Looking for ideas for summer jobs for teens? I’ve compiled some of my favorite ideas to help you get your creative wheels turning!
You might also be interested in 5 Work-at-Home Jobs for Beginners and Over 40 Different Income-Earning Ideas.
Summer Jobs for Teens
Recently, a follower asked me if I had any ideas for some good summer jobs for teens. I asked my Facebook followers for their suggestions and they did not disappoint.
You can read the entire post with over 200+ comments here. I’ve picked some of what I felt like were some of the best summer jobs for teens submitted.
Hopefully this list will at least give you some ideas if you’re looking for some great summer jobs for your teen (or jobs they can do year-round!)
1. Tutor
Of all the suggestions submitted, this one was the top one suggested! Michelle said: “Tutor!!! Summer us great time to offer reading tutoring. There are lesson plans out there and it is a great way to make $$$.”
Psst! Are you an adult who is interested in doing online tutoring? Check out the opportunity to teach online with VIPKID.
2. Teach Music Lessons
Andrea says: “My friend’s teenage daughter was an accomplished piano player by the time she was in high school and gave lessons as her ‘after school job’ to young kids/beginners. She taught my daughter for over a year. She did her lessons at the children’s homes and it was perfect – she didn’t have to have a ‘studio’ of her own and none of us parents had to worry about shuttling our kids somewhere for lessons!!”
By the way, this was something I did as a teen. I taught violin to a number of different students and it was such a good learning and growing experience for me! Oh and parents especially love if you’re willing to drive to their house and teach the lessons!
3. Pet Sit/Walk Dogs
Geri said: “My daughters both did pet sitting in their teens. They sat for everything from boa constrictors and hissing cockroaches to dogs and cats. They even took care of goats, chickens, cows, horses and other livestock. Not a skill set every teen has, but they grew up on our farm caring for our animals.”
If you love animals, you could also consider working for your local vet. Shannon said, “As a teen, I worked for my local vet clinic cleaning cages, walking dogs, washing laundry, mopping floors, etc. That turned into occasional and then part-time admin work plus assisting vets on house calls as I was just available and willing to learn. Got to interact with so many people and their pets!”
4. Referee Sports Games
This is one that we’re looking into having Kathrynne possibly do. Camille said: “My kids referee soccer. They could take the class once they turned 12. It’s been a great experience for all 3 of mine. They are responsible for submitting their availability online, accepting games, and communicating with their assignor.”
Andrea said: “My 14-year-old and 12-year-old referee soccer games! They don’t have time to earn as much as a regular job, but my 14-year-old bought himself his own computer after just a couple months of work last summer.”
Tracy also posted and said: “My 15-year-old has been doing this for 2 years. It is pretty decent income for that age. Having thick skin to ignore the fans helps.”
5. Babysit (& clean a little, too!)
Of course you knew this one had to be on the list! But take note of Melissa’s tip: “Babysitting will absolutely pay the most. If she interacts with the children, does the dishes and tidies up the house she’ll be in more demand and will earn more.”
And Celena said: “I have a hard time finding sitters who do more than the bare minimum. When I babysat in college, I always got massive tips and had people calling me all the time. I never understood why until I hired my first babysitter and came home after a late night out to a super messy house, dinner dishes still in the sink, and the sitter on the couch on her phone. Argh.”
I 100% agree! Go above and beyond and leave the house cleaner than you found it and you will likely have more jobs than you can take!
6. Wash Windows
Danna commented: “I’m a merit badge counselor for Boy Scouts in Entrepreneurship. I recently taught a merit badge clinic and one of the boys in the clinic runs a very successful business. He’s 14 and he washes windows. He started on his own house and his neighbors’ houses when he was 11. He advertises using referrals and NextDoor.com to keep jobs close to his home. At 14 he has 2 employees and makes about $400 a weekend that he works.”
7. Teach Classes
Have a skill you are good at or passionate about? Consider teaching a class for younger kids!
Hollie suggested this and said: “My daughter and her friend started a cooking class for kids ages 7-12. They did the class 3 times a week for 45 min to 1 hour. Kids could do a week or all 6 weeks. Each day was a different recipe/technique. All recipes were mom approved. They had a good turnout and really enjoyed themselves.”
