By Maddy Vitale
The start of the summer season is here, and with that means thousands of guests will enjoy Sea Isle’s beaches, stroll and shop along the Promenade and downtown, and be entertained by festivals, concerts and shows at Excursion Park.
A quiet shore town in the offseason, with a year-round population of 2,100, swells to a whopping 75,000 people on a bustling July 4 weekend.
That said, seasonal help, which runs from now until September, is in high demand year after year in the popular beach destination.
And although the big start to the season came and went with Memorial Day weekend and the majority of seasonal workers were already on the job, there are still some openings left in the city’s departments, including the Recreation Office, Beach Tag Department and Public Works Department, explained Sea Isle’s Public Information Officer Katherine Custer.
“Once again, Sea Isle City is fully prepared for another great summer season at the beach,” Custer said. “We expect to soon fill every available position with qualified, dedicated employees who will serve our visitors and residents and help ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer.”
There are still some beach tag inspector openings.
“The Beach Tag Department is looking very good but there are some openings left for walkers and sitters," Custer said.
The walkers check to see if people have their tags while sitting on the beaches. If they don’t, the worker can sell them the tags. There are also sitters, people who are at the entrances to the beaches. They also can sell badges to beach goers.
People take advantage of the city-owned courts to enjoy pickleball, tennis and basketball.
Custer, who is also the director of the Recreation Office, said the city is fortunate to have a lot of the same people return for seasonal work each year to help keep the town beautiful, inviting and safe.
There are a couple of positions still open in the Recreation Office.
“We are almost at full capacity at Recreation,” Custer said. “I’m still looking for a couple of employees to work the tennis desk.”
The positions that really make one think of summer are lifeguard openings.
Sea Isle City’s Beach Patrol operates with about 100 members and of them, many are lifeguards, athletes who compete for the coveted slots.
“Every year our beach patrol does an outstanding job recruiting and cultivating employees from the Junior Lifeguard program to the various runs and competitions they host, which are great indicators of a person’s physical ability to be a lifeguard,” Custer said.
Annual tryouts are on June 8 and June 9.
“These are young athletes who are eager to make a difference. They have swimming and running tests to evaluate their abilities and one-on-one interviews with the senior staff of the beach patrol," Custer said.
There are no more openings in the Police Department for summer jobs. Currently there are 24 seasonal employees working as Class I and Class II officers, Custer noted.
She said the seasonal police officers provide a great service to the town, especially when handling traffic and crowd control. Some of the officers are on bikes, but the majority are on foot.
“They monitor the parking lots and have a presence in the business community and around town,” Custer said.
While most seasonal positions end on Labor Day weekend, others continue into mid-September, such as the Police Department, which keeps on some Class I and Class II officers to manage crowds during the busy times of fall festivals and other events in town, Custer said.
Sea Isle's Excursion Park attracts crowds throughout the summer with a host of concerts and festivals.
The Public Works Department is still taking applications for several positions on the trash and recycling teams.
Custodian positions are filled, however, as are the walker positions, which are people who pick up trash on the curbs around town and along the Promenade.
“We have a lot of gentlemen who return year after year,” Custer pointed out. “It is a nice summer job for them, because they get to walk around and talk to people while they are helping to beautify the town. They serve as nice ambassadors, helping keep the town clean and cheerful.”
For more information about becoming a part of the Sea Isle Beach Patrol, visit www.sicbp.com or call headquarters at 44th Street and the beach at (609) 263-3655. For applications for positions in City Departments, visit www.sea-isle-city.nj.us. There is a tab for summer jobs.
