Summer job a training for the working world

HOW did singers Jacky Cheung, Vivian Chow and Shirley Kwan spend their summer vacation when they were in school? When Jacky Cheung was in primary school, he helped his neighbour make plastic flowers and spray paint.

During secondary school, however, he spent his summer vacation watching television, swimming and playing basketball. He never picked up a summer job, something which he now regrets.

''When I went for my first job interview, I did not know what to say and how to answer the questions,'' Cheung said. ''I had a hard time getting a job.'' ''I think summer jobs can help young people adapt to the working world and prepare them for their careers.'' The singer did not want any summer jobs because he did not want to work. He thought that since he would be working after he graduated, he should try to avoid it while he was still in school.

''Students should have confidence in themselves. They should face the working world when they graduate. They should not have any fantasies or fears about their jobs,'' he said.

Vivian Chow has a different view of summer jobs.

''Summer jobs are not a bad idea, but after a year of stressful studies and exams, students need a break,'' she said. ''They need to release some of that pressure.'' She had some summer jobs but they never lasted more than nine days. ''I got sick every time I took on a summer job. Maybe I was not mentally and physically prepared.'' Her list of summer jobs included working in a printing factory, working as a piano tutor, and teaching children to sing and draw.