Do rural kids have more trouble getting first jobs?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Is the lack of employer density in a rural area a big problem for rural kids finding their first jobs? Is transportation a huge obstacle? Or do rural kids maybe find it easier to pick up small, maybe short-term jobs here and there? Is it harder for young men or young women to find rural work?

[bjl584]

Is the lack of employer density in a rural area a big problem for rural kids finding their first jobs? Is transportation a huge obstacle? Or do rural kids maybe find it easier to pick up small, maybe short-term jobs here and there? Is it harder for young men or young women to find rural work?

I grew up in a fairly rural area. It wasn't hard for me to find work at all. There is a substantial elderly population living around the area, so there was always yard work to do, repair work to be done, or errands to run for someone. Transportation wasn't really an issue for me. I would ride my bike if it was too far to walk.

[photo]

Interesting question. Having lived both in metropolitan and rural areas, I think it may be easier for rural kids in one aspect: a lot of smaller, part-time jobs are with people they or their parents know. The employment relationship is more likely to be an informal one -- babysitting, yard work, watching a house/picking up mail/feeding pets while someone is on vacation, moving, and so forth. I know some people have "created" jobs for kids they know who are trying to reach a goal for a student trip or saving for college.

[DaveL]

I agree. Having grown up in a rural setting and then raising my kids in a metropolitan area, I think it is easier to get a "job" in the city but easier to be an "entrepreneur" in a rural area. When I was growing up, I had no trouble offering my services around the area for mowing lawns, raking leaves,and painting houses and farm buildings. People would hire me because they knew me and/or my family. It is difficult to do that in a city because people don't know each other as well. However, my kids had much more access to entry-level jobs such as in fast food as they were growing up in a city.

[MonkeyMama]

Being a city kid and reading this thread, I'd guess far more opportunities in the city.

Sure, I've got family in small towns and know that everyone knows everyone. BUT, in a big city I just see endless opportunity. (I might not know everyone, but I Can easily know more people). I did tons of babysitting, pet sitting, and house sitting myself. Of course, from age 16 on, tons of W-2 jobs for the taking.

Anyway, I am not sure I agree that small town means more "entrepreneur" type opportunities. Of course, when I was a kid, none of my friends did this kind of work. These days even less kids work. So, yeah, competition seems to be severely lacking in these areas - in this day and age.

[LuckyRobin]

Although I grew up in a city, I had plenty of work in rural areas. We picked strawberries, raspberries and blueberries from the time I was four years old (until I was ten and they said you had to be twelve to pick), and then from age 12 to age 15. A lot of the kids I knew from picking (particularly the boys) did haying as well. I also worked in sorting raspberries.

City work I got pretty easily, too, having a steady Friday night baby-sitting gig from age 11, other unsteady baby-sitting gigs that were once or twice a month, at 16 on also worked 3 hours every Saturday answering phones and cleaning the office of a chiropractor, and working as a chore worker for Visiting Nurse during the summer M-F during the day.

I think it has more to do with knowing what is available and how to find it.

[Gary Barzel]

In rural areas your kids just have to be more innovative and come up with ideas that they can implement. An added bonus is that everyone pretty much knows you, and if you offer something useful you wont have to market it as much.