Jobs You Can Do

I recently received a suggestion that I thought could help many of you, so I want to discuss job ideas for tweens and teens. Now one important note: you need to check the labor laws for wherever you live, as your government has rules about how old children must be to work and what kinds of jobs they’re allowed to do.

Tween + Teen Jobs

Ok so let’s talk about some job ideas for tweens and teens:

Babysitting

Babysitting may sound like a cliche job, but babysitting can be a great way to earn money. You can watch kids for a few hours at their house while their parents are at work or away on a date night. Babysitting offers a more flexible schedule, you can set your pay rate, you get to play with kids, and there are likely multiple opportunities near you. FYI I’m working on a future episode to discuss babysitting in more detail.

Kids Day Camp/Parents Night Out

Related to babysitting, here’s another job idea – you could coordinate a Kids Day Camp or Parents Night Out. You watch a few family’s kids for a few hours and provide snacks, activities, crafts, and games. You would decide the date, time, how long it lasts, how much parents would pay you for each child attending, and you would host it at your house. Parents would drop off their kids when it starts and pick them up when it ends. It’s like multiple babysitting jobs in one!

Parent Helper

If you’re not quite ready to be on your own babysitting kids but still want to help and get some experience, a Parent Helper is a great alternative. The parent would still be around, but you would help with things like playing with the kids while the parent works from home, keeping an eye on little kids while you’re all at the park or pool, or doing light chores around the house. 

Tutor

Helping kids with homework after school or tutoring kids who need extra practice is a great way to earn money. You can set your schedule and rate. And you can feel really good inside that you’re helping kids learn.

Pet Sitter

Maybe you’re more interested in taking care of animals than kids, so pet sitting is a great option. While the pet’s owner is away at work or on a trip, you would check on the pet, clean up its messes, feed it, play with it, etc. 

Dog Walking

On that note, you could work as a dog walker. You would go to the pet owner’s house, get the dog ready to go with a leash and waste bags, and take the dog for a walk around your neighborhood. You both would enjoy some fresh air and exercise! 

Dog Waste Cleanup

Along those lines, if you don’t mind picking it up, you could offer a dog waste cleanup service to dog owners. You would pick up all of the dog waste in their yard and dispose of it, so the owners wouldn’t have to deal with the mess or the smell.

Yard/Plant Care

Do you enjoy being outside? You could earn money by mowing people’s lawns, pulling weeds, or raking leaves. Some people could also use help watering their potted plants or house plants.

With all of those jobs, you will need to market yourself and your services to get hired. You can talk to your neighbors yourself or even have your parents text people they know. You could also put up a flier in your community or have your parents create a social media post on your neighborhood page. If you get hired to do work for someone you don’t know, see if you can meet them in-person with your parents to ensure it’s a good fit and you feel comfortable at their home. 

Teen Jobs

These next job ideas are for teens who are at least 14, and again, check with the labor laws in your area to see if these options would work for you.

Community Center

A community or recreation center has multiple opportunities for teens to work.

Reception Desk – greet people as they enter and check them in, answer phones, offer assistance to guests

Childcare Attendant – play with children in the kids club area while their parents use the facility

Camp Counselor – work with kids enrolled in the summer camp or after school program

Referee – officiate during kids’ sports, keep the game fun and fair

Retail

Stocker – restock the store’s back room with deliveries and restock the sales floor with products

Bagger/Carts – at grocery stores, bag items at the checkout stand, assist customers with their carts or pickup orders, and gather carts from the parking lot

Sales associate – assist customers, answer questions, retrieve items for customers 

Cashier – ring up and check out customers, answer questions

Restaurants

Busser – clean up food and dishes left by customers, reset tables for next customers

Dishwasher – wash dishes in the kitchen

Cashier – greet customers, take their order, answer questions

Food Prep – prepare customers’ food (need food handler training)

Host – greet customers, seat them at tables

Offices

Scanner – digitize and organize files

Data Entry – type information into a computer program

Custodian – clean and vacuum office spaces, empty trash, clean bathrooms

Customer Service – answer calls and offer support to customers

Pools

Snack Bar – take customer orders, prepare food, restock products

Lifeguard – ensure swimmers have a safe and fun time, and know what to do if they needed you

Entertainment/Activity Centers (trampoline park, laser tag, arcade, movie theater, skating)

Admission Desk – ring up cost for customer entry, answer questions

Snack Bar – take customer orders, prepare food, restock products

Custodian – clean up messes, empty trash, clean bathrooms

Attendant – monitor customers activity and behavior, ensure they have a safe and fun time

Those 14 and older jobs will likely require you to submit a job application and resume. When you visit the business to apply, dress and act professionally and carry yourself with confidence. Respond when the business contacts you. Be a flexible, reliable, and responsible employee.

I hope these job ideas have helped you get a better understanding of what options are available for you!

Resources

If you have a topic suggestion, I’d love to hear from you! Send an email (tweens get the OK from your parents) to hello@EmpowerfulGirls.com .

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