Temporary jobs for graduates

You've finished your degree and your bank balance, along with your liver, is looking decidedly unhealthy.

So, you've got nothing to live on, your parents can't help and your bank manager laughed when you told him. So what do you do? You've got to get some short-term work fast.

Sure, you need some money, but do you really want to join the rat race just yet? It's the summer - an office is a lousy place to be. So, check out totaljobs' guide to the best short-term jobs.

Jobs abroad
Jobs at events
Theme parks and attractions
Odd Jobs

Jobs abroad Using your summer to spend time overseas while still earning a few quid and working on your tan has long been a popular option.

Camp America has opportunities for young lovers of the outdoors. Jobs include camp counsellors – who teach swimming, horse riding, sports and crafts, as well as kitchen staff and people to work with special needs children.

As the English language becomes more popular, so does the demand for native speakers to teach it. TEFL can help you get trained as an English teacher and find a job abroad. Its web site has information on jobs available and has a section specifically devoted to short-term summer positions. Once you have a TEFL qualification you can take on short-term teaching posts anywhere in the world. A range of jobs can be found in the Times Educational Supplement.

What about the chance to party every night and call it a job? Firms such as Club 18-30 and Club 25 offer an ideal opportunity to top up your tan as well as your bank balance in a holiday hotspot. For more information, call Club 18-30 on 01274 387690.

There are numerous tour operators, hotels and hostels throughout Europe that need English speaking staff. Visit www.natives.co.uk/summerjobs/summerjobs.htm to see where you could be spending your summer.

Jobs at events There are a whole range of sporting and entertainment events in the summer that need staffing, and these can be a good way of getting some money in an exciting environment. This year, events such as Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, Glastonbury and the Commonwealth Games all need staff. So, not only can you line your pockets, you can do it while humming along to your top band or keeping an eye on your favourite sport.

The Commonwealth Games in Manchester (25 July-4 August) is a perfect chance to get a gold medal on your CV and bit of silver in your pocket. Jobs are posted on the official web site, and the Manchester Evening News (0161 832 7200). Kitchen, waiting service and kiosk staff are being recruited by Sodexho Prestige. Email people@sodexho-uk.com or phone HR on 01462 454 401.

The Wimbledon Tennis Championships, meanwhile, (24 June-7 July) needs staff in a range of areas:

Catering and kitchen
So you can’t serve an ace, but how about strawberries and cream? FMC Catering are recruiting 1,500 chefs, porters, food service assistants, silver service, plate waiting and bar staff to start on June 22. Call 020 8947 7430 or email resourcing@fmccatering.co.uk for an application form.

Cleaning and operations
Cleanevent supplies cleaners to a number of venues, including Sandown races and Wembley, hiring up to 600 staff a season. For Wimbledon, they are hiring 400 cleaners, court attendants and facilities management staff. Email recruit@cleanevent.co.uk.

Drivers
Wimbledon requires an army of drivers; if you’re over 25, have a clean driver’s licence and know your way around London, send your CV to: Gemini II International Ltd, Hill Place House, 55a High Street, Wimbledon Village, London SW19 5BA.

Security
There’s bounce off-court as well as on-court. To get a job in security call Securicor on 08702 414753 (24 hours) or email championships@guarding.securicor.co.uk with ‘Wimbledon championships recruitment’ in the subject line.

Camp out with your favourite bands at this year’s music festivals, including Glastonbury (28-30 June), Guildford (19-21 July) and Reading (23-25 August). Sometimes you can get free tickets for doing stewarding work for various charities such as Oxfam at Glastonbury. Showsec is a security and stewarding company that covers some of the country's biggest music events. Call the recruitment department on 020 8447 4750.

There are horse racing meetings throughout the year, so if you want to work surrounded by the evocative smells of saddle soap and manure, call United Racecourses on 01372 742083, or Racecourse Holdings Trust 0207 4875156.

If celebrities and VIP marquees are your thing, what about a flutter on a job at Ascot. For the bubbly among you, working as waiting staff at Royal Ascot (18-22 June) could pay a tasty dividend. Waiting staff pour one million glasses of champagne each day, making sure their 60,000 guests are fed and watered. Call 01344 622 211 or 01344 876 876. Other race days include Hong Kong Cup Day and Diamond Day 27-28 June, Blue Square Shergar Cup 10 August, and BETDAQ Festival 27-29 Sept.

Also, contact companies directly to see what events they need staff for. These include:

Event Service net; a web site with contact details for companies servicing events which have jobs such as car parking, merchandising, admissions control and catering. This can put you in touch with employers of smaller events, and at conference centres and hotels. Alternatively, you could contact some of the contract catering companies which are often brought in to cover major sporting events. Compass Group oversees numerous functions, as does Sodexho Prestige. Sodexho are hiring staff for the Farnborough Air Show, Commonwealth Games, Ascot races and on Thames cruises.

Theme parks and attractions

For the young at heart, why not try working at a theme park or visitor attraction? There are fun places across the country, and rest assured, there are jobs which don't need you to dress up as a six-foot mouse (unless, of course, you want to).

Catering staff, lifeguards, ride operators, games and arcades managers, retail assistants, security and merchandising staff are needed.

Pack your thermos and head to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, or call 01253 341033.

Have a rollercoaster of a summer at Drayton Manor, Staffordshire. Call 01827 252409, or send your CV to: Tim Sadler, Training & Personnel Manager, Drayton Manor Park, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3WT.

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s the new Air ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire. Get a job at the hotel or theme park complex on 01538 704039.

Start building your career at Legoland Windsor. Call 01753 626 111.

Hi-de-hi campers! Join the famous redcoats at Butlins as an entertainer. There are vacancies at Skegness, Lincolnshire; Minehead, Somerset; and Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

Odd jobs

You could always sign up for medical testing, which can involve anything from blood donations to having previously unused medicines tested on you. This may sound daunting, but having injections and taking the odd pill isn't exactly hard work and it can bring in some quick bucks. Phase II Services, an independent service approved by the Ethical Review Boards, has information on testing companies which offer up to £100 a day for participants.

Or if your body is a temple, try getting into the movies instead. You mightn't be the next Russell Crowe or Julia Roberts, but working as an extra in film and television can be pretty lucrative, and could even be the first step on the road to stardom. Working as an extra can earn you over £60 a day, or more than £80 for a night's work. Not bad for being another face in the crowd. Web sites such as www.castingcollective.co.uk, and www.hiddenextra.com, have information on getting into the business.

by Kimberley Rothwell