How to Make Money (for Teenagers)
Babysit for friends and family., Do yard work., Do household cleaning chores., Run errands for an elderly person., Walk dogs in your neighborhood., Tutor your schoolmates., Advertise your services.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Babysit for friends and family.
One of the best ways for teenagers to make money and help out in the community is babysitting.
If you’re responsible and you like children, consider giving it a try! Ask family friends who have young children if they need any help with childcare and start developing a client base.
You can start by getting CPR certified and taking some basic first aid classes in order to make your new employers feel more confident leaving their kids with you.
Community centers, hospitals, and local Red Cross chapters often offer these courses for free or at discounted rates.If you don’t have any prior experience taking care of children and your new clients are nervous about this deficiency, ask them if you could have a probation period.
The first few times you babysit, you can do so when a parent is home and available to supervise. -
Step 2: Do yard work.
Many people are too busy for basic yard maintenance, but they don’t want their homes to look unkempt or neglected.
These people are often more than willing to pay someone to mow the lawn, rake leaves, or trim hedges, especially if they can hire a neighborhood teen or family friend.
Start by asking your friends and family if they need help, and, if you don’t get enough business, post some signs around the neighborhood offering your services.
In the winter, you can shovel driveways and sidewalks for people in your neighborhood.
You can also consider teaming up with friends or family members to do numerous landscaping and maintenance tasks.
You’ll have to split the proceeds, but you’ll also get done more quickly. , Since you're a part of the family, you should already be pitching in to the keep the household in shape, but you can ask your parents to take on additional responsibilities for a reasonable fee.
After all, chances are that your parents already have a lot of daily tasks and worries, so they would appreciate the help.
You can negotiate your compensation by asking for half of what a professional cleaner would charge.
Some experts recommend that parents and teens can also benefit from negotiating rates based on performance.
So, for example, you could agree on $30.00 for an adequate job cleaning out the garage and gutters.
If you exceed expectations and do a stellar job, though, you could agree that you'll receive a pay hike to $40.00 or $50.00.
Such a plan incentives your work while teaching you a better work ethic., A lot of senior citizens have mobility or dexterity issues, so they can find it difficult doing some basic daily tasks.
If you know any elderly people in your area, ask them if you can help them out by getting groceries, moving furniture, fixing computer problems, or watering plants.
Just be sure that your arrangement is up-front on both sides: the last thing you want is to do work thinking you’ll be paid while the other person considers your efforts a favor done out of kindness.
For example, if your grandparents host a bridge party every week, ask if you can come over next time they meet in order to offer your services to their friends.
They can prepare their friends by letting them know that you're trying to earn some extra cash, and you can give a sales pitch when everyone is gathered. , While most people enjoy walking their dogs, they’re often too busy to do so during the day.
Their dogs’ welfare is important to them, though, so they are willing to shell out some real cash for someone to take them for walks and exercise.
So, if you like dogs and have a lot of energy, put your interests and enthusiasm to good, monetary use! Becoming a part-time walker is easy than ever now with the advent of mobile apps for job seekers.
You can sign up for a variety of mobile apps, such as Wag! or Rover, which connect available dog walkers to needy clients., If you’re a particularly strong student, find out what your school’s rules are regarding paid tutoring.
You may not be able to work or advertise on campus, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work privately with another student at a public library or one of your houses, for example.
You can also try to sign up for an online service like WizIQ or Tutor Hub that connects you to other students needing tutors.
Many of these sites require a high school diploma, but others are more flexible about their stipulations.Don’t give up on this idea just because you’re not a brainiac! If you’re very good at a sport, musical instrument, or hobby like carpentry, you can get paid for private lessons. , No matter which odd jobs you decide to do in order to earn money, it’s essential that you get the word out! You can place a cheap ad in the newspaper or hand out some flyers, but it’s probably easier—and often free!—to advertise online.
Think about placing ads on craigslist.org or boosting awareness for your start-up on your personal social media pages and feeds.
You’ll be surprised how many people in your personal circle need help with chores and other basic odd jobs, so put some feelers out and see what happens.
Once your odd job service is off the ground and running, you can think about creating separate social media accounts for your services like a small business would do.As always, you need to be particularly careful about advertising or doing any other business online.
Make sure your parents are aware and approve of all the ads and forums you’re using—for example, if you’re advertising on Instagram and Facebook, make sure your parents know about both of these social media portals and can help you regulate them—and have them come with you if you’re going somewhere to mow lawns or babysit for the first time. -
Step 3: Do household cleaning chores.
