Are you a teen who wants more cash? Or a parent looking for ways to help your teen make money? A teenager’s expenses often seem to be endless. There are clothes to buy, electronic gadgets and entertainment expenses. Teenagers also will likely start thinking about cars and driving expenses.
So, as a teen, how can you get that cash? Luckily, there are lots of options for you to make money when you’re a teen. Work is always work, but money-making jobs are easy to find. Here are 23 easy ways you can make money as a teen. Research them all and find what works for you. Then start bringing in the cash!
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Make Money Working at a Traditional Job
Employers everywhere are willing to hire teens that are responsible and willing to work hard.
Here are some ideas for traditional job opportunities you could take advantage of.
Server
Working as a server at a restaurant can be a fun and lucrative job. Not only do you get a small hourly wage, you can earn tips as well. Sit-down restaurants usually hire waiters and waitresses for four to six-hour shifts.
You have to like being active to enjoy working as a server. People will be asking for food and drinks, and you’ll likely have to serve several tables all at the same time.
If you’re good at being a waitperson you can earn some pretty good cash in tips. The nice thing about that is that you’ll get paid at the end of each shift. Then, as a bonus, you’ll also get a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck.
If you like the idea of serving people food at restaurants, consider working as a waitperson.
Fast Food Worker
Teens everywhere like working at fast food restaurants. At most fast food restaurants, workers get to work in a variety of job positions. Some days they’ll be on the grill; other days they’ll be at the register helping customers.
Bonus: fast food workers usually get a free or discounted meal with each shift. Choose your favorite fast food restaurant and apply for a job there.
Retail Store Worker
Another place you could work is at a retail store. Head to your local mall or big box store (i.e. Target or Walmart) and apply for a job. Home improvement stores will often hire teens as well.
In fact, I was just at my local home improvement store yesterday. They had a sign looking for part-time workers and were offering to pay them $15 an hour. That’s great money for a teen!
If you like the idea of helping customers or stocking shelves, a retail job could be right for you.
Work at a Theme Park
If you live in a major metropolitan area that has a theme park, you could work there. I don’t know about you, but the ride operators at our local theme park always seem to be having fun.
And there are other jobs at theme parks too. They hire people to clean the park, and cos-players who dress up as characters and interact with guests.
Theme parks usually have restaurants too where workers are needed. Check with your local theme park for more details on available jobs.
Work as a Lifeguard
If you’re a good swimmer and like working at the beach, you could get a job as a lifeguard. Know that most lifeguard positions do require some training, such as CPR and first aid training.
This is a job that requires a lot of responsibility. But if you’re up for that and like hanging out at the beach or the pool, this could be the job for you.
Make Money by Working from Home
Did you know that as a teen you could make money working without leaving your house? What’s more, there are even ways to make cash where you can choose your own hours.
Here are some ideas for making money from home when you’re a teen.
Online Customer Service Job
Many companies, such as U-Haul, hire work-from-home customer service reps as young as 16. As a customer service rep, you’d use your personal computer, mic and headphones to help customers.
The customers call into the service center, and you answer the call and help them with what they need.
To be an online customer service rep you need to have good customer service skills and the proper computer equipment.
Freelancing
You can also make money at home by starting a freelancing business. You might offer your services as a writer or as an artist, for example.
Freelancing is great because you can choose which jobs you take and which you don’t. However, you do need to do some advertising and networking to get your name out there.
You can also search on sites such as Upwork to find people who need freelance workers. If you offer your services you’ll have to determine what you’ll charge for the jobs you do.
You may need to start out charging a lower fee until you build up your reputation in the freelancing industry. Then you can raise your rates.
Another place you might be able to find freelancing jobs online is through Fiverr. Fiverr advertises jobs that can be done for $5 – and sometimes more. For instance, you could offer to write a quick poem or draw a quick picture of someone for $5.
With Fiverr you can advertise your own services, or search for jobs to do for someone else.
Make Money with Your Products
If you like designing products, you could make money by selling those products online. There are a few different ways to do that. Here are two of the most popular ways to make money selling your products.
Redbubble
Do you have a knack for design? You can use it to make money with your designs. As an example, you could design t-shirts and sell them on Redbubble.
Here’s how it works. You draw a picture or make up a saying that you think would be popular. Make the design your own and upload it onto the Redbubble site.
Redbubble offers your design on t-shirts, laptop covers, coffee mugs and more. When people buy a product with your design on it, you get paid a commission. Redbubble deals with all of the production of the product, shipping, customer service, etc.
