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COOL SUMMER JOB:

Mail Jumper

Daredevil teens spend their summers delivering mail from a moving boat to earn cash

May/June 2022
By Ashley P. Taylor

Courtesy of Lake Geneva Cruise Line

You could say that 18-year-old Sid Pearl has a typical young person’s job: He delivers newspapers in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. What’s unusual about Sid’s job is that he delivers the papers—as well as U.S. mail—by jumping out of a moving boat!

On the shores of Lake Geneva is a summer resort town that bears the same name. About 60 of the houses surrounding the lake have their newspapers and mail delivered by boat during the summer. To make deliveries, mail jumpers like Sid leap from the boat to the dock, run to the mailbox to make their delivery, then jump back onboard. But they don’t always stick the landing—in his three years as a mail jumper, Sid has fallen in the lake nine times.

Sid Pearl delivers newspapers. That’s a pretty normal job for an 18-year-old like him. But there’s something unusual about Sid’s delivery route in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He delivers the papers and other mail by jumping out of a moving boat! 

Lake Geneva is a summer resort town. About 60 houses around the lake have newspapers and mail delivered by boat. Sid is one of several “mail jumpers.” To make a delivery, he leaps from the boat to a dock. He runs to the mailbox and drops off the mail. Then he jumps back onto the boat. But mail jumpers don’t always stick the landing. In three years, Sid has fallen in the lake nine times.

John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP Images

When Sid started working for Lake Geneva Cruise Line, he didn’t know they also ran a mail boat. Sid started out as a ticket taker and found out about the mail boat from customers that bought tickets to ride the boat and watch the mail jumpers in action. Once he learned more about the mail jumper job, he decided to apply for it. Teens have to work at the cruise line for at least a year before they can try out for one of the five or six summer mail jumper jobs. Sid got the job in 2019 and has been one ever since.

A typical day of work for a mail jumper starts at 7 a.m., with cleaning the boat and retrieving the mail from the post office. Sid sorts the mail by pier number and arranges the bundles in order of their delivery. Passengers start boarding the boat at 9:30 a.m., and it leaves at 10 a.m. The trip around the lake takes two-and-a-half hours. In between jumps, Sid narrates a tour of the lake and its historic houses.

Sid works for Lake Geneva Cruise Line, which runs tour boats around the lake. He started out as a ticket taker. At first, he didn’t know the company also ran a mail boat. But once he learned about mail jumpers, he decided to try out for the job. Teens have to work at the cruise line for at least a year before they can be mail jumpers. Sid started jumping in 2019 and has returned every summer since.

A typical day for a mail jumper starts at 7 a.m. Sid cleans the boat and collects the mail from the post office. He sorts the mail into bundles for each dock. At 9:30 a.m., passengers start boarding the boat. It leaves at 10 a.m. The trip around the lake takes two-and-a-half hours. In between jumps, Sid tells passengers about the lake and its historic houses.

Sid works about three shifts on the mailboat per week. “It is just the coolest job out there, especially for a teen,” Sid says. “I don’t feel like it’s work, even though I wake up early to go do it.”

Sid works three shifts per week on the mail boat. “It is just the coolest job out there, especially for a teen,” he says. “I don’t feel like it’s work, even though I wake up early to go do it.”

UNDERSTANDING INCOME

An earnings statement—also called a pay stub—shows what you’ve earned, what taxes are taken out of your gross income, and how much you get to keep, which is your net income.

A: Gross Income
Income before any deductions are taken out

 

B: Deductions
The part of your gross income that is taken out for taxes, retirement savings, and other costs

 

C: Pay Period
Time period that you’re being paid for. This is usually weekly or biweekly.

 

D: Medicare, Social Security, Federal TAX, and State Tax
The four main taxes that most workers pay. Some states do not have a state tax.

 

E: Net Income
The actual amount you’re paid after deductions

UNDERSTANDING INCOME

An earnings statement—also called a pay stub—shows what you’ve earned, what taxes are taken out of your gross income, and how much you get to keep, which is your net income.

A: Gross Income
Income before any deductions are taken out

 

B: Deductions
The part of your gross income that is taken out for taxes, retirement savings, and other costs

 

C: Pay Period
Time period that you’re being paid for. This is usually weekly or biweekly.

 

D: Medicare, Social Security, Federal TAX, and State Tax
The four main taxes that most workers pay. Some states do not have a state tax.

 

E: Net Income
The actual amount you’re paid after deductions

Complete the earnings statement for Sid Pearl below. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Complete the earnings statement for Sid Pearl below. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Sid Pearl works from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3 days per week, earning $8.50 per hour. Find his gross income for 2 weeks of work, and add it to the earnings statement below.

Sid Pearl works from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3 days per week, earning $8.50 per hour. Find his gross income for 2 weeks of work, and add it to the earnings statement below.

These are the taxes everyone pays, which are calculated as a percent of salary. Multiply each percent by the gross income to find these taxes and add them to the earnings statement:
Social Security tax: 6.2%
Medicare tax: 1.45%
Federal tax for part-time income: 10%

These are the taxes everyone pays, which are calculated as a percent of salary. Multiply each percent by the gross income to find these taxes and add them to the earnings statement:
Social Security tax: 6.2%
Medicare tax: 1.45%
Federal tax for part-time income: 10%

Each state has its own income tax rate. Some states, like Texas, don’t tax your income. Sid works in Wisconsin, so his part-time income is subject to a state income tax of 3.54%. Calculate Sid’s state income tax for 2 weeks, and add it to the earnings statement.

Each state has its own income tax rate. Some states, like Texas, don’t tax your income. Sid works in Wisconsin, so his part-time income is subject to a state income tax of 3.54%. Calculate Sid’s state income tax for 2 weeks, and add it to the earnings statement.

Add all the deductions on the earnings statement to find Sid’s gross deductions. Then subtract that from his gross income to find his net income. If he works the same number of hours each 2-week pay period for a total of 10 weeks, what will Sid’s net income be for the summer?

Add all the deductions on the earnings statement to find Sid’s gross deductions. Then subtract that from his gross income to find his net income. If he works the same number of hours each 2-week pay period for a total of 10 weeks, what will Sid’s net income be for the summer?

Continue the Learning Journey

 
  • Create a table of pros and cons for working a summer job. Include 3 bullet points for each column. Compare your pro and con list with a friend and star any points you have in common.
  • Research the average salary for a career you are interested in. Using this average salary, find what your gross income would be for a two-week pay period if you work 8 hours per day and 5 days per week. For an additional challenge, find your net income. Use the Tax Foundation to find what your state tax ratewould be for your salary.

Continue the Learning Journey

 
  • Create a table of pros and cons for working a summer job. Include 3 bullet points for each column. Compare your pro and con list with a friend and star any points you have in common.
  • Research the average salary for a career you are interested in. Using this average salary, find what your gross income would be for a two-week pay period if you work 8 hours per day and 5 days per week. For an additional challenge, find your net income. Use the Tax Foundation to find what your state tax ratewould be for your salary.
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