When I was younger, I really enjoyed having a bit of extra cash in my hand as a 15-year-old. That bit of extra independence was great to have in those days. Of course, it can be difficult to find the time, and many places want to hire people with specific experience which you haven’t been able to get yet. Still, if you can get some work at 14-15, you’ll be in a great position to find further work when you’re older!
Fast Food Chains - $900.00 - $1,300.00 per hour
Places like McDonalds, Dairy Queen, and Burger King often hire younger employees. Responsibilities can range from cashier and lobby attendant to cleaning and kitchen help, and the likelihood is that you’ll be asked to do all of the above.
If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty and dealing with members of the public, this can be a great way to earn a bit of cash in your local area. It can have risks, from working with harmful cleaning chemicals and hot grease to having to serve your school teachers, but it’s a classic choice for a reason.
Grocery Stores - $1,000.00 - $1,400.00 per hour
In a similar vein, grocery stores often hire young people for weekend and after-school shifts. You’ll need to be focused and organised for tasks like packing bags, stocking shelves, and wheeling shopping carts around, but if you show your ability to keep up with things like this, grocery stores can be a quite stable place of work.
Entertainment Venues - $900.00 - $1,300.00 per hour
There’s a stereotype of young people running bowling alleys and movie theatres for a reason. It’s because those places regularly hire teens for work like ushering, selling tickets, and working on concession stands.
It’s fairly easy work once you get used to it, and all you need to do is get in touch with your local theatre, arcade, or other entertainment establishment. Often, there’ll be an option to apply online, too.
Amusement Parks - $1,000.00 - $1,500.00 per hour
This role might be a bit tougher to land, particularly because it’s a lot rarer to have an amusement park near you than a fast food restaurant or movie theatre. Still, for seasonal work, parks like Six Flags, or even local smaller ones, regularly hire ahead of the spring time.
Get in touch when theme park season is around the corner and make sure your application is in early. It can really help to do your research on the specific park, and have a bit of knowledge on the rides and attractions you’ll be working with.
Delivering Newspapers - $700.00 - $1,200.00 per hour
Contact your local newspaper and get on your bike—it’s a reliable way to make money out of school hours. You’ll be able to earn money, get the work out of the way in the morning, and build skills like time management and reliability that’ll help you significantly in your future career.
Of course, it can pay slightly less than other options here, and often pays by the delivery or route rather than the hour. This can mean your rates fluctuate depending on how quick or slow you are on that particular day. Still, paper rounds are a famous hustle for teens for a reason: they’re always hiring. Get in touch with the newspaper or corner shop to check for availability!
Online Freelancing - $500.00 - $2,000.00 per hour
With parent or guardian help, you can set up an account on a platform like Fiverr, Etsy, or Redbubble, and start earning money through doing online gigs. It can be difficult to actually get this off the ground, and you’ll need to find the right niche.
Maybe you’re a great video editor, a prodigy of a graphic designer, or you’ve got a ton of experience making music and audio for personal projects. Find and hone your skills, create a profile, and make it really pop. You might have to price your services under your rivals to start out with, but once you’ve got a few clients under your belt, you can earn really solid amounts.
Odd Jobs in Your Area - $1,000.00 - $2,000.00 per hour
If you know people in your local community, being proactive and offering your odd job services to them can be a great way to pad out your wallet. If it’s winter time and snowing, why not offer to shovel driveways for cash? Maybe you know families with kids you can babysit for. Perhaps your street is full of filthy cars you could wash.
Your immediate vicinity is full of opportunities to earn money, so taking the initiative, utilising your local community and noticing potential in your area are ways that can start paying dividends more and more often.
Legal Considerations
Make sure you’re not overworking. Many countries have labour laws that forbid people under 16, 18, or 21 from working to certain degrees.
For example, in the US, 14-15 year olds can work outside school hours in non-hazardous jobs, but only between 7am and 7pm, and at a maximum of 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours a week during the semester. This extends to 8 hours a day on non-school days, and 40 hours a week during the summer break.
Check your local laws to make sure you’re not going to get your employer or yourself in trouble!
