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Last Updated on November 6, 2023 by coffeepo
What is the best job for teens?
Working as a teenager isn’t easy, but it’s a great way to earn pocket money, save up for college, and also set yourself up for long-term financial success. There are plenty of job opportunities that don’t require any prior experience or a degree—perfect for ambitious teens who want to jump-start their careers early.
If you’re willing to learn on the job and work hard to meet your goals, you’d excel at any one of these 27 jobs for teenagers.
- Newspaper carrier
As long as you have a bike, a good sense of direction, and a bit of spare time, you can earn some extra cash delivering newspapers to the people in your community. Not only do you earn money, but you can also get to know your neighbors and area.
Your local newspaper will have a circulation department that handles newspaper delivery. Ask them specifically about bike routes, as some paper routes, especially in large cities, are handled by car.
Average pay is around $1,200 a month, depending on your route and your employer.
- Dog walker
Dogs need regular walks, but owners don’t always have the time to accompany their furry friends. If you love animals and can take good care of them, you could earn money by becoming a professional dog walker.
As a dog walker, your job is to take people’s precious pets out on walks and clean up after them. Some may even ask you to play and feed their fur babies.
The best thing about being a dog walker is that you don’t need any prior experience! If you want to start your career as a dog walker, you can find opportunities here:
- Rover
- Neighborhood newsletter
- Facebook groups
The average pay for a dog walker is $14/hour.
- Digital service provider
There are so many ways to earn on the internet nowadays and offering a digital service is a great way to take advantage of the times. If you’re tech-savvy like most Gen Z teens today, you could provide your own digital services, such as:
- A food delivery app
- Online tech support services
- Digital archive and library services
- Virtual assistant services
- Transcription/translation services
Your revenue really depends on how in-demand your services are, but you can charge per hour or per project.
- Junk consignor
You can sell off old things that you don’t use any more by giving them to consignment shops. All you have to do is supply the goods to the shop, and they’ll handle selling. You’ll get your money if and when the items are sold—if they aren’t, you can take the items back.
This doesn’t require anything beyond having items to sell, but it also means that any income you make is dependent on how much the consignment shop takes as its cut.
- Online survey taker
There are websites that pay you to answer surveys, like Swagbucks or Branded Surveys. All you have to do on them is pick out surveys to answer, fill them out—once you’re done, you get rewards! Most of the time they’ll pay you money, but you can also redeem gift cards to certain shops or get raffle draws.
All you need to do this is a good enough internet connection and maybe a PayPal account, depending on how the site pays out. How much you get depends on the site you join, but it generally ranges from $0.5 to $5 per survey.
- Babysitter
Watch over your neighbor’s kid for them on their night out or look over their infant when they have to stay at work for overtime. If you know any families nearby who have kids, that’s your way in. Otherwise, you can advertise by putting your services out where parents usually go to, like local shops or the pediatrician.
Being a babysitter requires you to be sociable, good with children. It’s also useful to have some knowledge about how to deal with some home emergencies—what to do when a child chokes or you get locked out of the house.
Your hourly rate depends on where you are and how many children you’re babysitting. The average range is usually $15 to $20 an hour for one child. Each extra child is typically an extra dollar or two per hour.
- Dishwasher/food prep assistant
It’s a lot of hard work, but there’s plenty of reasons to work at a restaurant. You don’t need any experience here—just enough grit to stay a whole night doing a physically repetitive task. In some cases, you can just walk into a restaurant and ask if they need a dishwasher.
Promotion prospects are also good. If you work hard and show the rest of the kitchen that you’re willing to learn, the cooks might show you the ropes—you can go from washing dishes to working the line.
Hourly pay will depend on the type of restaurant you go to, but it’s generally $8 to $15.
- Amusement park worker
If you don’t mind working in the sun and dealing with parents and children all day, then a job at an amusement park can work for you. You’ll need good communication skills, a friendly and pleasant demeanor, and the ability to work in a loud and busy environment.
You don’t need any experience, except for some positions—lifeguards at a water park need CPR and safety training, for instance)—though you’ll likely need to go through a background check and drug test. In most cases, you can just visit a nearby amusement park with a copy of your resume to get hired.
Your hourly pay from the amusement park generally starts at $8 an hour, but you also get benefits. You’ll most likely get free admission for yourself plus free tickets to give to family or friends.
- Movie ticket seller
Your local moviehouse may have job opportunities for you, either as an usher, a ticket seller, or at the concession counter. You won’t need much to start, but having previous experience handling customers or a highschool diploma would help.