Your job is to make your products known by doing advertising and networking on social media. After all, if people don’t know about your products it will be hard to sell them.
Etsy
Another site you can use to sell your products is Etsy. Unlike Redbubble, Etsy is for people who actually make what they sell. So, instead of selling a design you’ll sell a handmade product.
You might sell knitted items like hats or blankets, wood products you made yourself, or customized shoes. With Etsy they advertise your product on their site, but you do the rest.
You’re responsible for making the product, shipping the product and dealing with customers. You can join Etsy and sell your products as young as 13 years of age if you have a parent’s permission.
Make Money with Your Smartphone
Did you know you can make money with your smartphone? There are many sites out there that will pay you for various tasks such as taking surveys or browsing the Internet. Here are a few sites that are popular for teens who want to make money.
Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars pays its members for doing various online activities. After you join, you can earn money for taking surveys, watching videos, shopping online and other activities.
You earn cash for those activities. Note that you have to be 18 to join Inbox Dollars.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks has paid its members over 270 million dollars so far. You can earn points with Swagbucks by completing surveys, watching videos, searching the Net and more.
Your points can be used to get free gift cards to your favorite stores, such as Amazon. Or, you can have your points converted directly to cash and put into your PayPal account. You can join Swagbucks as young as age 13.
Ipsos I-Say
Ipsos I-Say rewards you for sharing your opinion. When you join (it’s free) and fill out your member profile, the company will start sending you surveys.
For each survey you complete you earn points. You can use your points to get gift cards to places like Amazon or Starbucks. Or you can have points converted to PayPal cash. You do have to be 18 to join Ipsos I-Say.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie also pays you for sharing your opinion. You can join Survey Junkie as young as 13 years of age, and it’s free to join.
Survey Junkie rewards you with points for each survey you take. You can use the points you earn to get a gift card to places like Target or Amazon. Or you can use them to get a PayPal deposit.
Start a Side Hustle
Side hustling has got to be one of my favorite ways for teens and adults alike to bring in some cash. Technically, all a side hustle is a way for you to make some cash doing side jobs.
If you’re looking to start doing some side hustling, you might want to start by grabbing a pen and paper. Make a list of what you’re good at. Now make a list of things you like to do.
Take those two lists and use them to figure out ways to make some cash doing what you are good at and/or what you like to do. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
Babysitting/Child Care
If you like taking care of kids, you could advertise your services as a babysitter. Nights and weekends are the most common time people need babysitters. However, in the summertime you could land a day job too.
Kids are out of school for the summer and parents often need babysitting services. Increase demand for your babysitting services by making the time you spend with the kids super fun. Cleaning the house for the parents helps too.
Word will spread and kids will start requesting you to be their sitter, and your business will grow.
Pet Sitting
If you have your parents’ permission you could also start a pet-sitting service. You might watch someone’s cat or dog while they’re at work or if they go on a vacation.
Some pet sitting jobs involve taking the pet to your own home where they can be watched constantly. Other pet sitting jobs might consist of checking in on a pet once or twice a day.
Advertise in local papers, on Craigslist and by handing out flyers in the neighborhood.
Dog Walking
People often get too busy to have time to walk their dogs. If you like walking dogs you could make a business out of it. Simply advertise your services by handing out flyers or sharing your services on Facebook.
Schedule your clients around when you have free time, like after school. Be sure to have doggie doo bags on hand to clean up after any messes your clients leave while on walks.
Mow Lawns
Do you like mowing the grass? Why not do it for the neighbors and make some cash? You could get a handful of clients and have some regular cash coming in nearly every week.
If you live in a state where it snows, you could also do snow shoveling in the winter when your lawn mowing services aren’t needed.
Mobile Car Wash / Detailing Business
It’s easy for people to make a run through a car wash when they fill up their gas tank. But most people don’t have time to do a thorough clean of the inside of their car. This is often called “detailing” the car.
Why not make some cash by offering mobile car detailing/washing services? You bring the soap, window cleaner, portable vacuum, paper towels and rags. Your client provides the water and hose.
Do a thorough cleaning and vacuuming of the inside of the car, including the windows. Use a hand-held vacuum cleaner to vacuum the car or bring a regular vacuum and a long extension cord.
Once the inside of the car is clean you can scrub the outside of it. Charge a price that covers your time and your supplies. You can find clients by advertising in your neighborhood with enticing flyers.
