APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply to be a Summer Helper, you must fill out our Student Application and provide several required items, which are listed below. To apply online, sign up for a free SPC account and fill out our online Student Application. If you would like to receive a hardcopy application via fax or US Mail, please contact us through e-mail: info@summerplacements.com or by phone at (978) 526-1444. Positions can be filled as early as March, so it is to your advantage to get your application in as soon as possible.

If you haven't done so already, we recommend that you read Thinking About Being a Mother's Helper?. It will give you insight into the duties and responsibilities of these positions, and give you some things to consider.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED ITEMS

SPC requires the following additional items in order for your Student Application to be fully complete:

References. Please ask two former employers for whom you have done some childcare work (or one employer and a teacher, advisor or headmaster) to send to us directly a brief character reference about you. This is the one area that may slow your application process. Contact your two references as quickly as possible and have them mail their letters of reference to SPC as soon as possible. See our Contact Us section for the appropriate mailing address.

Photograph. A photograph of yourself is very helpful in the application process. Please send us a separate e-mail [subject: Your Name; Photograph] with your photograph attached, or send us a hardcopy picture of yourself via the US Mail. See our Contact Us section for the appropriate mailing address. If you are sending a hardcopy, please write your name and birth date on the back of the photo.

Certification. In order to be considered for a job with SPC, you must be certified in at least one of the following: Lifeguard, CPR (infant or adult) or First Aid. Please photocopy your valid certification card(s) and mail or fax it to SPC. If you are not certified (or if your certification has expired), please check with your local YMCA or Red Cross branch. They offer Life Guard, CPR and First Aid classes for approximately $30. Your certification must be completed prior to being placed with a family.

Drivers License. Massachusetts mandates that all referral placement agencies run a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) background check on any household employee who will be caring for children. Each student placed in a home will be subject to a CORI check. To learn more about CORI, go to http://www.mass.gov/dph/topics/cori2/cori_faq.htm. Please photocopy your valid drivers license and mail or fax it to SPC.

After we have received ALL of your required materials and your fully completed Student Application, we will contact you to schedule an SPC interview. This will either be by phone or in person, and last between 30 to 45 minutes.

Once your SPC interview is complete, we will contact you with job opportunities that match your skills, abilities and preferences. We will send you profiles of the families and specific information about their jobs. You will be asked to contact each family to interview for their position. This is an IMPORTANT part of the process. Interviewing with the families should be taken seriously. You should be prepared to speak about yourself, your experience and why you would be a good fit for their family. You should also have questions ready, as this is also an opportunity for you to determine if a particular job is right for you.

The hiring decision is completely up to each family. You will be notified if a family would like to offer you their job. When you accept a position, please contact SPC immediately.

The majority of our placements are made in April and May. You may contact us (e-mail is best) if you would like to check on the status of your application.