Part Time Jobs For 16 Year Olds
There are numerous part time jobs for 16 year olds listed on this page, everything from Saturday and weekend part time jobs such as sales assistant through to jobs at a summer camp.
Below, you'll discover how to get a part time job at 16, including looking at the various different types of jobs you can do and how you can quickly locate and apply for them.
Please bookmark this essential guide for part time jobs for 16 year olds, so you can later return to it. Other guides in this series for other age groups include:
How to get a part time job at 16
In this article you'll learn precisely how to get a part time job at 16. How easy this is for you, will depend on a number of factors, including the number of job vacancies in your area - if you live in an area of low unemployment, then it should be easy to find a part time job, if unemployment is high in your area, then it may be more difficult and require a bit more perseverance on your part.
Another important factor to consider when applying as a 16 year old is what skills and experience (if any) you have that would be relevant for the jobs you want to apply for. A lot of part time jobs for 16 year old require no prior training or experience, so don't be put off from applying.
Most part time jobs that we have listed below are never advertised, as employers receive enough applications from suitable candidates. So don't wait to see an advert before applying, either go to the employer's website and go to their jobs / careers section or you can visit their premises directly.
There may be an application form to fill in. It's unlikely you'll need a CV to apply for a part-time job, but if you do please see our CV writing articles section or to get a CV written for you check out our CV writing services.
One word of caution, if you're still at school / college at 16 make sure that your studies don't suffer as a result of your part time job. If you have important exams coming up, you should probably put your part time job on hold until your exams are over.
Saturday part time jobs for 16 year olds
When most people think of Saturday part time jobs for 16 year olds, they're think about jobs in the retail sector, but there are also other opportunities in the hospitality sector too.
The retail sector is undoubtedly a great place to find your first job as a 16 year old. No experience is needed to start with, as all good employers are prepared to train you in what is required. If you are going to be customer facing, you'll need to be enthusiastic, hard-working and have good communication skills.
Typically, you may start as a junior sales assistant, which may involve working on the tills, stocking shelves, cleaning and tidying the shelves and the shop generally. Once you've been trained, you may move into a more customer facing role where you advise customers on the shop's products / services.
Another good source of part time jobs for 16 year olds is cafes / restaurants, where there are a number of roles that a 16 year old could fill. You could be working in the kitchen preparing food, washing up or serving food. You could also be working as a waiter or waitress, taking orders, serving customers, working on the tills, etc.
Coffee shops also have part time job vacancies for 16 year olds, which include serving behind the counter, taking payments, making tea / coffee, clearing and cleaning tables, etc.
Hairdressing salons are another potential opportunity, especially if you might be interested in becoming a hairdresser either now or in the future.
Typically, you'll start by making teas or coffees for customers, cleaning and tidying the salon, answering the phone, then you may progress on to washing hair. If you take the necessary hairdressing courses, you can then progress on to cutting and styling hair.
Hotels may also offer part time jobs for 16 year olds, including working on reception, porter, doorman, cleaning rooms, waiter or waitress, kitchen work, etc.
Finding any of the jobs listed above is very straightforward, all you have to do is look at their website or turn up at their premises. The larger companies will have a website where you can apply via their jobs or careers section. There may also be vacancy notices up at the companies premises, especially before Christmas when they all need extra part time staff.
For the smaller companies, you can just visit their premises and ask if there are any part time job vacancies. However you apply, you may need to fill in an application form. You probably won't need a CV, but if you do then please take a look at our professional CV writing company.
Summer part time jobs for 16 year olds
In the school / college summer holidays, you should be able to find summer part time jobs for 16 year olds.
For a start, you could do any of the part time jobs we listed above under Saturday jobs. There will be opportunities when staff are on holiday and certain businesses will need to take on extra staff if they are based in an area which attracts a lot of tourists over the summer holidays. So for instance seaside resorts and large cities will need extra staff.
There will be part time summer jobs for 16 year olds as retail assistants working in shops. Coffee shops, restaurants and cafes may also need staff and hotels in busy resorts or cities will definitely need extra part time staff over the summer.
You could work in an office, either for work experience or in a paying position. If you know what sort of career you will want in the future, then you could approach suitable employers for either paid employment or work experience. Your school / college may be able to help you with this, as they should have links with local employers.
If you like working with children, then you might want to think about part time summer camp jobs. You could help with the running of activities for children in the summer holidays at a youth club or a school.
It's fairly straightforward to find part time summer jobs for 16 year olds. You should start your search early, as the best jobs will already have gone before the summer holidays start. So if you know you want to work over the summer start looking early, don't wait until the summer holiday season has already started - you may be too late.
To get summer part time jobs for 16 year olds, you'll need to do a bit of research to find out which companies take on part-time staff over the summer. In your local area contact retail shops, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, offices, etc. You can either find their details online or contact them directly at their premises.
Part time babysitting jobs for 16 year olds
There will always be plenty of part time babysitting jobs for 16 year olds, because parents with children still want to go out on their own or with friends without having to take their children along too.
You need to be a confident and responsible person if you are to be trusted by parents to babysit their children. Should anything go wrong whilst you have been left in charge of someone else's children, then you will be held responsible.
It therefore makes sense to go on a suitable babysitting course taught by your school or at a local youth centre. The Red Cross produces a course for teachers and youth workers that covers the essentials, including handling emergencies.
You also get a Certificate, which you can show any prospective parents as evidence that you have completed a babysitting course.
To find part time babysitting jobs for 16 year olds start by babysitting for parents and children that you already know. So ask relatives with children or your parents' family friends or neighbours you know well.
Once you get more confident, you can babysit for other people - perhaps you can get a referral from somebody you already babysit for. Word gets around, as reliable babysitter are often hard to find.
When you take on a babysitting assignment as a 16 year old, always agree with the parents beforehand exactly what activities are allowed and which are not, plus bed times, other ground rules, etc.
Get the parents to give you their cell / mobile phone numbers, so you can call them if you need to. Take your own cell / mobile phone with you and let your own parents know where you will be and when you'll be home (parents do worry about you, so tell them if you may be late). As a 16 year old, you need to make sure you have safe transport to and from the home where you will be babysitting.
Part time weekend jobs for 16 year olds
You can find many part time weekend jobs for 16 year olds in both the retail and hospitality sectors. They're pretty much the same types of jobs we've listed under part time Saturday jobs above.
You can find part-time weekend jobs working as a shop assistant, or working in a coffee shop, or restaurant or cafe or hotel.
Other part time jobs for 16 year olds
You might also want to take a look at the other 16 year old jobs that we have listed on our website, which include a wide variety of online jobs that you can do on a part time basis.
There are also opportunities in pet sitting, dog walking, farms, looking after horses at stables, and many more.
Other pages to see:
- A professional cover letter will improve your chances with employers
- Find out how to write a speculative cover letter to an employer
- Need to see a cover letter example
- Discover how to start a cover letter properly
- How to identify and find the best job vacancies
- See our speculative cover letter example