UKC

I'm a student and will have round 3 months (June - Sept) off this summer with virtually zero commitments (and zero money!!). I regularly enjoy trad/sport/bouldering and my aim is to spend as much of summer as possible climbing outdoors.

Current thoughts are:
- A job at some kind of summer camp (UK or abroad) with nearby crags.
- Standard bar job or something similar in the lakes/wales.

Does anyone have any experience doing something similar or any general ideas? No clue how the above would work out but its worth a try right?

Thanks

In reply to Jaomes:
Do you have a van you can use for sleeping in? if so you could maybe advertise as "Man & Van" in whatever areas, and then live dirtbag style in the van & climb when not working

Edit: plenty of summer bar jobs about around cornwall if you get one before all the students get back

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Liking the man with a van idea, don't have a van but can drive so there's that.
Didnt think about Cornwall, its a good shout though, like you say there'll be plenty of summer touristy jobs going.

In reply to Jaomes:
Join the Army Reserve! Then spend the rest of the summer somewhere nice I.E. the Alps.

Pass basic training and you'll have £2300 for just under a month of work (including a £300 signing up bonus). You'll also receive a nice tax free bounty of £444 for completing your training commitment for the year.

As a plus you'll also have something more interesting than 'bar work' to put on your CV when it comes to the job hunt.

In reply to Jaomes:

I'd be selfish and go abroad. You could volunteer at a hostel, or TEFL in Asia etc. But if it's climbing you really want, then just go and be a bum somewhere where you stand a chance of finding partners.

In reply to Jaomes:

And - if you join the Army Reserve - you'll be paid to spend a couple of weeks a year in a field, doing interesting things and occasionally learning skills pertinent to being in the hills.

In reply to Jaomes:
National Trust - loads summer work in Cumbria, generally 37.5 hrs a week, you won't get rich but can work and live in lakes, campsites are pretty good for getting close great crags, wasdale & langdale are ideal for climbing, there is a recruitment website.

In reply to Jaomes:

I've stayed in a couple of climbers campsites in Spain and turkey where you can work there for food and accommodation, nice work, loads of time to climb and within walking distance. Hot in summer though

In reply to Jaomes:

Save and dirtbag.

In reply to Jaomes:

While i was at uni I spent my summers working in a youth hostel in Snowdonia. There's usually jobs going somewhere (wales, lakes, peak). For a lot of the time I was able to do evening shifts, which means you can be out pretty much until the midges make it unbearable anyway, Or breakfast shifts, which if you're lucky means you're out by 11. Lots of them have live in jobs too. Might be worth looking into.

In reply to tradisrad:

That's a lot of money - not quite sure if it would be for me though!

In reply to pasbury:

Saving + Dirtbag + some work for free accom/food in a hostel or campsite sounds promising, depending on the spot it could be a good place to meet other climbers too

In reply to Jaomes:

Depending on what you have planned for your future (if anything!), go abroad. Once you start work, you will rarely have three months off, and if you do, you will probably be busy looking for work, and the UK can be experienced etc. in a weekend or long weekend

If I had this opportunity, I would go overseas. Plus summer here is no guarantee of good climbing weather...