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Now that summer is in full swing (yeah) there are a number of teenagers out there hitting the pavement looking for work. If you are wondering how you can make money as a teenager, you are not alone.
Or perhaps you are a parent in search of a decent job for your teen they can do to help pitch in. Either way, you are not alone. Many teenagers out there are looking for ways to make money to cater for their expenses or school.
Some want new clothes, to pay for their entertainment costs, or buy electronic gadgets with their earned cash. And some even want to save for cars and pay college fees. All great ideas! However, the job market seems unfavorable for teens. That means only the resilient and creative teenager can find suitable work and make the money needed.
If you are one of the many out there who want to make their own money, we have taken a deep dive into ways kids (age 13 and older) can rake in the money this summer.You might be surprised to find that there are actually an endless number of options of you are willing to work hard.
Apart from looking for employers who are thought to hire teens- like the standard ice cream shop or smoothie store, you can tap into unique opportunities (no work at home scams) and become an independent business person or entrepreneur.
Although some of the jobs you will come across aren’t going to make you rich quickly, they can still teach you lessons that can help you when you grow older. Whether you are good at online jobs or in-person jobs, there are more opportunities out there than you can imagine.
Sounds good? Before we tell you a few ways how to make money as a teenager in your area, let’s discuss a few things.
Labor Laws
The American labor laws state that a person aged 14+ years can perform (non-agricultural) work for an employee of choosing. Some states allow kids as young as 13 to work but its a bit tougher to find opportunities.
Nevertheless, these laws limit the number of hours a teenager below 16 years can work according to the US Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Be sure to read up on how many hours you can work and be sure to find a job that is compliant with those rules.
21 Awesome Ways How to Make Money as a Teenager
If you are a teenager and you qualify for work, there are different ways you can money. For instance, you can decide to work part-time, full-time, take summer jobs or even take on a campus-based job.
You may decide whether to work full-time or part-time depending on the existing labor laws of your country. And in these days where internet is accessible everywhere, making money on the internet is perhaps the best and easiest way for teens.
That said here are the ways on how to make money as a teenager.
1. Tutoring
There are various ways you can make money as a teenager by becoming a tutor- whether its working online or at another students house- you can usually bring in some quick extra cash if you have the smarts!
Online tutoring
You can start tutoring your junior students or friends online on subjects you are proficient in by registering yourself on such places as Tutor.com or Enroll.com. These are just a few of the websites that offer tutoring online jobs and opportunities but there are many out there. Check out this article for a bunch more places to try.
The good thing about online tutoring is that you can do it at home, the library or even on the schools campus. Create an account at one of the online tutoring sites and then simply post offering your services and skills and you could be in business fast. This is a really great way to make money as a teenager. The average pay for online tutoring is around $16/hour- if its a tough subject you can make much more.
Teach your classmates
Chances are that you are good in some subjects that your classmates are not good at. You can help them and earn money from that. You just need to ensure you adhere to your school’s rules about such activities. Even if the institution does not allow students to get paid to teach their classmates, that does not mean you cannot do it in private for instance, in your home or library.
Tutor kids
Chances are that your neighborhood parents are looking for tutors who can teach their kids at a reasonable price. If you are knowledgeable about particular subjects you can teach local kids and make money as a teenager. Find out in your neighborhood if there are parents who need a tutor and discuss it with your parents so that you can start offering your tutoring services to their kids.
2. Sell Stock Photos
Unlike in the past, where selling photos was a hard thing to do, these days it’s much easier. There are plenty of websites that allow people to sell photos online.
If you have a smartphone or a good quality digital camera and know how to take good pictures you can start selling them on various websites including Shutterstock, iStock, and more.
You might not earn big money by selling stock photos right away but you will be developing a useful skill that will earn you good money in the future.
This job only requires your creativity in taking photos, a good quality camera or smartphone. The photos uploaded can stay online and available for purchase for years so the more you add, the more money you can potentially make month after month.
3. House Cleaning
You can start a job as a house cleaner. Most busy people lack the time to keep their houses clean and are looking for people who can do it at a reasonable price. The fact that traditional cleaning services are costly, people turn to hire teenagers to do most of their house cleaning.
If you feel like cleaning up when you enter a dirty house and you are detailed when it comes to cleaning, you might enjoy this type of work can can make money by becoming a house cleaner.
You just need to decide the types of cleaning services you want to offer that are in demand and get started. Think out of the box too- garage cleaning, closet cleaning, kitchen cleaning and organizing.
4. Pet Care
Do you love pets? If yes, then pet sitting and dog walking is perfect for you. Its a great job for teens that can really help bring in that extra cash. You can start providing pet care services in your neighborhood and earn good money from that.
