17 Best Jobs For 14-Year-Olds To Make Money
As you get older, you want money for various things such as clothes, food, hanging out, etc. A great way to get these things without relying on your parents is to get a job that pays. It’s that simple! Still, finding the right job isn’t always as straightforward as you’d like it to be. Here are the 17 best jobs for 14-year-olds to make money.
Can You Get A Job As A 14 Year Old?
Yes, there are jobs available to 14-year-olds to make money, but some conditions apply. Since you are under 18 years old, you have to follow child labor laws, which vary by state. These laws specify that if you are under 18, you can only work a set amount of hours a week and during a set time of the day.
In addition to child labor laws, getting a job at 14 also depends on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which regulates what kind of jobs a 14 can do. For instance, FLSA decrees that 14-year-olds cannot operate heavy machinery, motor vehicles, lift heavy items, etc. So, there are conditions to getting a job at 14, but there are still plenty of positions within your reach, so let’s check them out.
1. Work At Movie Theatres
If you love movies, a great place to get a job as a 14-year-old is at your local theatre. It can be a small business movie theatre or a big chain like AMC. You can do jobs such as checking tickets, selling snacks, cleaning the rooms, etc. It’s a great job for teens in school, so definitely consider it!
2. Work At Grocery Stores
Besides movie theatres, you can also make money as a teenager by working at grocery stores. Chains like Fareway and Publix offer jobs for 14-year-olds to make some extra money. Check with grocery stores close to your home to see if they have any job openings. You will most likely get a position stocking shelves or bagging groceries.
3. Fast Food Jobs
The classic job for teens is working at fast-food restaurants, and it’s an excellent start for 14-year-olds. It is not glamorous, but it’s a start and an excellent way to make some money. You can work for places like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc. Check with your local fast-food restaurants to see if they are hiring.
4. Babysitting
One of the best jobs for 14-year-olds is babysitting younger children for money. You can babysit for family members or neighbors to make some extra cash. You have to ask around to see if anyone needs a babysitter, and you can land this gig.
5. Pet Sitting
If babysitting is not suitable for you, maybe petsitting is. As a petsitter, all you have to do is watch pets while the owners are away; that’s it! It is also possible to take the pet to your home to petsit if the owners are going away for an extended time. Petsitting is a great way to make money as a young teen as well as for many adults, so I highly recommend this option.
6. Landscaping
If you don’t mind some manual labor, landscaping can be a great way to make money as a young teen. You can get landscaping gigs around your neighborhood to do lawn care and get paid for it! It is a job that depends on good weather, so if you live somewhere with bad winters, you will need another gig. You will need a few tools to get started, so definitely think about it. However, once you have established your dependability, this can be a lucrative position.
7. Seasonal Jobs
While landscaping is a seasonal job, many jobs are seasonal, and you can cash in on it. For example, if your town gets snow in the winter, you can remove snow for your neighbors for some sweet cash or a pool cleaner in the summer. Also, many retail stores look for help around Christmas so you can get a temporary job. You can do many seasonal jobs as a 14-year-old so think about what’s possible!
8. Power Washing
Power washing is another seasonal job because it only works in good weather, but you can make some good cash with power washing. You need to invest in a pressure washer and then start power washing yards to make money. It’s not an easy job, but if you don’t mind some physical work, it can be an excellent job for a 14-year-old.
9. Mobile Car Wash
Another physical job that you can do to make money is to have a mobile car washing service. You’ll need soap, a bucket, cloths, and water to start making money, but you will have to put in some elbow grease and sweat. It’s not hard to get started, but it is manual labor, so make sure this job is right for you before you get started. You’ll have to attract cars to wash, so it’s more of a business than a job; keep this in mind.
10. Small Business Helper
Many small businesses would love some extra help, and you can offer assistance in exchange for a paycheck! So, if large retailers won’t hire you as a 14-year-old, check with small businesses in your city/town. Small business owners work hard, and they would appreciate some extra help, so all you have to do is ask. You can get jobs like packing up products, cashier, cleaner, etc. Simply ask and land yourself a job!
11. Survey Sites
It can be hard to get a job as 14 year old, and there will be times when you search for jobs and can’t land any, so what do you do? You can do some small tasks using survey sites to make money from home quickly! To make some cash, I recommend checking out platforms such as Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, GG2U, and InstaGC. You won’t get rich from taking surveys, and it is not as great as getting a job, but it’s an excellent way to make extra money while you look for a job.
12. Re-Seller
A pretty unique way to make money is to re-sell items. It’s not a job where you get a paycheck; you work for yourself, so how much you can make depends on your work. You simply purchase undervalued items and then sell them back for a higher price as a re-seller. You can find items at yard sales and thrift stores or on websites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and OfferUp. For example, you can find a children’s toy for $5 and sell it for $10 to quickly make a $5 profit! It’s a straightforward method, but you need some money to buy items, so keep this in mind.
13. Tutor
One of the best jobs for 14 year old is being a tutor for those the same age or younger kids. There are many opportunities to become a tutor, so it’s one of the best ways to make money as a 14-year-old. If you are good at a specific subject, check with your school for tutoring opportunities. You can also have your parents check with their friends or co-workers to spread the word so you can land tutoring gigs. It might be hard to land your first tutoring job, but you’ll start to land gigs easier over time.
14. Lifeguard
Being a lifeguard only works if you live in or near a warm state or the summertime. Still, it’s an excellent way to make money. You might not be able to get a job at the beach due to not being old enough or having enough experience, but there are other places you can land jobs. Check out the YMCA, community pools, etc. It’s a pretty neat way to make some cash, but you need to be a strong swimmer.
15. Virtual Assistant
An excellent job for a 14-year-old is being a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant performs tasks such as sending emails, scheduling meetings, bookkeeping, etc. The duties vary, but the keyword virtual is excellent, which means you can work 100% from home! Check with business owners if they need some help to land a virtual assistant job.
16. Video Editor
You might have heard that being a YouTuber is a great way to make money as a teenager, but the issue is that it may take a long time to earn money from a YouTube channel. Being a YouTuber is a business, so you will not get paid right away as you would with a job. Suppose you want to get into the YouTube game without starting your own YouTube channel. In that case, you can become a video editor for other YouTubers. Just reach out to YouTubers to see if they need any help editing their videos, and you can land a job! You will need to know how to edit videos, but this is a skill that you can learn over time.
17. Freelance Writer
Another great job that you can do as a 14-year-old is as a freelance writer. Like YouTube, blogging is a business that can make you a lot of money. Still, there is no guarantee that you will make money, and even if you make money, it can take a long time to make it. So, instead of starting a blog, you can become a freelance writer for bloggers and get paid for every article you write! You need to reach out to blog owners and see if they are currently hiring to land a job.
Conclusion
As a 14-year-old, it can be tough to find a job due to labor laws, but you can use this list as a guide to land a job. The jobs are out there, so you have to look around and find something that works for you.
This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.
Michael-Savebly
Michael is the owner of Savebly, a personal finance education website that is dedicated to helping others to improve their finances and live life on their own terms. His work has been featured on Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, HuffPost, Debt.com, and a variety of other well-known sites.