you’re constantly moving and always on your feet.
- You can actually achieve a healthy work-life balance. Unlike working in an office, working in food service allows you to have a true separation between work and your personal life.