Jobs for teens and teenagers
When you're looking for jobs for teens, there are an enormous number of options depending on your age, abilities and the amount of free time you have.
Below, we look at local jobs for teenagers in the summer holidays, part time jobs on a Saturday or at the weekend in the retail sector, plus traditional teen jobs like babysitting, acting and modelling, as well as new online jobs.
This action guide lists dozens of jobs for teens and teenagers, covering the ages of 13 to 19 and summarises the main types of teen jobs available. If you want to see a more specific guide for a particular age, then after reading this action guide, you might also want to see:
Part time jobs for 16 year olds
Summer jobs for teens and teenagers
There are an enormous number of summer jobs for teens, but which jobs you'll be able to do will largely be determined by your age and what is available in the local area where you live.
To apply for some of the summer jobs listed below, you may need to fill in a job application form. Some of the jobs for older teenagers may require that you send them a CV, if so take a look at our CV writing tips or for help getting a first-class CV together see our CV service.
Summer jobs for teenagers aged 13, 14 or 15
If you're looking for job ideas for teens aged 13, 14 or 15, then you could make money by washing cars, doing light gardening, doing jobs for your parents, or there is pet sitting or dog walking. If you're into riding, you could help out at a riding school. You can also volunteer at an animal sanctuary or zoo or for other charity work.
Other teen summer jobs that are covered in more detail below include online jobs, acting and modelling. You will probably be considered too young to work in an office or in a shop - although it's possible you may be able to get work experience, possibly through your school.
Teen summer jobs for 16 or 17 year olds
If you're 16 or 17, then you can do any of the summer jobs for teenagers aged 13, 14, or 15 listed above, plus you can work as a sales assistant in a shop, as a waitress / waiter in a restaurant / cafe or in a kitchen of a hotel, restaurant or cafe. There are also other roles in a hotel or you could also work as a cleaner.
You could work in an office either in a paid capacity or for work experience. Your school or college may be able to help you find work at an office, if they have good links with local employers.
A job at a summer camp for younger children during their summer holiday could also be a possibility if there are any local to you. You would assist with organising activities.
Summer job for teens aged 18 or 19
If you're seeking job ideas for teens aged 18 or 19, then you can do any of the jobs listed above under teen summer jobs for 16 or 17 year olds, such as retail, cafe, restaurant, hotel or office jobs.
Another teen summer job that you can't do until you're 18 (in the UK) is to work in a bar that sells alcohol. Note, it's illegal for under 18's to work in a bar that sells alcohol in the UK.
You don't need prior experience to work in a bar, so any 18 or 19 year old can apply for bar work.
Part time jobs for teens and teenagers
There are numerous part time jobs for teens - again your age will determine which of the job ideas for teens below you are allowed to do, just like your age determined the summer jobs for teens you could do above. The older you are the more part time teen jobs are open to you.
Younger teens won't need a CV to apply for part time jobs, but older teens may need a CV if they are competing for a job that is open to people of all ages. If you need professional help then see our CV writing service.
Part time jobs for teenagers aged 13, 14 and 15
You'll find that there are a number of options when you're looking for part time jobs for teenagers at ages 13, 14 and 15. So consider your options carefully before you commit yourself to any one particular role.
There's the teen jobs we mentioned above, such as car washing, gardening and helping your parents, plus acting and modelling.
You could also try online jobs, dog walking or possibly pet sitting.
Teen part time jobs for 16 and 17 year olds
As well as the part time jobs for teenagers listed above, at 16 and 17 years of age you can also get a job within the retail, hospitality and catering sectors.
You could work as a part time sales assistant within retail, working on the tills, advising customers, cleaning and tidying the store.
Within a hotel you could get a job on reception, as a porter or doorman, or in the restaurant or the kitchen.
There are also job opportunities for teens working in a restaurant, cafe or coffee / tea shop, serving customers or working in the kitchen.
Part time jobs for teens aged 18 and 19
In addition to the part time jobs for teens aged 16 and 17 above, you can also get a job in a bar that sells alcohol in the UK (it's illegal for 17 year olds and under to get a job in a bar that sells alcohol).
Bar work is relatively easy to obtain and you don't have to have any previous work experience to apply, as it's fairly easy to train anyone to work in a bar.
Babysitting jobs for teens and teenagers
To get teen babysitting jobs, you really need to be 16, although there are no actual legal restrictions placed on babysitting in the UK.
If you are under 16 years of age, then the parents of the children you are babysitting will be held responsible should an accident or incident occur. If you are 16 or over, then you yourself will be held responsible. This means that parents are less likely to want to have a babysitter under 16 years of age.
The Red Cross (in the UK, US and elsewhere) produces a proper babysitting course to be delivered by teachers and youth workers covering everything you need to know about babysitting, including how to avoid accidents and what to do in an emergency.
It would be a sensible idea to find a babysitting course in your local area. Your own school may run one or check with any local youth clubs / centres. You get a certificate once you've completed the Red Cross babysitting course, which you can use as proof that you have been fully trained. This should impress any parents that you are babysitting for!
