Is you teenager bored and looking to start getting some real-world experience outside of school and home life? There are tons of ways for your son or daughter to make spare cash, develop hard and soft skills and increase their independence and self-confidence. In this article, I’ll go over good side hustles for teenagers that span both the online and in-person realm.
When I was a teenager, I participated in these side hustles and was able to save over $5,000 towards my university education. Additionally, I developed tons of hard and soft skills that helped me grow into the well-adjusted (self-described!) adult I am today.
Read on to learn about good side hustles for teenagers.
Why Should Teens Take Up a Side Hustle?
Why should your son or daughter take up a side hustle? He or she is busy enough. Between getting up at 6 am for band practice or basketball tryouts, a full day of classes from 8am-3pm and homework at night, isn’t that enough? As long as your teen or isn’t overwhelmed by their current schedule, a side hustle can actually benefit them by teaching various skills, including:
- Time management – when they only have 2 hours to do homework instead of 4 over the course of an entire evening, they’ll learn how to make use of their time.
- Financial management – when your teen is no longer being handed money from a weekly allowance, they’ll understand the value of a dollar and what it takes to make and spend it.
- Interpersonal skills – working with people of all age groups will stretch your teen’s comfort zone and expand their social circle outside people their own age.
What Makes a Good Side Hustle?
Good side hustles for high schoolers must contain the following components:
1. Good Side Hustles for Teenagers Are Flexible
Good side hustles for teenagers are flexible. Teens are busy. Between hours of school, homework and socializing, it’s important to have a job that can allow them to take on hours after school. Additionally, teens’ jobs should allow the possibility of taking time off when needed – for example, during the heavy midterm test and exam seasons. Thankfully, the best jobs for teens are usually quite flexible!
2. Good Side Hustles for Teenagers Are Age-Appropriate
Jobs for teens must be appropriate for their ability and age level. Not all jobs are ideal for teens – especially if it’s their first job. For example, teens should avoid jobs that involve heavy labor or excessive stress. While no one should take on an overly stressful job, teens should especially be careful about taking on work that’s mentally and physically taxing. Their first priority should be finishing school and doing it well.
3. Good Side Hustles for Teenagers Suit Your Child’s Interests
Finally, good side hustles are suited to what your child is actually interested in. Just because a certain job might pay a lot of money doesn’t mean it’s automatically a good fit for your son or daughter. For example, if your child likes working outside but doesn’t enjoy graphic design, he or she should probably try seasonal outdoor jobs instead of selling digital prints online.
Have a chat with your child to help them figure out what kinds of jobs are out there. Sit down with them and give them some ideas to think about. After some time, let them decide which job they’d like to try out.
Good Side Hustles for Teenagers Who Enjoy Working Outdoors
Doing Lawn Care
Doing lawn care is one of the best side hustles for teens who enjoy working outdoors and getting exercise. Teens can do anything from raking leaves, gardening, weeding and mowing lawns. While most of these jobs are seasonal, they’re a great option for teens to stockpile some extra cash. Raking leaves is a great option to try after the school year starts and before winter exams start. Gardening, weeding and mowing lawns can be done casually in the spring. During the summer and when school is out, your child can advertise services on a larger scale and work longer hours.
Washing Cars
Another great side hustle for teens is washing cars. Many people don’t want to spend time and effort driving their car out to a carwash – they’d happily pay a student to wash their vehicle for them instead. Why not set up a carwash on a weekend? Rent out the parking lot of the local community centre or church. Encourage your teen to gather a few friends to help out. Your child can split the profits evenly between all carwash participants. If you have younger children around the ages of 10, 11 or 12, you can even get them involved. It’s never too early to learn responsibility!
Walking Dogs
Does your child enjoy taking care of and being around dogs? If you don’t own a dog but your child loves them, this is a great way for them to fill their pet-loving void and learn responsibility.
Working At a Golf Course
If your child is old enough to legally be on an employer’s payroll, working on a golf course is a great way to meet people of all ages, get some sunshine and exercise, and maybe even improve their golf swing. Golf courses often have seasonal positions available, including:
- Golf caddy drivers
- Food and beverage cart drivers/servers
- Housekeepers
- Locker room attendants
- Manual labor roles such as gardening and landscaping
- Dishwashers
- Cooks
… and much more! Spend the afternoon with your teen dropping off resumes at local golf courses in the area.
Helping At the Family Business
If you, your spouse or another family member owns a business, working part time there is a great way to develop hard and soft skills. Your teen can do anything from administrative tasks to grounds and maintenance work. Be sure to check with your local laws about hiring family members to make sure you’re above board.
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Good Side Hustles for Teenagers Who Like Helping People
Babysitting
No list of good side hustles for teenagers is complete with this timeless side hustle. Babysitting is a great way for your teen to learn responsibility and decide whether or not they enjoy working with children. When I was a teenager, I watched many kids and picked up valuable skills such as time management. In addition to funding my trips to the mall and university savings account, babysitting taught me how to allocate enough time towards taking the kids to the park, giving them snacks and cooking their meals on time.
Your teen can start by watching your family member’s younger children or neighborhood kids. If your son or daughter isn’t confident watching other kids yet, why not accompany them on the first few trips? Alternatively, invite the children over to your house, cutting out your commuting time to and from the job.
