Radcliffe Employment Office Seeks Perfume Smellers and Dog Walkers

For obtaining a dog-walker, a perfume smeller, or even a baby-sitter, the hope of Boston employers is the Radcliffe Employment Bureau. In the past three years, the Bureau, headed by Mrs. Mary Shaw, has been filling such requests from her file-jammed office on the second floor of Fay House, in the Radcliffe Quad.

The "perfume smeller" was requested by a manufacturer who wanted a girl to dispense perfume samples and describe the customers' reactions. For every vial of perfume given away, the girl received twenty-five cents. She was then asked to describe her preference among the varieties she had distributed.

Another employer asked for a Radcliffe girl to make purchases in a department store (money supplied by the store) and write about the transaction--quality of service, appearance of the display, and the purchase itself.

Three Hundred Jobs a Year

Not all the demands made on the bureau are so unique. About three hundred jobs are secured for students each year, in addition to incidental baby-sitting and waitressing.

Most of these positions concern childcare and part-time clerical work. This office also fills room-and-board jobs. These are open to students in financial need who will help care for a home in exchange for living there. There are usually twice as many applicants for these opportunities as can be supplied.

One of the most effortless ways of earning money which the Bureau frequently offers is psychological testing. Budding psychologists and social relations centers request students to serve as "guinea pigs" for new IQ Tests.

Summer Work

Summer jobs are now Mrs. Shaw's main pre-occupation. She has had many requests for camp counselors, waitresses at resorts, and office help. Several families have asked for girls to live at their summer homes and care for children. One parent wanted a student to travel through Europe with the family, all expenses paid, to be a child's companion. The desirability of this job was offset by the departure date, May 1.

Opportunities are posted on the bulletin board outside the Bureau's office, and the crowd gathering there at all hours indicates the value of the Bureau as a supplement to dwindling allowances.

The Employment Bureau has standard rates for baby-sitting, waitressing, childcare, chauffeuring, reading, and clerical work. These are lower in come cases than wages generally paid for such jobs, and make the Bureau even more popular with employers.

Because of the integration of the University and the Cambridge communities, many Radcliffe girls have found themselves baby-sitting for their professors, or serving tea to their classmates or section men. The Bureau keeps a supply of elegant black uniforms, replete with fully white collar and cuffs, for students who take waitress jobs in homes.