Here’s what it’s like for teens looking for summer jobs in Napa. It’s not easy

A few days after graduating from Napa High School on June 11, Luke Simon rolled out of bed for a Saturday morning shift at Deuces Market, a gourmet food, wine and coffee shop situated on a promenade in the city’s downtown.

Wearing an apron and a sheepish grin, the 18-year-old Simon delivered a toasted bagel to a fellow graduate who was seated at one of the market’s outdoor tables.

Simon took the summer job paying minimum wage of $15 an hour – plus tips – to help fund his “social life” and upcoming expenses at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he plans to study hydrology.

“Now that you’re older, your parents stop paying for that kind of thing,” Simon said. “You gotta start paying for yourself. Having a job allows you to do more.”

Simon is following the time-honored tradition of teens working summer jobs to raise a little dough, gain work experience or simply stave off boredom.

In Napa, that window of economic opportunity is relatively short. Public schools are out for barely more than two months before classes resume Aug. 14.

Simon was smart. He started his job search weeks before the end of the school year to try and get ahead of the competition.

After one of his friends got a job at Deuces Market, Simon followed up with an email of his own to owner Mike Casey, who ended up offering the high school grad a job.

Simon said among other things, he enjoys the flexibility of the gig.

“It’s kind of what you make of it,” he said. “You can take more shifts if you want more shifts. You can take less shifts if you want less shifts.”

Simon was fortunate.

Local experts say many Napa teens are having a challenging time finding employment amid a competitive market for summer labor, particularly in industries such as hospitality and recreation that are typically well suited for youth.

In addition to their peers, teens are competing with prospective employees of all ages who want to work in the valley’s famed hospitality and culinary industries, according to Megan McConnell, a program manager for the Napa Valley Education Foundation.

She said some employers pass on hiring teens altogether in the belief they lack the right set of skills, maturity or follow through to do the work.

“What they (employers) tell me is they don’t really have a lot of faith in teenagers, especially in some of our trades,” McConnell said. “They’re pretty flabbergasted when I tell them I have 16 and 17-year-olds in their work books at 6 a.m.”

McConnell manages the Education Foundation’s Summer Mentor Program, which matches teens 16 years old and older with summer jobs in industries ranging from hospitality to viticulture.

Nearly 300 teens applied for the program this summer. About 90 were accepted.

“What makes this program attractive is how hard it is for them (teens) to get that summer job,” McConnell said.

Nathan Carandang, a 15-year-old Napa High student, embarked on a summer job search with the hope of saving money for a trip to his native Philippines and to help support his family. His father works as a school custodian.

But Carandang’s first application, to Panda Express, ended in disappointment when he was told he needed to be 18 to work there.

He was still holding out hope for a job serving food because his friends told him how much he could earn with tips.

McConnell, with the mentor program, said many youth struggle with the basic skills required to apply for a job, such as effective online communication, making eye contact during interviews and filling out resumes.

She compared her role to that of a college professor who preps students in seminar before taking them into the “lab,” which in this case is the actual job.

The mentor program lasts seven weeks. McConnell said about half of the participants typically remain with their respective employers to work part-time jobs during the school year.

Silverado Resort participates in the summer program along with other businesses in the local hospitality industry under the heading of “Resorting to Opportunity.”

At Silverado, teen jobs include those in the market, spa, housekeeping or banquet set-up, according to Tami Douglas, the resort’s human resources director.

“It’s really exciting having them be a part of the summer mentor program because it’s showing them the potential for viable careers in their own backyard,” Douglas said. “Napa has such a tough labor market. Any employee would tell you there’s a higher cost of living here. But when we have students who are local, it’s great to expose them to careers that people travel from all over the United States to be a part of.”

Douglas said Silverado still has a few job openings this summer.

McConnell said many employers in the mentorship program also come away from the experience with a newfound appreciation for the teen worker.

“We give them a bad rap,” she said of teens. “Every single one of my students rises to the occasion.”