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To be bankrolled by rich family members would make life so much easier. However, the reality is that during your early years, making ends meet can be challenging. The reasons are obvious. You’re dedicating large amounts of time to school and studying, and as a result, have limited time for work.
So, how can you make extra cash without taking too much time away from your studies? Here is a collection of the best jobs for teens to use as a handy guide.
Badass Jobs for Teens
Check out the ideas below for making some money with a side hustle—while you study.
1. Social Media Manager
What could be a better way to earn money than to browse and post on social media?
As a social media manager, you can earn money by increasing the brand awareness and online presence of a business (or businesses).
With this job, you’ll be expected to post relevant and engaging content, reply to comments, and grow their audience via their selected channels.
Start by looking at local businesses that don’t have a strong online presence. Businesses that do not have a Facebook or Instagram page, or who post on it very infrequently, are great targets. You can also aim for people who have low follower counts.
Next, contact them and tell them what you can do for them. Ideally, you will need to be able to post at least 2-5 times a day to grow their audience, with content relevant to their business.
The great thing is that you can set your own pay scale, hours and terms. If you’re savvy, you can even negotiate for a profit share on the sales that come from your social media efforts.
2. Pet Sitting
While many people tend to default to babysitting when recommending jobs for teens, in my opinion, an easier and more lucrative alternative is pet sitting.
Why? Because it tends to command higher rates. The reason for this is simple. If mom and dad aren’t able to hire you to babysit their kids, their alternative will be to stay home or try to drop them off with their nearest family member. Meaning, if they don’t pay a babysitter, then they aren’t going to pay anything.
However, when it comes to pets, if you’re not available to help with the in-house pet sitting, then the pet owner will have to drop “Fido” or “Luna” off at a kennel or pet boarding center. Rates for that that are often $50 or more per pet per day.
Thus, if you pet sit for two animals over the weekend (say Friday to Monday), you could easily command several hundred dollars.
The question always is, what would the person have to pay to board the animals? Most people are willing to pay at least that much to let the pets stay in their own environment and have someone personally care for them.
The best part? Watching people’s pets is relatively easy and pleasant. You usually don’t have to stay there the whole time. When you do drop in, you’ll typically have plenty of free time do whatever you like, such as study or watch TV.
3. Tutoring
If you have gotten good grades in a particular subject, then you could consider being a tutor. This can be done in person or via video conferencing software, such as Zoom.
If you decide to work face to face, ask around to see if other students are looking for extra help. Better yet, ask other parents you know because most parents are highly invested in their in their children’s future success. If you do tutoring online, you can offer your services on social media to gauge the interest.
You will tend to get more business in the run-up to exams periods, so plan your schedule accordingly. With COVID underway, more parents than ever are home-schooling their kids. This means there has been a spike in demand for tutors who can help out—especially with complex subjects, like math, science, and foreign languages.
Again, if you’re smart, you could ask for performance-based bonuses, such as an additional payout if your tutoring student aces their exam.
4. Caddy
This job is a great addition to the list because it is so fun, especially if you have an interest in golf.
Your job will be to carry around the clubs of amateur and pro golfers, and if you are good, you can work your way up from junior to a fully-fledged professional.
It also lets you get exercise, network with fascinating individuals, spend time in the sunshine, and learn the nuances of the game of golf.
If you are looking to go into business, being a caddy can net you some valuable contacts. Search Twitter or LinkedIn for people in the field you wish to go into, find someone who plays golf, and ask if you could caddy for them. It may mean some traveling, but it could pay off down the line.
5. Waiter or Waitress
This is definitely not the most glamourous of jobs, but working part-time in the service industry has more than enough perks that may attract you. Your job will be to serve customers, bring out food, and handle cash and receipts. You may also be a front of house greeter, a fitting job if you already have excellent interpersonal skills.
Firstly, it is a decent-paying job because it often gets bumped up with tips. Secondly, the nature of the industry means that most places are open for early and late hours, so you can get shifts in around your study commitments. Lastly, when doing a busy job such as this, the time passes quickly.
Another perk is you’ll meet a diverse range of people, as there will be an constant stream of people coming through the front door.
The downside is that being on your feet and moving all day is very tiring. You may end up working late nights and find yourself exhausted for class the next day.
6. Sports Referee
With so many leagues and amateur sports games going on for children, it stands to reason they need someone to referee them. If you have an interest in a sport and know the game in and out, then a referee job could be for you.
The job does pay well and being out and about, running around, will keep you fit. See if you can take a course in the sport before approaching leagues and clubs so they know you have some credentials and are knowledgeable about the sport. They may ask you to referee a trial game.
The downside is that you need to have thick skin. Players, parents, and coaches will take the games too seriously and much of that anger will be directed at you. This job best suits a confident personality who knows their sport well.
Get the Best Jobs for Teens
Any of these jobs for teens will bring in extra cash to help you buy materials and books for your studies. Of course, there are lots more and you may find another that suits you better than the ones I’ve suggested.
Try a few out to see which you like and which ones fit your schedule best. Then, drop your own suggestions in the comments below. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll help another fellow teen land a badass job that they’ll love.
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