Looking for summer jobs for a teenager? You’ve come to the right place!
School is finally out, and my three teens are gearing up for summer. Instead of camp and hanging out at the pool, this year they are all getting jobs. And eating–all the time, somehow.
We’ve spent a lot of time asking around in our neighborhood and elsewhere about how to find part time jobs for a teenager. Turns out, there are a lot of options available.
If you’re looking for a way for your teen to learn responsibility and earn money, this big list of summer jobs for teens has a lot of ideas, some you may never have heard of!
Are these summer jobs for 14 year olds?
Many kids ages 12-18 have enough time in the summer to work a part-time job. Other than your state’s laws for child labor (see next section), many of the jobs on this list are more appropriate for younger teens. While others are only offered to teens 16 and older.
Some of the jobs on this list of 50 summer jobs would be particularly good for 14-year-olds. As kids age up through sports like soccer and baseball, they can easily train to be a referee or umpire and work at younger kids’ games. Middle-school-aged kids are also typically trained as assistant camp counselors or assistant coaches.
Does a teenager need a work permit?
The laws for teenagers working varies by state. Here in Virginia, 14- and 15-year-olds need to register for an employment certificate. There are also limits on the hours they can work. And they cannot work in certain jobs considered dangerous or unhealthy.
The big exception to the age law is if your teen is working in someone’s home doing housecleaning or babysitting, as long as they have parents’ permission. In addition, teens can work in a business owned by their parents as long as it’s not dangerous or unhealthy.
How to find summer jobs for a teenager near me
Jobs for teens are not usually advertised on online job sites the way adult full-time jobs are. Use these methods to find summer jobs near you:
- ask around in your neighborhood, church, etc.
- check the job board at school (often in the career center)
- ask other teens where they are working
- look for Help Wanted signs in the businesses you frequent
- visit the website of a local store/business and look for Jobs or Careers
- look on the website for your county or other local government
Ideas for summer jobs for a teenager
- Babysitter
- Petsitter
- Housesitter
- Dog walker
- Mother’s helper
- Wash cars/vacuum
- Mow lawns
- Other yardwork/weeding
- Teach adults how to use specific technology
- Garage sale assistant
- Runs to dump with truck
- Collect recycling and take to county
- Create slides/presentations for Zoom
- Some retirement homes will hire 15-16yos to serve in cafeteria
- Busser at a restaurant
- Bagger at grocery store
- Lifeguard (starts at 15 here)
- Camp counselor or assistant counselor
- Tutor at established location
- Library page
- Retail worker
- Ride operator at theme park
- Cleaning
- Golf course
- Data entry
- Homework grader (Kumon)
- Cashier
- Kennel Attendant
- Daycare attendant at gym/YMCA
- Host at restaurant
- Birthday parties (especially sports/dance)
- Movie theater attendant
- Aquatics instructor
- Soccer referee
- Softball/baseball umpire
- Cook at restaurant?
- Pizza maker
- Froster/decorator (our local Nothing Bundt Cakes)
- Swim coach
- Physical therapy aide 17+
- Merchandise stocker
- Game room attendant (at a place like Chuck E. Cheese)
- Teach music lessons
- Event photographer
- Baker
- Jewelry maker
- Golf caddy
- Office assistant
- Gift wrapper
- Fast food worker
Managing part time jobs for a teenager
As the parent of a teen, you can be supportive and helpful as they look for, interview and accept a part time job. This is also a great opportunity for teens to practice time management and personal responsibility as they get themselves to and from work.
As a teen earns money, teach them how to make a budget. We like having our kids be responsible for their own entertainment, clothing and more. That’s how we have handled allowance prior to them getting jobs. As teens, they want to go out with friends and have more opportunities to spend money. Having a part-time job increases their income, so plan to talk more about how to spend, save and donate.
More for summertime
- 30+ super summer crafts for tweens
- Summer activities for teens
- Summer reading programs
- 9 ways for college students to earn money this summer
