Table of Contents

TEENS TEEN LIFE

The Best Part Time

Jobs for Teens
By Amy Morin, LCSW Fact checked by
Adah Chung Updated on April 03, 2021

Jamie Kingham / Getty Images

Table of Contents
Part-Time Jobs

Statistics

Pros and Cons

Signs of Readiness

Although an after-school job seems like a

time-honored tradition, the number of
teens who work has actually fallen in
recent years. This decline may be due to
the di<culty many teens have >nding
work. Other teens may be opting out of
working because their schedules are
already overAowing with after-school
activities and long hours studying.

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While there are some potential perks to

working while in high school, research
shows there are some drawbacks as well.
For instance, teens who work longer hours
may have lower grades and are at greater
risk for problem behaviors such as
drinking and smoking. [1]

Clearly, an after-school job isn't going to

work for all teens. If you're thinking of
letting your teen enter the workforce, you
should consider the potential risks as well
as the bene>ts.

Good Part-Time Jobs for

Teens
When it comes to part-time employment
for teens, you need to consider what your
teen's goals are. For instance, do they
want to gain experience for a future career
path, do something they enjoy, or simply
make money for future college expenses.

With their goal or goals in mind, then

your teen can look for part-time
employment that will help them reach
those goals. You also should consider your
speci>c state's labor laws. This will help
you determine age limits as well as the
number of hours your teen can expect to
work per week.

It's also important to consider the

requirements or experience needed for the
position as well as the location and
schedule. Aside from the typical part-time
job like working as a barista, delivering
pizzas, serving in a restaurant, or working
for a fast food chain, here are some other
part-time job ideas for teens.

Babysitter
Babysitter: Many teens like to make
extra money babysitting. In most cases,
they can control when they work and
parents often pay well, especially if
your teen has a >rst-aid and CPR
certi>cation. Additionally, this type of
part-time job helps teens who plan to
go into education learn how to work
with children, especially if they are
helping with homework and planning
activities.

Catering sta^
sta^: Teens with an interest
in the culinary arts may want to look
into working for a catering company.
Although they will likely help with set
up, serving, and clean up and not much
cooking, they will get a feel for what
the industry is like.

Dietary aid
aid: Some nursing homes will
hire teens to work in their kitchens
serving food or washing dishes while
other facilities will have teens do minor
housekeeping duties. If your teen is
interested in becoming a nurse or a
doctor, positions in these facilities can
be great learning experiences.

Grocery store stocker or cashier

cashier:
Grocery stores are notorious for hiring
teens to stock shelves as well as
checkout or carryout groceries. What's
more, some stores, like Kroger, will
even hire teens as young as 14 to work
in their stores. [2]

Lawn care or landscaping

assistant
assistant: If your teen is looking for a
part-time job, none is more time-
honored than cutting lawns. However,
if your teen doesn't want to try to
drum up business in your
neighborhood, they also can look into
working for lawn care and landscaping
companies where they will do
everything from weed and put down
mulch to cut grass and trim.

Lifeguard
Lifeguard: As far as summer jobs go,
many teens enjoy working as a
lifeguard at their local pool or beach.
Although they must go through a
special training program to be
certi>ed, many teens >nd this position
rewarding especially if they enjoy being
outdoors or around water.

Receptionist or customer service

representative
representative: Teens looking for
consistent employment in an o<ce
setting may want to search for
receptionist or customer service
representative positions. Rates vary
depending on the employer but most
teens can expect to make at least
minimum wage.

Referee
Referee: For kids who love sports, they
may want to look into becoming a
referee. For instance, in Ohio the Ohio
High School Athletic Association allows
teens to become licensed referees. They
can be a referee for recreational sports
leagues as well as middle school
contests and can expect to be paid
about $11 to $25 per hour. [3]

Retail sales associate

associate: Many kids
enjoy working in retail, especially if
they have an interest in marketing,
retail planning, or fashion design.
Although they may start out at
minimum wage, they often get an
employee discount, which can add up if
they tend to shop in the store a lot.

Tutor
Tutor: If your teen is particularly
gifted in math or science and taking
advanced courses, they may want to
start a tutoring business. Parents of
younger children, and even some high
school parents, like to hire students to
tutor their children because it's not as
expensive as hiring a teacher or a
professional tutor.

Veterinary assistant
assistant: For teens who
love animals, they may want to check
with local veterinarians to see if they
hire teens. Often, these doctors will
hire teens to clean kennels or walk
dogs. They may also ask teens to assist
them by calming pets while they
evaluate them.