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Step 4: Run errands for an elderly person.
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Step 5: Walk dogs in your neighborhood.
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Step 6: Tutor your schoolmates.
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Step 7: Advertise your services.
Detailed Guide
One of the best ways for teenagers to make money and help out in the community is babysitting.
If you’re responsible and you like children, consider giving it a try! Ask family friends who have young children if they need any help with childcare and start developing a client base.
You can start by getting CPR certified and taking some basic first aid classes in order to make your new employers feel more confident leaving their kids with you.
Community centers, hospitals, and local Red Cross chapters often offer these courses for free or at discounted rates.If you don’t have any prior experience taking care of children and your new clients are nervous about this deficiency, ask them if you could have a probation period.
The first few times you babysit, you can do so when a parent is home and available to supervise.
Many people are too busy for basic yard maintenance, but they don’t want their homes to look unkempt or neglected.
These people are often more than willing to pay someone to mow the lawn, rake leaves, or trim hedges, especially if they can hire a neighborhood teen or family friend.
Start by asking your friends and family if they need help, and, if you don’t get enough business, post some signs around the neighborhood offering your services.
In the winter, you can shovel driveways and sidewalks for people in your neighborhood.
You can also consider teaming up with friends or family members to do numerous landscaping and maintenance tasks.
You’ll have to split the proceeds, but you’ll also get done more quickly. , Since you're a part of the family, you should already be pitching in to the keep the household in shape, but you can ask your parents to take on additional responsibilities for a reasonable fee.
After all, chances are that your parents already have a lot of daily tasks and worries, so they would appreciate the help.
You can negotiate your compensation by asking for half of what a professional cleaner would charge.
Some experts recommend that parents and teens can also benefit from negotiating rates based on performance.
So, for example, you could agree on $30.00 for an adequate job cleaning out the garage and gutters.
If you exceed expectations and do a stellar job, though, you could agree that you'll receive a pay hike to $40.00 or $50.00.
Such a plan incentives your work while teaching you a better work ethic., A lot of senior citizens have mobility or dexterity issues, so they can find it difficult doing some basic daily tasks.
If you know any elderly people in your area, ask them if you can help them out by getting groceries, moving furniture, fixing computer problems, or watering plants.
Just be sure that your arrangement is up-front on both sides: the last thing you want is to do work thinking you’ll be paid while the other person considers your efforts a favor done out of kindness.
For example, if your grandparents host a bridge party every week, ask if you can come over next time they meet in order to offer your services to their friends.
They can prepare their friends by letting them know that you're trying to earn some extra cash, and you can give a sales pitch when everyone is gathered. , While most people enjoy walking their dogs, they’re often too busy to do so during the day.
Their dogs’ welfare is important to them, though, so they are willing to shell out some real cash for someone to take them for walks and exercise.
So, if you like dogs and have a lot of energy, put your interests and enthusiasm to good, monetary use! Becoming a part-time walker is easy than ever now with the advent of mobile apps for job seekers.
You can sign up for a variety of mobile apps, such as Wag! or Rover, which connect available dog walkers to needy clients., If you’re a particularly strong student, find out what your school’s rules are regarding paid tutoring.
You may not be able to work or advertise on campus, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work privately with another student at a public library or one of your houses, for example.
You can also try to sign up for an online service like WizIQ or Tutor Hub that connects you to other students needing tutors.
Many of these sites require a high school diploma, but others are more flexible about their stipulations.Don’t give up on this idea just because you’re not a brainiac! If you’re very good at a sport, musical instrument, or hobby like carpentry, you can get paid for private lessons. , No matter which odd jobs you decide to do in order to earn money, it’s essential that you get the word out! You can place a cheap ad in the newspaper or hand out some flyers, but it’s probably easier—and often free!—to advertise online.
Think about placing ads on craigslist.org or boosting awareness for your start-up on your personal social media pages and feeds.
You’ll be surprised how many people in your personal circle need help with chores and other basic odd jobs, so put some feelers out and see what happens.
Once your odd job service is off the ground and running, you can think about creating separate social media accounts for your services like a small business would do.As always, you need to be particularly careful about advertising or doing any other business online.
Make sure your parents are aware and approve of all the ads and forums you’re using—for example, if you’re advertising on Instagram and Facebook, make sure your parents know about both of these social media portals and can help you regulate them—and have them come with you if you’re going somewhere to mow lawns or babysit for the first time.
About the Author
Patricia Edwards
Committed to making cooking accessible and understandable for everyone.
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