A Few Bonus Ideas
- Sell things you get for free: “My brother, last summer when he was 14, collected free things off of Facebook groups and Craigslist. He needed help from my mom to go collect the items, but when he got them home he cleaned them up and did his own yard sale/sold some things online. With the money he made, he was able to pay for a summer trip. He and my mom also like to do that by going to the thrift store. It’s amazing what you can find to resell. -Jaclyn”
- Sell photos: “Also, if she has access to a smart phone, she can take and upload her photos to an app called “foap.” People who want digital images (like for blogs or small businesses, etc.) can buy a license to use her photos she uploads. Foap splits the purchase 50/50 and generally each license is $10 so she’d earn $5 per license sold. If one photo sells 20 licenses, that’s $100 in her pocket. -Crystal”
- Become a Lifeguard: “My son got certified at the local YMCA and is a Life Guard. He is able to have a flexible schedule with school and the swim team. Works well for him. -Julie”
What other ideas for good summer jobs for teens would you add to this list?
Lots of pet sitting this summer. People trust my kids to come into their homes to care for their animals. Three more jobs scheduled between now about August 15th!
That’s such a great way to make some summer cash! -Jordan, MSM Team
I do not see anybody talking about jobs at fast food places or even a restaurant. These type of jobs can teach them customer service skills and sometimes they can keep working part-time when they start school. I am not sure how old you need to be. I started when I was 15.
Thank for that great idea! -Meg, MSM Team
This is a way to make some spending money, not really a “job” per se. My son and I both have our own accounts at the local resale shop. He takes in his gently used clothes, shoes, books, sports equipment, and they pay him when it sells. Not a huge amount of money, but it doesn’t take much effort either!
Thanks for sharing! -Jordan, MSM Team
If you’re looking for a purely summer job, a summer camp counselor is a great option! The local YMCA, parks & rec, sports club, etc. all normally run camps over the summer so it’s a great option for a teen to find a camp that aligns with their interests & hobbies.
That’s such a great suggestion! Thanks for sharing! -Jordan, MSM Team
I did yard work – no mowing, just flowerbeds and shrub trimming, for several neighbors as a teen. I have always loved gardening and this was a wonderful way to earn extra money and help out others. I let the home-owner set the rate and they usually paid very well – they were grateful they didn’t have to hire a company to come in! I also got to take home bouquets of flowers occasionally too!
Most of the local lawn companies only did mowing and trimming so this worked out perfectly!
Great ideas – my kids are getting to be this age so this post was very helpful.
Lea
Thank you so much for sharing!
All of my kids had booths at the local farmers markets when they opened up spaces to kids (usually once a month) which allowed them to restock their inventory for the upcoming markets. Ideas for the booths would be any hobby your child has… mine sold tie dyed t-shirts, hand painted greeting cards, vegetables and fresh eggs, and baked goods. The skills they learned were invaluable…. greeting customers, making change, pitching their products, setting up and breaking down the booth, signage, inventory control and profit/loss calculations.
My older 2 both refereed soccer. The thicker skinned one lasted much longer but they both learned if they stayed even keeled when everyone else was emotionally charged, things worked out much better for them. Sometimes they were paid upwards of $45 a game depending on the age group and if was tournament play. Keep an eye out for jobs helping with tournament weekends because if you know the game (as a player as well as a referee) you are qualified and can run the event for a weekend… upwards of $350 to set up the venue, run the sign in table and field questions.
Good luck to all of the kids out there that want to hustle! You can do it. Showing up is more than half the battle!!!!! Go get ‘em!
Thank you so much for sharing these great ideas!
Housework for grandparents, organize clothes or closets, helping wash for others with sheets and putting clean sheets on. Planting flowers, helping plant a garden for people. Mowing. Helping organize a yard sale. Clean out garage organize and throwing others throwing out stuff. Washing cars. Just washing car windows inside and out. Downing odd jobs for others.
Hi Crystal .
Thankyou for your lovely website and all its various topics . I’m new just got onboard with your website and enjoying throughly . Also am soo sooo happy to read that you give Lord Jesus Christ all Praise and Glory . Amen .
Regarding Summer jobs for teens here’s what my son did .
my son loves to play golf and got himself a summer job taking care of the golf carts cleaning washing and keeping the carts all set and ready as well as gathering golf balls and other chores as well ..
All this helped him to get to play free golf the day he wasn’t working ..
so he got a bit of both the worlds saved some money and the love of the game ..
free golf .
Hope this helps .
God bless all the hardworking children of our beautiful nation .
Thanks .
With warm regards and prayers .
Ms Preee.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Yard work, technical help (like fixing computers, etc), shelving books at the library. My older son is an avid runner, and he applied for a job at the local athletic shoe store. My younger son, who is a history buff, wants to work at the local museum next year. Chick-fil-a is a great job, too!
Thanks for these great ideas!