Jobs For 16 Year Olds
There are plenty of jobs for 16 year olds, from full-time jobs, to part-time jobs.
We'll also look at Saturday, weekend and summer jobs, apprenticeships / work experience, online jobs, babysitting, retail and restaurant jobs, modelling, summer camp jobs, and more.
We'll look at how best to find 16 year old jobs, so whatever you are looking for, you'll find something below that will suit you.
This first-class guide lists jobs for 16 year olds, please bookmark it now, so you can get new ideas next time round. We also produce guides for other age groups including:
Part time jobs for 16 year olds
Saturday jobs for 16 year olds
There are a lots of Saturday jobs for 16 year olds, especially in the retail and hospitality sectors.
Within the retail sector there are 1000's of Saturday jobs, because this is one of the busiest days for retail businesses, as most people aren't working and therefore have time to go out shopping.
Most 16 year olds work as sales assistants, helping customers, restocking shelves, tidying and cleaning the shop and taking payments at the till. See further down this page for full details of retail jobs for 16 year olds under its own heading.
Restaurants, cafes and coffee shops employ 16 year olds on a Saturday - it's a very busy day for them and there are lots of opportunities. There are waiter / waitress jobs for 16 year olds, which involve taking orders, clearing tables, handling payments, etc.
You could also work in a restaurant's kitchen, preparing food, washing up, etc. Note you can't serve in a bar selling alcohol until you're 18, but you can serve alcohol to go with a meal in a restaurant.
Local hotels may employ 16 year olds on a Saturday. There are lots of different jobs at a hotel, such as cleaning rooms, working on reception, doorman, waiter / waitress jobs in the restaurant or working in the kitchen.
Hairdressing may be an option, if there are any hair salons near where you live. You would probably have to start washing people's hair, cleaning and tidying the salon, answering the phone and making tea / coffee for clients. If you want to progress to cutting and styling hair you should seek out a salon where they're happy to teach this to you, with the option of a suitable hairdressing course.
It's normally fairly easy to find Saturday jobs for 16 year olds if you live in a town or city - all you need to do is go to the various retail shops, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, hotels or hairdressing salons (whatever is of interest to you) and ask if they have any jobs now or in the near future.
You may need to fill in an application form, but you probably won't need a CV to apply. If you do need a CV, then see our how to write a CV article or if you'd like someone to write it for you then see our CV writing service.
There are also other jobs you can do on a Saturday listed below, such as pet sitting, dog walking, babysitting or online jobs.
Summer jobs for 16 year olds
You should easily find summer jobs for 16 year olds, as there are so many different opportunities.
All the jobs listed under Saturday jobs, could equally be summer jobs, so you could work as a sales assistant within a retail shop, then there are waiter / waitress jobs in a restaurant, or work in the kitchen or a restaurant or hotel (and there are other opportunities in a hotel too).
As you are 16, you could also work in an office, which could give you useful work experience as well as paying you too. Offices may be short staffed over the school summer holidays, when a lot of people take a holiday themselves, which could be an opportunity for you.
If you have an idea about the career you'd like to do in the future, then try to find an employer that could give you a taste of what it's like to work in this career. If you already have some specific skills in this area, then you may be able to put them to use in your summer job.
If you like younger children then summer camp jobs for 16 year olds may suit you, where you would be helping to run various activities for younger children often at a school or a youth centre during the school summer holidays.
To find summer jobs for 16 year olds is simple, if you want a retail, restaurant or hotel job, you can just go in and ask them if they have any summer jobs. Finding office jobs requires a bit more effort, as you can't normally just turn up on their doorstep. Try looking on their website to see if they have any summer jobs listed or drop them an email.
It's possible that you could have to fill in an employer's application form, but at 16 you probably won't need a CV. Should you need a CV, then see our CV services.
Other summer jobs could include volunteering, pet sitting or dog walking jobs, online or babysitting jobs (see below).
Apprenticeships for 16 year olds
There are 1000's of apprenticeships for 16 year olds, which means that there should be something suitable for you if you are seeking to be accepted on an apprenticeship.
There are apprenticeships in administration, agriculture, animal care, arts, business, care, construction, education, engineering, health, horticulture, IT / technology, law, leisure, manufacturing, media, planning, public services, publishing, retail, travel / tourism and many more.
If you know exactly what you want to do, then you could approach local employers yourself directly. But if you don't know what you want to do, then you'll need to check out your school / college's careers department, the National Careers Service and apprenticeships.org.uk if you're in the UK.
Weekend jobs for 16 year olds
You'll probably find 100s of weekend jobs for 16 year olds in your area, as long as you don't live in a very rural area.
You can work in a shop as a sales assistant serving customers; as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant, cafe or hotel; as a barista in a coffee shop; preparing food or washing up in the kitchen of a restaurant, cafe or hotel.
Other weekend jobs for 16 year olds, include pet sitting and dog walking jobs, online jobs or babysitting.
Work experience for 16 year olds
To get work experience for 16 year olds, you either need to apply to employers directly yourself or go through your school or college.