Working at a Restaurant
Working at a restaurant as a host, dishwasher or prep cook is a great entry-level job for teens. When you work in a restaurant, you’ll learn time management and how to work with people of all ages. When I was in high school, I worked as a prep cook and takeout clerk at a sports bar for almost 2 years. This job taught me how to resolve conflict with customers and work with people a lot older than me. I was never strapped for cash when my friends wanted to go to the mall! Additionally, I received discounted chicken wings, fries and pizza – what’s better than that?
Being a Senior’s Assistant
As the planet’s aging population continues to increase, seniors are increasingly in need of assistance. Many older people have children that are too far away or do not have children at all. Seniors are often in need of help from anything from:
- Grocery shopping
- Cooking and cleaning
- Tending to pets
- Companionship
That last point is important. Many seniors are lonely and are simply looking for someone to talk to. As a senior’s helper, your child can help older people in your neighborhood not only with day-to-day tasks, but can also lend a listening ear. Additionally, being a senior’s helper will help your child learn how to grocery shop, cook and complete other important housekeeping skills they’ll need in college and beyond.
Seasonal Activities Assistant at a Nursing Home
If your teen wants to help seniors but wants something more structured than helping neighbors, many nursing homes hire activation assistants. Activation staff plan and run physical activities to keep seniors mentally and physically engaged and delay the impacts of diseases such as dementia. When I was in high school, I worked as a seasonal activation assistant at a nursing home for 2 summers. It was a fun and educational experience. During my time working at the nursing home, I got to meet many seniors, have fun playing games with them and even received some words of wisdom from them. Check with local nursing homes around February or March to see if they’re hiring for any seasonal summer positions.
Good Side Hustles for Teenagers Who Enjoy Working Online
There are many jobs for teens from home that will compliment their busy school schedule and personal obligations. Below are the top four side hustles for your son or daughter to make money online.
1. Tutoring Students Online
Is your child talented in a particular school subject area? He or she can tutor students online on a platform such as Skype. Help your child create and post some Facebook Marketplace ads. Additionally, you can advertise services on online marketplaces such as Preply or Fiverr. However, these platforms charge pretty large commissions, so always check their terms and conditions before committing to a platform.
2. Flipping and Shipping Clothes
If your son or daughter loves thrifting, finding clothing and reselling it online is a fun way to make some spare cash. Many people are looking to create a capsule wardrobe on a budget, so they look for designer clothes on reseller marketplaces such as Poshmark.
Every Saturday, drive your teen to the local thrift store. Your teen will search the racks of clothing and shoes for designer pieces at relatively low prices and will buy them. Next, your teen will take high-quality pictures of each item and list it on a platform such as Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace. Your teen will need to include the price, brand, materials and a compelling description of each item. Price is important: he or she should charge at least a 30-50% markup to make up for platform commission fees.
3. Selling Digital Products Online
Selling digital prints online is a top side hustle for teenagers with a creative streak. Use a platform such as Canva to create eye-catching designs. Your teen can export the designs and sell them on Etsy or Redbubble. Once someone buys the design, the platform will handle the printing and shipping – the ultimate form of passive income!
Your teen will need to be ambitious and understand that this isn’t a conventional job. Setting up a business, marketing it and generating sales is hard work. However, if your teen realistic and ambitious, they can learn valuable entrepreneurship skills – and maybe even make some cash doing it.
4. Participating in Paid Market Research Studies
What are Paid Market Research Studies?
Paid online jobs for teenagers aren’t limited to conventional employment or starting a business! Online market research studies are a relatively new and fun way to make money from the comfort of your teen’s home office or room. Market research studies are initiated by companies that either want to create a new product or service or improve an existing one. Rather than spending thousands of dollars fixing a broken product or service that isn’t making money, they’d rather invest upfront to get it right the first time. Researchers recruit people within their demographic to get feedback on a prototype of a website or product that’s currently on the market.
There are many platforms out there, but my favorites are Respondent and User Interviews. I’ve received the most study invitations on there, the applications are straightforward and there are many studies available.
How Does the Signup Process Work?
People just like you apply on market research platform websites by filling out screener surveys. These surveys ask you anything from your age and geographic location to your hobbies and what products you’re currently using. Once you fill out a screener, if you’re a good fit for the study, you’ll receive an invitation to sign up for a video interview.
How Can My Teen Participate?
Since both Respondent and User Interviews require the participant to be 18 years of age or older, you’ll need to sign up on behalf of your teen. Get your teen’s permission to sign up for an account for you. Once you sign up, you can apply to studies on your son or daughter’s behalf.
How Much Money Can My Teen Make with Market Research Studies?
While not a full time job, paid market research studies are a fun way to make a couple hundred extra dollars a month. Most studies are for adults, but some are for kids and teens. If you consistently apply, it is possible to make some spending money with this side hustle.
A Final Word on Good Side Hustles for Teenagers
There are tons of opportunities out there for your son or daughter to start making his or her own money. There is no singular best side hustle for teens – it all depends on your child’s personality and interest. If a particular isn’t the right fit, try another one out. There are so many different ones out there, so feel free to have fun and experiment. Be sure to encourage your child to both earn their own money and learn valuable life skills.
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Janita is a frugal living expert and owner of Frugal Fun Finance. With over five years of personal experience finding and trying out the best ways to make and save more money, she's eager to share her knowledge. Janita's strategies have helped her save thousands of dollars for funding investments and traveling to over 20 countries.
Janita completed training in personal finance at The University of Western Ontario and McGill University, two prestigious Canadian universities. Her expertise has been shared on GoBankingRates, Yahoo Finance, and NASDAQ.com.