Many people even earn a full time salary by pet sitting or dog walking. This job can be paid hourly or by the gig. You can sign up with the online pet sitting sites such as Rover.com or Wag and use them to ensure you get paid or just create your own business system or even website.
The good thing is that it’s easier to advertise your services, especially with the huge number of people using social media. You can also use flyers to let your neighbors know that you provide such services.
You just need to decide the amount you will charge your clients per hour/week to walk their dogs and if the dogs you walk are friendly with other dogs, you can walk many of them at once and make more money.
5. House Sitting
When people are going on vacation, they may not want to leave their home vacant. They may want to hire someone to house sit while they are far away.
Some will want you to hang around for a few hours per day while some will want you to just pass by every day to see whether everything is okay, collect the mail or water a few plants.
Some will even want you to stay there full time until they come back. Just ensure you understand what your client wants and agree on the amount you want before you take the job. Don’t forget to put your agreement in writing and both parties should sign the agreement.
6. Car Cleaner
Many people don’t have the time to wash their cars so you can do it on their behalf and make some good money as a teenager. I know a teen who advertises on YELP and does an amazing job hand washing and cleaning cars with no water. He charges $65 per car!
All you need to have are have the tools required for cleaning cars. For instance; you need a bucket, soap, rags, towels, window cleaners, and paper towels if you are cleaning the interior of the cars. If you can, get a hand-held vacuum that’s great.
Usually, many clients have hoses and water in their homes so don’t worry about where to get them since you can borrow. Or you can look into the water-less system. Its always best to confirm whether the client is willing to lend you the hose and water before you take the job.
7. Sell Your Old Stuff Online
You can sell stuff you are no longer using online on eBay, Amazon, and other sites. Just ensure the stuff you are selling is in good condition, take nice pictures and post them on these sites. Maybe you have an old computer or parts from a game- these items are always in need. Even single monopoly pieces can sold for a few extra bucks.
You can sell used clothing online for extra cash at a number of different places like ThredUp and Poshmark. This is great if you spring cleaning and wanting to pass on your old prom dresses, outdated clothing, and shoes that no longer fit.
You can make money selling your clutter for cash on lots of different websites- just be sure to check their guidelines for payout as some of these companies might pay via payment center that requires you to be 18 or older. In this case- be sure to ask your parent to assist you in selling your goods.
8. Sell Crafts Online
Apart from selling your old stuff, you can also make your own crafts and sell them online. Esty is a great place to do this.
For instance, if you are good at making beaded jewelry, silk-screened T-shirts or bracelets you can sell these items online and make money as a teenager.
You just need to buy the materials and start making them. You can even start selling them to friends and family before you take them online.
9. Babysitting
Only a few hours a day babysitting, you can make serious money as a teenager. But you must have a love for children to make money because watching younger kids and babies is tough work.
It might be similar to hanging out with your little brothers and sisters but since you are more of a stranger they might be a little more challenging. But that’s why you can get paid well for doing it.
Many teens are making around $20 or more an hour babysitting but you must show that you can be caring and enjoy hanging with kids to become a good long term babysitter.
10. Take Online Surveys
Companies and big businesses rely on marketing research to thrive. Most of them use paid survey sites to conduct their research. The good thing about online surveys is that you can do them at your home and earn around $7 to $8 dollars per hour.
Although you cannot get rich by taking online surveys, this is one of the easiest and painless jobs how to make money as a teenager or even adult.
You just need to find reliable sites that do not charge registration fees and accept teens and you are good to make the money.
11. Social Media Jobs
If you are a teenager who is very busy on social media, especially Instagram, you can make some cash by becoming an Influencer. What is an influencer?
Its someone with a large following who can persuade their audience to review the items, clothes, jewelry, music, etc. that they use. The larger your following the more you can make. Check out Influence.co to see what its all about and how you can get started making money with brands.
12. Draw Comics or Cartoons
On the Fiverr marketplace, there are a lot of opportunities to sign up for. If you are good at drawing comics, characters or cartoons, you can make some great money by creating these items for other users and businesses.
You just create an account on Fiverr and sign up for the tasks or opportunities you are interested in doing.
13. Listen to Music or Watch Movies
Slice the Pie is a site that pays teens (13+) for their opinions on things. You might review and rate music by listening to a clip and then give it a 1 to 10 score along with a few paragraphs about your reasoning.
The price to review is pretty low – a few pennies and dimes but it can add up. The also occasionally offer special promotions where you can earn more. They pay out using Paypal weekly as long as you have $10 in your account.
You can also make money watching advertisements online through JingIt, an web based platform that pays you to watch videos and click on ads from its partners. Sometimes they will have polls or additional interaction with product campaigns for cash.
You must have a Facebook account, a cell phone with text messaging service, and live in the United States to register and qualify for payment.