Clean Houses
Do you like cleaning houses? Why not make a business out of it? When making your flyers, be sure to share in detail what you do and how much you charge.
Depending on the house, it might take two or three hours to clean. Other houses might take an hour. You can customize your services depending on what the homeowner needs done.
Some might only need dusting and vacuuming. Others might need a more thorough cleaning that includes washing dishes, etc.
You can charge by the hour or by the job; just be sure to work quickly and thoroughly so clients get what they pay for.
Be a Mother’s Helper
Another good side hustle is that of being a Mother’s Helper. A Mother’s Helper is kind of like a combination of a babysitter and a house cleaner.
Generally, you’ll be there when the parent is home, although they might leave occasionally. The parent will have a list of tasks for you to do when you arrive.
You may be cleaning parts of the house, preparing meals or playing with the kids. Or you might help with organization or other tasks.
Basically, you’re on hand to do whatever the parent needs you to do that particular day. This can be a fun job because the tasks can vary and it’s like being a part of the family.
Help People Get Organized
Are you great at organizing stuff? You can get paid to help people organize basements, garages or other rooms in their homes.
Or, you can help them organize a whole house. If you’re great at knowing how to put belongings in places that make sense, this could be the business for you.
With organization jobs you might charge by the hour or by the job. If you charge by the job, be sure you’ve got a thorough understanding of all you’re expected to do. Know exactly what the job involves before you set a price.
Otherwise you could end up doing a lot more work than you expected to do for the cash you’re making.
Ask Your Parents for Paid Chores
Another income opportunity might exist in simply asking parents for extra chores. Parents always seem to have stuff that needs to get done.
You might be able to earn some cash by taking some of those chores off their hands. Here are some ideas for extra chores your parents might want done:
- Cleaning and organizing a basement, garage or storage area
- Weeding the lawn and/or mowing the lawn
- Cleaning and organizing kitchen cupboards and shelves
- Deep cleaning bathrooms
- Organizing closets and/or drawers
- Cleaning and detailing the car
- Babysitting younger siblings
- Painting house trim or touching up inside rooms with paint
- Organizing or rearranging whole rooms
- Cleaning windows
These are just some of the ideas you could offer to do for your parents. Ask them what kind of stuff they need done and let them give you some options.
Tutor Kids
Do you like teaching kids? Are you good at certain school subjects? How about advertising tutoring services? Sometimes kids need help with math, reading or other school subjects.
And parents often would rather hire a private tutor than go to a tutoring center. If you are good at teaching kids and have a lot of patience, this could be the job for you.
Advertise on Facebook or send out flyers.
Be an Errand-Runner
If you have a car or if you live close to stores and other places, you could be an errand runner. Many people, especially elderly people, need help with errands.
They might ask you to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Or they might ask you to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Others might want you to pick up a package at the post office.
Check with housebound people and/or super busy people in your life and neighborhood. Ask if there are any errands you can do for them.
Do Computer/Electronic Set-Up or Repair
Are you good at setting up computers or repairing them? You could get paid to help people with these tasks. You could also do some teaching; helping people learn how to use their computer or new smartphone.
Advertise services on social media sites, to family and friends and in your neighborhood.
Re-Purpose Furniture
If you like the idea of re-purposing furniture, this could be a good money maker for you. Basically, the business involves finding great deals on outdated wooden furniture pieces that are in good shape.
As a re-purposer, you would sand the piece down, put some fresh paint on and re-sell it. You might also need to add new drawer pulls if it’s a piece with drawers or doors.
You can find outdated furniture pieces on Craigslist or at garage sales. Then, advertise your finished pieces on Craigslist or Facebook.
Be a Pooper Scooper
This is a job that may dog owners don’t like to do. If you can handle it, you could work as a pooper scooper, cleaning up peoples’ yards of the mess their dogs leave behind each day.
You could come once a week for clean up duty. People will often pay to get this messy job taken off their hands. Advertise to dog owners in your neighborhood.
As you can see, there are many options for making money as a teen. Whether it’s working at a regular job, a side hustle or an online job, the opportunities are there.
Decide which income route (or routes) are best for you and start making some cash. The great thing about these options is that they all allow you to work as much or as little as you want.
You could work just enough to have some spending cash or work more hours and save for college. Just design the work schedule that best fits your life.
Have you ever tried any of these money-making options? If you’re an adult, what was your favorite job as a teen? Let us know by leaving a comment.
