What a hoot: a cheeky summer job

Ensor: "It's fun in the sun. Everyone will get something good out of it"

Relevant offers

Are you a female tertiary student with a chronic illness, seagull shooing skills, a penchant for Ecuadorian cultural songs and who looks OK in a bikini? If you've answered yes then have we got the summer holiday jobs for you.

Although many student job search centres report the number and quality of positions available are well down this year, there are still opportunities for those with an open mind and can-do attitude.

Yesterday, Auckland franchise owner Holly Ensor launched her summer earner project Hooter Car Wash and already she has 15 "average Kiwi girls" signed up to earn $20-an-hour, hand cleaning cars in their bikinis. The mobile site will be a feature at several beaches, including Mt Maunganui, and promotional events around Auckland.

"It's fun in the sun. Everyone will get something good out of it," she said.

Down south, fluent English-speaking cash-strapped students can earn $10 if they complete a 30-minute survey about chronic illness but there's a catch. Organisers advise: "Students can ONLY do this if you identify yourself as queer OR Maori (any gender) OR female." Offended? Don't be, they say: "Having consulted with UniQ (the Dunedin queer tertiary students' network), the use of the term `queer' is not meant to be offensive and is the preferred inclusive term."

Meanwhile, singers who have dreamt about running off to join an Ecuadorian cultural performing group could be in luck too. The Alymayu Group has fulltime positions, about 40 hours per week, for experienced singers.

"You will be performing South American ethnic music to mainly tourists in beautiful surroundings and in a fun, positive atmosphere." There's an hourly wage on offer and travel is included in New Zealand.

And what about the seagull shooers? Bad luck. Turned out it was a marketing gimmick for the new Hobbs Wharf Markets at Gulf Harbour, in Auckland.

Manager Barry Pickering said, however, he had received eight applications for the position of village idiot.

- © Fairfax NZ News