Summer jobs provide the perfect opportunity for students to extend their experience in the workplace, all while earning extra money, honing new skills and learning extra responsibilities.

However, new research shows that Brits stand to miss out on over £64bn of income by passing up summer jobs this year. A survey of more than 2,000 people by Gumtree found just one third (34 per cent) of Brits are planning to get a summer job this year.

According to ONS figures, people earn an average of £1,832 from each summer job, meaning £33.7bn is being made across the UK from seasonal opportunities.

However, two thirds (66 per cent) of people surveyed said they have decided not to work, meaning they could be missing out on a collective £64.3bn.

A quarter of people recognised the long-term benefits of a summer job, with 26 per cent agreeing it equips them with excellent life skills, and eight per cent planning on having more than one role this season.

Luckily, if you are a student looking for job opportunities and do not want to miss out on your portion of that £64bn, we can provide all the expert help you need to seek out your perfect temporary seasonal placement. They include roles across the Industrial, Construction, Driving & Logistics, Engineering and Commercial sectors.

Read on for our handy guide to finding a summer job

Start early

Make sure you are prepared and start looking for placements early. Think carefully about the sort of job you would like to do and look online, in newspapers and on jobs boards for vacancies.

Update your CV

We are in the business of finding you a job as quickly and efficiently as possible, sometimes starting as early as the next day. However, it never does any harm to check your CV before you start applying for jobs. Make sure all of your latest qualifications are included, update your contacts and references and add any new or relevant work experience.

Quality control

Try not to send out dozens of generic CVs. Take the time to perfect your cover letter and tailor your CV to the jobs you really want to land.

Assess your strengths

Assess your skills and what you think they can offer the job market.Try to honestly identify your strengths, weaknesses, skills and hobbies and whether you are best suited to working outdoors or in an office environment. This will help you to determine the right roles for you.

Focus your search

Narrow your search to just a handful of industry areas and, within each of those, a select few businesses. This will result in the overall search process feeling less overwhelming and give you the time to properly research the placements that you feel the most affinity with.

Register with a recruiter

Many local businesses rely on recruitment agencies such as ours to find seasonal staff. Register with us to assist and guide you and be sure to keep us informed about your availability.

Be flexible

The best summer job options often require you to be flexible with your diary. Try to be open to last minute interviews and shift work.

The types of Industrial job we can assist you in finding include:

• Assembly Operative
• Cleaner
• Machine Operator
• Packer
• Warehouse Operative
• Loader and Unloader
• Catering Assistant
• Forklift Truck Operator
• Order Picker
• Production Operative
• Waste Picker

The types of Construction job we can assist you in finding include:

• General Labourer
• CCDO Labourer
• Scaffolder
• Carpenter/Joiner
• Machine Driver
• Painter/Decorator
• Asbestos Awareness Labourer
• Plasterer
• Bricklayer
• Ground Worker
• Mates 
• Steel Fixer

The types of Driving & Logistics job we can assist you in finding include:

• LGV (C, C&E)
• Skips
• FLT
• Wagons & Drag
• Vans
• HIAB

The types of Engineering job we can assist you in finding include:

• Sheet Metal Fabricator
• Auto CAD Designer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Maintenance Engineer
• Civil Structural Engineer
• Foundry Operative
• Project Engineer
• Welder (all types)
• CNC Operatives
• Electrical Engineer
• Tool Maker
• Piping Materials Engineer
• Machine Operative
• Technician

The types of Commercial job we can assist you in finding include:

• Customer Service
• Outbound Telesales
• Inbound Telesales
• Accounts
• Human Resources
• Payroll
• Receptionist
• Team Leader & Manager
• Administration
• Office Management
• PA & Secretarial