Babysitting jobs for teens aren't normally advertised, as parents tend to find babysitters by word of mouth. Try asking around initially, you may have relative or neighbours with small children who need a babysitter. Your parents may have friends who could use a babysitter or if you have younger brothers or sisters, your own parents might want you to babysit for them.
Once you have started babysitting, you may find that you get recommended to other parents, or you could ask the parents you babysit for if they know anyone else that could use a good teenage babysitter.
Try to agree with the parents exactly what activities are permitted and what is expected of you, before committing to a teen babysitting job. Make sure that you'll be able to contact them when you're babysitting for them, so make sure they leave you with an emergency number that you can call them on if necessary.
You also need to ensure your own safety, both at their house and getting there too. If your own parents can drop you and pick you up so much the better and do let them know where you are and when you'll be back home.
Online jobs for teens and teenagers
Below we list 7 different online jobs for teens, which jobs you can do will depend on what skills and experience you have. Always discuss things with your parents and ensure that you act in a professional and legal manner. Note you may need to pay any relevant taxes applicable in your country, such as income tax and VAT.
Online jobs for teenagers that enjoy computer programming could include the development of new apps. You'll need to first think of a good idea for an app, perhaps a fun amusing game or a more useful app, then you'll need to produce the code for the app and then upload it to the various app stores.
You can make money by setting a price for your app or enabling advertising. There's also in-app purchases, perhaps for an upgraded version of your original app with extra functionality or extra levels in a game.
Online jobs for teens that are good at writing include producing articles that you could sell to online businesses or you could even create your very own blog.
If you create a blog, you can earn money through online advertising or by promoting other people's products / services that relate to your blog articles through an affiliate program.
Other jobs for teens online include completing online surveys, where you can earn a little cash, but you'll have to spend anything between 10 minutes and half an hour answering questions. You'll be giving your opinions for an online survey for a market research company's client. Be careful you don't end up paying out any money yourself.
There are jobs online for teens that like to create informative or amusing videos. You may not realise it, but these videos can earn their creators a lot of money. YouTube will pay you a percentage of the advertising revenue if you sign-up for an account. So if you're able to create some good videos that get shared online a lot, you could make some money yourself.
Are you looking for online jobs for teenagers that enjoy posting to Facebook or tweeting? Then how about turning this into an online teen job! If you have the pulse of what other teenagers are into, you could use this information to advise companies on social media, especially smaller companies who may be struggling.
Other online jobs for teens that are wheeler-dealers, could include buying and selling stuff online. This could be something you make yourself, or somebody else's products or services, either directly or through an affiliate scheme.
If you have good graphic design skills and abilities on a PC / laptop, then you could produce designs for companies, such as a new logo or an advertising flyer or even a new website if you know about coding too. You can find online jobs for teens through the various graphic design and freelance sites on the Internet.
Acting jobs for teens and teenagers
There are plenty of acting jobs for teens, everything from acting on the stage to TV and movie jobs, plus even TV adverts require some teenage actors and actresses.
No previous experience is necessary for teen acting jobs, but you will need to get yourself an agent to promote you. If acting interests you, then ask around to find yourself a good agent. You may have to pay for a portfolio, which includes photos taken by a professional photographer, so make sure the agent you choose is actually good at finding acting jobs for their clients - there are plenty that aren't any good, but are still willing to take your money.
If you're serious about getting a teen acting job, then try to get as much experience as you can. Volunteer for leading actor / actress roles for your school / college productions. Local amateur dramatic societies may also require teen actors and actresses for their productions, so it's worth getting in contact with them too.
Good jobs for teens and teenagers
Almost all the jobs listed on this page are good jobs for teens in terms of giving you some cash in your pocket. But some jobs are better than others in terms of giving you new skills and experience that may be useful to you in the future.
Teen jobs where you are working as part of a team such as in the retail, hotel or catering sectors will equip you more for the world of work, than more solitary jobs such as dog walking.
Jobs for teenagers like babysitting give you good experience and improve your childcare skills, which is particularly useful if you want to work with children in the future.
The online teen jobs covered above could help you in the future if you're really interested in a career in IT or business.
Think clearly about how any teenage jobs you do now can help you in the future. The cash you get can be nice at the time, but think about the jobs you will want in the future and base your decisions on these as well.
Local jobs for teens and teenagers
If you live in a town or a city, then you should easily be able to find local jobs for teens, such as the catering, hospitality or retail jobs we've discussed above. But, if you live in a more rural area, then jobs for teenagers may be more limited.
In a rural area, you may find teen jobs on a farm or at a riding school. You can of course still do traditional teenager jobs such as babysitting, although you may need your parents to transport you there and back, or the parents you are babysitting for may be able to transport you.
Other pages
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- First-class cover letter example
- Writing a speculative cover letter to pique an employer's interest
- See a speculative cover letter example
- A professional cover letter will improve your interview success rate
- How to find job vacancies