If you already have a career in mind, then you may already know the local employers who you could approach. If you don't know who to approach then your school / college may be able to help you arrange it.
It's always a good idea to get some relevant work experience. 16 year olds really need to think about getting work experience as soon as possible.
If you are unsure what career you want in the future, then you can still get some work experience for 16 year olds - this will stand you in good stead regardless of what you choose to do in the future.
What jobs can you get at 16?
Are you wondering about what jobs can you get at 16? There are all sorts of jobs that you can get at 16, including full time, part time or apprenticeships.
You have slightly less full time options at 16 compared to when you are 18 or 21, as at 16 years old, you are still meant to be training. Some jobs also require a higher standard of education, such as a degree although there are now some apprenticeships that include a degree.
If you're looking for a full time job, then you'll first need to decide what sort of job you want to apply for. You need to go into your current school / college's careers centre or contact the National Careers Service to get advice.
You can find out about part time jobs for 16 year olds or for information about apprenticeships see above.
Online jobs for 16 year olds
If you're good on the computer, then check out the following online jobs for 16 year olds, which include everything from creating fancy online videos to the latest app.
A lot of 16 year olds have produced their own online videos. If you can think of subjects that are fun or interesting, you could shoot online videos, upload them to YouTube and make money through YouTube's revenue sharing program.
Are you a 16 year old that spends all their time on social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook? If you are then you can make some money buy selling your expertise to companies that don't know how to use social media. Contact smaller companies that you may have followed on Twitter or liked on Facebook and see if there is anything you can do for them - strike up a conversation through Twitter / Facebook.
If you're a bit of a 16 year old wheeler dealer and you love buying and selling, then you could set up an online business to either sell products you've sourced yourself or sell other companies products or services, either directly or through an affiliate program.
Do you enjoy writing and are you good at it? You may fancy becoming a blogger where you produce regular articles on specific topics that interest you and put them on your blog. Make sure you choose a popular online topic that lots of other people will be interested in, then you can make money by placing adverts or affiliate links on your blog.
Can you program? Then you could become the next 16 year old genius behind the latest app to take the world by storm. There are now lots of revenue models to choose from, including paid apps and free apps with advertising or in-app purchases. You'll need to create an app that is either a lot of fun or very useful if you want your app to be successful.
Are you good at graphic design and know how to drive a graphics program such as Photoshop? You could produce logos, flyers, adverts or perhaps even websites for businesses. You can find jobs on various freelance / design websites or you may be able to find local companies that could use your services.
You'll probably be able to think of lots of other online jobs for 16 year olds if you put your mind to it. You could create the next Facebook! Remember that online businesses are subject to the same laws as any other business, so you need to follow the law and pay any taxes due from your online work.
Babysitting jobs for 16 year olds
There are lots of babysitting jobs for 16 year olds and you shouldn't have any trouble finding one.
It would be a good idea to go on a proper babysitting course, either run by your school or a local youth club - the Red Cross produces a babysitting training course for teachers and youth workers. The Red Cross course covers everything you need to know about babysitting and you'll get a certificate once you've completed the course.
As a 16 year old, you will be held responsible should anything happen to the children that you are babysitting - so it makes sense to go on a babysitting training course and the certificate will be the proof that you can show to parents that you have been fully trained.
Agree with the parents of the children you are babysitting what your duties will involve and what activities are allowed. Make sure that you have the mobile / cell phone number/s of the parents for any emergencies that may arise.
To find babysitting jobs for 16 year olds, ask your own relatives, family friends, neighbours, etc, if they need any babysitting help now or in the near future.
Your own safety is paramount, so make sure you have a safe way of getting to and from your babysitting assignments and keep your own mobile / cell phone with you at all times. Let your parents know where you are going to be and what time you should be home and ring them if you are going to be later than expected.
Retail jobs for 16 year olds
You'll find a massive number of retail jobs for 16 year olds as long as you aren't in a rural location.
All sizes of shops and superstores require sales assistant, both full-time and part-time. So if you're still at school, you should be able to find yourself a Saturday or weekend job that suits you. Whilst if you've left school you can find a full-time position.
The duties of a sales assistant will depend on the type of store you work in. You may have a very specific role or a more general role.
In a small store, you could be working on the till, cleaning and tidying the shop, advising customers or restocking the shelves. Whilst in a bigger store, you might just be employed to do one of these roles, such as working on the tills or restocking shelves.
You could also be involved in picking and packing, if the store has it's own online website through which customers can order.
Once you get experience, you may be able to move either within the existing store you work in or to another store to get a better job.
You should receive training when you start, which should teach you about how to serve customers, plus the vital product knowledge that you need and how to work the tills, etc.
It's super easy to find retail jobs for 16 year olds, you can either pop into the stores themselves - the larger one's have vacancies up at their stores and on on their websites. Retail vacancies can also be found in local / regional newspapers and on various job sites.
Other jobs of interest to 16 year olds
You might also want to take a look at our jobs for 15 year olds page that lists some other jobs that could interest you.
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