Moviehouse jobs generally pay around $8 to $9 an hour to start with, and you may also get free tickets to whatever’s showing at your workplace.
- Snow shoveler/lawn mower
Do you have a shovel or a lawnmower? You can make some money off them during the right time of the year. Put that shovel to work scooping snow out of driveways in the winter, or mow a neighbor’s lawn while the grass is up.
There’s no experience needed, and it’s pretty easy to land jobs. You can ask around your neighborhood or even go on apps like Shovler or LawnStarter.
Rates will depend on just how much work there is to be done. The average is about $10 to $20 for most jobs, but more strenuous jobs may be worth more.
- Vehicle detailer/washer
If you know your way around cars, you can sell some of those services. Everybody appreciates a car wash! Depending on your skills and your tools, you can offer anything from a basic external wash to a more thorough cleaning both inside and out.
All you need to set up are your tools, a water source, and a sign to advertise your business. Or you can go to your neighbors and ask if they need any work done on their cars.
A basic wash should run about $5—if you can offer extra services, you can crank that price a bit higher.
- Lifeguard
If there’s a swim spot nearby, you could become a lifeguard. Most of the work is seasonal, as most pools and water parks are only open in the summer. But if you live by a beach, there are plenty of year-round positions for something more long-term.
In addition to rescuing any swimmers in distress, you’ll also need to keep the park or beach clean, control access, and monitor the weather in case of dangerous storms.
Knowing CPR and how to swim is a common requirement, although some places will teach you on the job. Just go to your local water park or beach and ask if they’re hiring lifeguards.
Pay usually averages at $12 an hour, depending on where you’re working.
- Tutor
If you’re good at certain classes, you can offer your expertise to others that are struggling in them. From Math to English to Chemistry to anything else, plenty of parents (or fellow students) are willing to pay for some help in their studies.
$10 to $20 per hour is a reasonable rate, depending on your area and expertise.
- Housekeeper
You’re probably already doing house chores like emptying the trash, sweeping the floor, and doing the dishes. Why not get paid for it? If you enjoy cleaning things, being a housekeeper might just be for you.
A housekeeper is typically hired by a family who’ll provide the cleaning supplies needed to keep their place spotless—this means that you don’t have to shell out any money for products or gear. While there are full-time opportunities for this job, most teens do this part-time for a little extra cash.
This job requires basic education and for you to be of legal working age in your area. You can check these sites to find housekeeping opportunities:
The average fee you can charge is $15 to $40 per hour or, alternatively, $0.05 to $0.15 per square foot.
- Data entry
All companies have a plethora of data and admin tasks that they have to painstakingly do—unless they outsource it to third-party data entry workers.
As a data entry worker, you’ll be expected to type, code, transcribe, and process data on the company’s behalf. Tasks can include transcribing meetings, adding to databases, and converting physical documents into digital formats.
If you’re of legal working age and have the relevant skills, this could be a worthwhile job for you. Just make sure to brush up on your computer knowledge, communication, and typing accuracy /speed.
Here are some places to kickstart your job search in data entry:
Your wages may be by project, keystrokes per minute, keystrokes per word, or keystrokes per hour.
- YouTuber
In this day in age, it’s statistically likely that you’re one 1 of 3 teenagers who aspire to be a YouTuber. The platform has gotten so popular, 1.5 billion monthly active users are uploading 500 hours of video every minute!
If you have a great idea for a channel (and amazing stories to tell), here’s a few tips on how to start your path to YouTube stardom:
- Join the YouTube Partner Program
- Connect your channel to Google AdSense
- Sign up for YouTube Premium
- Be open to product placements and sponsorships
- Directly sell products and services to your viewers
- Meet up with fans in real life
- Turn to crowdfunding to get financial backing
While the pay will vary widely, Forbes estimates that a top YouTuber earns $5 for every 1k views.
- Senior companion
Looking after the elderly can be physically and emotionally demanding, but it can also be equally rewarding. If you have a lot of patience and compassion for the older generation, consider taking care of elderlies.
You’ll be expected to:
- Assist with daily hygiene tasks
- Prepare meals
- Guide them in walking and exercising
- Transferring and lifting them from certain positions
- Call emergency services when needed
- Simply keep them company
For more information, you can check Stonewell Associate’s guide on senior companions. Minimum requirements are a high school diploma (or equivalent) and participation in a training program.
