Orange County Public Schools offering $3,500 bonus to some new hires

Orlando, Fla. - Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) is offering a $3,500 bonus to some new hires. 

Experts say there are a lot of service jobs open right now and the competition among employers is fierce. 

The $3,500 bonus is for positions in OCPS food and nutrition services. 

The district needs to fill around 150 cafeteria jobs from entry-level to supervisor. You have to be hired by Oct. 8 to get the full bonus. 

"All those hotels, restaurants and theme parks fighting for the same employees, it’s been more than usual," said OCPS Director of Food Service Mark Watson. 

Roger Lear, president of OrlandoJobs.com, says his site added 10,000 new jobs in the Orlando area in July alone. A lot of those have remained open. 

"Employers are just stuck between a rock and a hard place," Lear said. 

So, why has it become so hard to hire? For one, experts say jobs that aren’t "work from home" are less desirable. 

"There are people that I think are still concerned, potentially, particularly in the service industry about their health. The government has been providing a great deal of assistance, but that, of course, is gonna be ending," said Rollins College Marketing Professor Mark Johnston. 

For those interested in working for the school district, the pay ranges from $10.75 to $17 an hour. 

Officials say that bonus isn’t the only perk they offer. 

"We have nights and weekends off; we have school holidays off; we have the Florida Retirement System; group insurance," Watson said. 

If you are interested in working for OCPS food and nutrition services, officials are holding a hiring event from Wednesday to Friday. 

The hiring events are happening at the OCPS Food & Nutrition Services building, located at 8101 Benrus Street in Orlando between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.