Students join summer hire program at Lakenheath and Mildenhall Published July 25, 2008 By Hannah Armstrong 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Students at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall participate in the summerhire program to earn extra money and work experience during the summer break. "The program provides an opportunity for dependant students to acquire work experience throughout the summer," explained Kim Chamberlain, Civilian Personnel. "It is also beneficial to organizations, as students accomplish tasks during the period when many civilian employees and military are PCSing or on leave." The summerhire program allows students to choose between a laboring or clerical job. If a student decides to sign up to be a laborer, the tasks they accomplish would be hands-on, such as doing yard work, sorting mail, or painting. Clerical work could be working behind a desk, answering phones, shredding and filing papers, and customer service. The program allows teens ages 14 to 18 to sign up. Each student that joins works for eight hours each week for four weeks and earns $5.50 an hour. "It's a plus when you have to wake up at 7:30 each morning," said Julia Hurlburt at the RAF Mildenhall Post Office. "It's boring at first, but at least we get paid for it." The program lasts from June to August and happens every year. It gives kids an opportunity to earn money and a better understanding of the Air Force that their parents are working in.