14. Surf the Web
Qmee is a browser extension which you can install on pretty much any browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.). Once installed, Qmee will highlight sponsored ads in your sidebar area when searching for items on your favorite search engine.
Each ad will offer a small amount to click on it (usually a few cents or much more). Qmee will pay out immediately to Paypal regardless of how much is in your account. Qmee is available to teens ages 13 and up in the US or the UK.
15. YouTube
If you love recording videos of yourself, your hobbies, your pets, or silly friends, then this could be the ideal platform for you to make money from. With Youtube, you can make money off your content in videos with ads.
You will need to have a decent understanding of videography so you can make videos that people are excited about and want to watch. The amount you make depends on how much your videos are viewed, but if you’re good at what you do and keep working at it, you’ll be making money in no time.
16. Write Articles
If you enjoy writing, there are truly endless opportunities for you online to get paid for writing. You can write articles for content networks about pets, farming, comedy subjects and more.
Content Gather is another marketplace for content writers to sell their articles. All that is required is after the article is written, it must be approved by an editor of the site.
Your article must be a minimum of 250 words in length – around 900 words seems to be ideal. You can get paid 20% of your asking price immediately upon approval, so you will always get a little money upfront even if it takes your article awhile to sell. You must be at least 16 years old with a Paypal account.
17. Sell Your Textbooks
There are several places you can sell back your used text books after your are done with them from the year. Amazon TradeIn, Campus Books.com and Bookfinder are great places to give a try.
You can also use BookScouter to help get you the most money for your books. They compare buy back offers from over thirty-five vendors and you can see who will pay the most!
All you need are your old books (or even books purchased from a garage sale, etc.) and find the ISBN of the book. It is a long number listed near the barcode usually located on the back of the book. Type the number in the BookScouter search and it will give you a list of all of the vendors who will buy your book.
You will send in the book with their prepaid label and once received, they’ll assess the book to be sure it’s in the condition you stated it was. If it is, they’ll deposit the agreed upon price into your Paypal account.
Book Flipping
If you are looking to book flip (buy books and turn them at a profit) then try BookScouters mobile app. The app helps you check prices immediately so you know how much you will make. You can search for books at local thrift stores, flea markets, garage or estate sales.
18. Write an eBook
Back to the whole writing thing. If you are great at writing and have a few hobbies or skills you are willing to share, you might consider writing an eBooks.
If you’re a fast writer, you can create a short eBook in a few weeks and sell it on Amazon, ebay or even your own website.
You will want your eBook to contain useful information that helps to solve a problem or makes life easier. Consider a meal plan instructional, guide for a video game, or special fitness exercises.
Put it up on Amazon for anywhere from a few dollars to $20 depending on the content. You could continue making money from your book for years as more and more people discover it and its value.
19. Start a Blog
Blogging is not a get rich quick job, but you can definitely make some good cash in the right niche. As a teen, you might think about starting a blog around one of your passions. Whether that might be video game hacks, fashion or make up tips, craft tutorials, or travel ideas for teens; there are a number of niche ideas to start.
If you are interested in how to start a blog and make money in this day and age, all you need is some web hosting, the wordpress platform, a theme (free) and some great content ideas. Bloggers can make real income by providing valuable information to their readers. They can monetize their websites through ads, brand sponsorships, product reviews, and more.
If you are interested in becoming an influencer, a blog will skyrocket your profits as the traffic climbs. Many bloggers can even generate a full time income after a few years. Think about what if you had a full time income before you even went off to college. How cool would that be?
20. Video Game Testing
My son gets excited about this one. Yes, you can actually get paid for playing video games and testing them! Some websites let you sell your video game accounts as well. As long as it’s permitted by the video game terms of service, this is a great way to score some top cash.
League of Trading is a game account marketplace for you to sell your game accounts with leveled-up characters. Don’t let all your past gaming skills go to waste and get paid for whats yours.
Take a look into being a video game tester. Volt sometimes has openings for this as well as EAsports. EA might require you to be 18 years or older these days. I did that for a few weeks at their HQs and was so much fun!!
21. Customer Service Jobs
U-Haul (yes the rental company) will often have customer service type jobs out there. U-Haul hires employees who are as young as 16 and can work legally in the US. For this job, you’ll be answering customer’s questions or helping them make a Uhaul reservation.
This is a part-time job with bonuses and other benefits. You can make between $12 and $14 per hour, depending on minimum wage in your state.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from the list of jobs above, you have a huge number of options to choose from. There are tons of great ideas if you are looking for ways how to make money as a teenager these days. With a few skills and a bit of effort, you can start to earn big money painlessly.
Think a bit out of the box and try to look at the problems people need solving. A problem always needs a solution and where there is a problem, there is money to be had!