Statistics on Teen
Employment
Each year, teen and young adult
employment increases between April and
July as teens and recent graduates begin
looking for employment. However, the
number of 16- to 24-year-olds employed
in July 2020 only increased by 4.4 million
to 17.5 million employed teens. This total
number of teens employed was down
56.2% when compared to July 2019. [4]

What's more, the overall unemployment

rate was 18.5% in July compared to 26.9%
in April. These unemployment rates also
were twice as high as the year earlier and
largely reAect the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on teen employment. [4]

Despite the decrease in unemployment in

July when compared to April, there were
still fewer teens employed in July than in
February 2020 before the pandemic
o<cially began to take its toll in the
United States. What's more employment
rates were lower across the board for
di^erent races with Whites experiencing
49.5% lower rates, Hispanics at 42.6%,
Blacks at 39.2%, and Asians at 32.0%. [4]

In July 2020, 24% of employed teens

worked in the leisure and hospitality
industry, which also includes food
services. However, employment in this
industry was down 21% or 1.1 million
when compared to July 2019. Teens also
were employed in the retail industry
(20%) and in educational and health
services (11%). [4]

Pros and Cons of Part-Time

Jobs for Teens
When determining whether or not a part-
time job is right for your teen, it can help
to weigh the pros and cons before making
a >nal decision. You also should consider
your teen's temperament as well as their
existing time commitments. Here are
some additional things you should
consider.

Pros
Learn to manage money

Gain experience

Have less time for risk-taking

Build life skills

Acquire work skills

Cons
Have less time for studying

View workplace negatively

Interfere with activities

Might create stress

May lead to substance abuse

Pros of Part-Time Jobs

An after-school job can be good for young
people. Here are some of the biggest
bene>ts your teen might gain: [1]

Financial skills
skills: With support from
you, a paycheck can be an opportunity
for your teen to learn how to e^ectively
manage >nances. Teach your teen to
establish a budget so they can practice
saving for big-ticket items.

Insight into a future job

job: A good job
can give your teen valuable insight into
what they may want to do after high
school. They may discover they enjoy
working with people or they might
decide that they want to own a
business. If nothing else, a part-time
job gives your teen valuable work
experience that they can list on future
job applications.

Less time to get into trouble

trouble: If
your teen heads straight from school to
a job, it shortens the amount of free
time they have to engage in risky
behaviors. They'll be less likely to be
bored when a job keeps them busy.

Life skills
skills: A job could instill
con>dence and independence in your
teen. If they work with customers, it
can teach them how to handle di<cult
situations and improve their
communication skills.

Work skills
skills: An after-school job will
help your teenager gain work skills—
such as how to complete a job
application, how to do well in an
interview, and how to work for a
supervisor.

Cons of Part-Time Jobs

There are de>nitely some risks teens face
when becoming employed. Here are some
of the biggest cons of working after
school:

Less time to study

study: Research shows
that students who work more than 20
hours a week have lower grade point
averages than students who work 10
hours or less a week. [5] Your teen may
have to stay up late to >nish their
homework or they might put less e^ort
into school when they're employed.

Negative impression of work

work:
Working for a disorganized employer
or an untrained supervisor could give
your teen a negative impression of
employment. Unfortunately, studies
show teens may become victims of
sexual harassment when they become
employed. [6]

Missed opportunities
opportunities: Being
obligated to work a shift could take
away from the high school
“experience.” It could be very di<cult
to participate in a sports team, drama
production, or volunteer work if they
have a part-time job.

More stress
stress: Working too many hours
could cause your teen to become
stressed out. The purpose of a job is to
give your child a little more freedom by
earning their own money. If they never
have time to spend that money having
fun, what’s the point?

Increased risk of substance abuse

abuse:
Studies show kids who work are
actually at increased risk of drinking
alcohol or using drugs. [7] The extra
spending money and the added
responsibilities may lead some teens to
make poorer choices.

Signs a Teen Is Ready for a

Job
Aside from having the time and the drive
to >nd part-time employment, there are
some additional characteristics that may
indicate that your teen is ready for a job.
Some possible signs of a teen's readiness
include:

Good time management skills

skills: If
your teen consistently arrives to school
or after-school activities on time,
budgets their time e^ectively, and
consistently works ahead on school
assignments, then they may be able to
handle the added commitment of a
part-time job.

Strong communication skills

skills:
Entering the workforce requires the
ability to be assertive when necessary.
Consequently, if your teen is con>dent
in communicating with others, they
may be ready for part-time
employment.

Sense of commitment and good

follow through
through: Holding down a job
requires that your teen be responsible
and committed. If they struggle to
follow through on projects or honor
their commitments, they may not be
ready for part-time employment.

Willingness to be a team player

player:
Having a job requires that your teen
know how to get along with other
people and complete tasks that they
may not want to do at times. If your
teen is able to work alongside others
with minimal conAict or complaint,
they may be ready for a part-time job.

A Word From Verywell

Deciding whether to let your teen get a job
isn't a decision you should make lightly.
In fact, having job while in high school is
not right for every teen. You will need to
determine if your child has the time, the
maturity, and the responsibility to juggle
a job along with their other commitments.

If you're on the fence, encourage your

teen to start with a summer job. Summer
employment won’t interfere with school
and it can keep your teen busy during the
summer months. If a summer job goes
well, your teen may be ready to work
during the school year.

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