You can find opportunities here:
The average salary is $16 per hour, according to Ziprecruiter.
- Cashier
Working the register at your local store is a great way to build your business skills while earning some money on the side. There is a wide variety of work environments, from retail shops to supermarkets to video game stores.
The job could entail:
- Assisting customers with their sales transactions
- Bagging items
- Answering questions about the brand, store, or products
You’ll need the following:
- A high school diploma or GED
- Basic mathematical and computer knowledge
- Great communication and social skills.
If you’re pretty much set on becoming a cashier, check out these helpful resources:
The average salary is $10.78 per hour (2018 median).
- Fast-food worker
As a fast-food worker, you’ll be expected to coordinate, prepare, and serve food quickly—all while keeping customers happy and satisfied. You’ll need communication skills, patience, and the ability to deal with different kinds of people throughout the day.
While you don’t need a degree, you do need a Food Safety Certification. Keep in mind that many will only offer minimum wage and no benefits to part-time workers. Study.com estimated the median annual salary of a fast-food worker in food preparation or service at $21,250.
- Fitness instructor
A personal trainer works with clients on an exercise regimen, helping them reach their fitness, health, or body goals. You’ll need to be fit yourself and knowledgeable on fitness and nutrition.
Requirements include:
- A high school degree
- Complete AED/CPR certification
Basic instructors also need a national certification. To advance, you need postsecondary education. Average pay is just over $36,000, according to the Bureau of Labor (2015).
- Grocery shop worker
You can be a cashier, stocker, bagger, or even an assistant manager in the store. Although you’ll probably start in an entry-level position, you can slowly work your way up by going through additional training.
Most employers don’t require formal education beyond a high school diploma. However, certain roles do require certain skill sets. For example:
- Stockers should be physically strong
- Assistant manager should have retail management skills
The average salary is $12 to $13 per hour to start.
- Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant is an individual who offers remote administrative or support services to businesses. Common roles include the following:
- Editing videos
- Supporting customers
- Editing and proofreading written work
- Transcribing or translating
- Creating content for blogs
- Scheduling appointments, meetings
- Answering or organizing emails
Virtual assistants have flexible working hours and can work from anywhere. However, the job requires a lot of dedication, discipline, and organizational skills. If you want to learn more about virtual assistants, check out these resources:
The rates will greatly vary depending on your skills, with salaries ranging from $13 to $35 per hour.
- Freelance writer
Freelancer writers create content for websites, blogs, emails, social media posts, campaigns, and so much more. Great communication skills are a requirement, and familiarity with search engine optimization is a plus.
New writers typically charge $30 an hour, while more experienced writers can charge $100+. You can also charge per word.
Learn more from Horkey Handbook’s advice on becoming a freelance writer
- Social media manager
While social media managing is often a full-time job, teens can build some experience by working as an assistant to a professional or agency.
You’ll be responsible for curating and monitoring a brand’s social media channels. Some positions may require you to respond to customers, moderate discussions, or create content.
You can find job opportunities here:
If you’d rather work as a freelancer, you can start by promoting other brands, signing up for affiliate programs, and working with small local startups.
While experienced social media managers can earn more than $60,000 a year, it takes years of work to get to that point. But you can still earn good money if you take it on as a side gig.
- Facebook advertiser
You can earn a little bit of money by renting ad space to Facebook.
Partner companies will get to display ads on your profile to use your ad space for some money. This can be done via your ad settings.
Just email partner companies you want advertising on your profile by adding them to your Ad Roles under your Facebook settings.
- Clothes seller
Get rid of old clothes and earn some cash at the same time by selling your pre-loved wear. You can sell them at a yard sale, put them up for auction online, or list them on online marketplaces. But even if you can’t spare any stuff, you can buy and upcycle secondhand clothes from other places and people.
Here are some resources to get you started:
How much you earn depends on how much you sell, but one millennial managed to make $100k reselling clothes!
- Handicrafter
If you like working with your hands, you can make good money selling handmade goods. From hand-carved sculptures to crochet hats, there are many different types of trinkets you can make.
You can sell your handmade products on crafting marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon Handmade. How much you earn depends on the products you create and how many sales you make. Some of the most successful Etsy sellers report an income of $56,000 a year!
Conclusion
There are plenty of opportunities for teenagers to earn money and build experience—with or without a degree.
You can find these jobs by doing your research, asking around, and thinking outside of the box.
If you can’t see an opportunity, create one!
