15 of the Best High Paying Jobs for Teens
Online Jobs for Teens Near Me
Jobs for teenagers are becoming less about age and more about skill.
If you can learn a skill that others may not want to learn, you can easily profit from it.
There are teenagers starting their own businesses making thousands and even millions of dollars. This proves that age is really just another number when it comes to making money.
I wrote an article on How to Make Money as a Kid and it went over very well. There have been requests that I write an article on how to find a job as a teenager.
My hope is that by the end of this article you will find a job that’s suitable for you.
This list includes jobs for 16-year-olds and pretty much anyone who is willing to put forth the effort to get the job.
In this article, I will show you the following:
- High Paying Jobs for Teens
- How Much You Can Earn
- How to Get Started
You may already be aware that you have the opportunity to work in the Fast Food Industry, become a Lifeguard, or a Summer Camp Counselor, so I compiled a list of jobs that pay well for teens that you may have never considered.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Here are the Best Summer Jobs for Teenagers
1. Walk or Pet Sit Dogs
Why not make some easy money walking dogs or pet sitting? If you love dogs this could be just the job for you.
How Much Can You Earn? I see a lot of people charge $20-$30 per 30-minute walk.
How to Get Started: To find clients you can sign-up through Care.com for a teen account and create flyers and spread them around your neighborhood to let your neighbors know you are available to work.
2. Babysitter
This was my first job and it’s a great way to make money if you like caring for kids.
You can even make more money if you take it upon yourself to spruce up the house while the kids are napping or watching tv (as long as you can keep an eye on them) and you’re at their house.
This can be done during the weekends and during the week in the summertime. If you know of any moms who work from home, reach out to them as well.
I have a teenager that comes over and takes care of my kids while I work at home. She also cleans when they nap so I give her extra money.
How Much Can You Earn? $15-$20+ per hour, plus more if you go the extra mile, thus making it one of the best paying jobs for teens.
How to Get Started: Sign up for Care.com for a teen account (you will need a parent/guardian to vouch for you) to find clients in your area and use your social media network.
Tell your friends, neighbors, and family members that you are available to babysit and your rates.
If you become CPR certified that can give you a leg up on the other babysitters in the area. Here is where you can find a CPR class near you.
3. Take Paid Online Surveys
Share your opinion to help brands deliver better products and services and get paid in the form of gift cards or cash. This is one of the best “jobs” to get as a teenager because of the flexibility in timing of taking paid surveys.
How Much Can You Earn? This is really up to you, but if you sign up for a lot you could earn $50-$100 a Month or more.
How to Get Started: I only recommend signing up for Survey Junkie and Swagbucks (Get a $5 sign-up bonus).
Pro Tip: Open a separate email account solely for surveys. You’ll start to get inundated with emails and it will be more manageable in a different account.
4. Web Designer
I recommend starting a website now even if it’s just for fun because this is an excellent way to make A LOT of money and age does not matter. You just need to know what to do.
You could be a front-end developer like me, which basically means I buy a theme like this WordPress Multi-purpose Business Portfolio Theme (this is the template of the website we’re on right now) and I customize it to my liking. I’m COMPLETELY self-taught aka I Google everything.
When it comes to building a website people think it’s really hard and they would rather pay someone else to do it than do it themselves, and that’s where you would come in.
I volunteered to do my church website because I wanted the experience. I knew nothing about starting a website or the complicated backend stuff, which is okay because all premium themes come with backend developer support so you won’t need to learn that AND you get to ask them for help on the front-end stuff.
Doing my church website was a huge learning curve but so valuable, I learned A LOT. After learning how to create my church website and also the website we’re on right now, I became really good at it.
I charged $800 for doing a friend’s website, and now any other site I do will be $1,000 or more. I could do a website in a day or two if I know what the client wants on the site.
I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to start a WordPress website that can help you get started.
5. Start a Blog
If you’re interested in doing web design, why not just start a blog to get some experience.
Blogging is one of my favorite forms of passive income. I make money just by people reading my articles from ads.
I can assure you, I did not write this article today and yet it’s making me money.
When you get a nice amount of people reading your articles it brings in a nice income. Here’s a screenshot of my earnings from the other day.
I made $400 in one day just from ads, and I also make a lot of money in Affiliate sales. You can see how I make money blogging.
You DO NOT need to be an excellent writer to become a blogger. I’m definitely not a great writer and I have my lovely mom review my articles before I post just to have a second pair of eyes.
I spent a lot of time working on my blog the first year with a full-time job, busy toddler, pregnant with baby #2, and “trying” to be a wonderful wife to my wonderful husband. If I can do it, you definitely can.
I work VERY part time on my blog now (currently 15 months in) and I’m making more money than when I was at my corporate job (I was able to leave my job!).
If you want to start a blog, I’ve detailed all the steps in my How to Start a WordPress Blog article from scratch! I also mention the most popular niches that make the most money and get the most traffic.
6. Video Editor
Do you like to make videos? Have you played around and edited some Youtube or Instagram videos before? If this is something you enjoy you could make an excellent income as a Video Editor.
EVERYTHING has gone digital and yet there are still so many people who have no clue how to edit videos, including me.
I’m in a lot of Facebook Blogging groups and people are always asking if anyone knows anyone who can edit videos for them and they are willing to pay a hefty price. Especially if you can create cool engaging videos and graphics for YouTube videos.
How Much Can You Earn? You could easily charge $75-$150 per hour.
How to Get Started? Practice is really the best way to get started and taking a course to learn the ins and outs. Here’s the #1 best-selling Video Editing course on Udemy.
7. Graphic Designer
Every company or small business owner needs a graphic designer. If you have an eye for design and experience in Adobe Creative Suite/Adobe Creative Cloud – including InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop, then there is a profitable market out there for you.
The nice part about being a freelance graphic designer is that you can take on as much or as little as you want and create!
How Much Can You Make? You can charge $25-$300 per hour, depending on your experience.
How do I get started?
- Newbies: Check out this highly recommended course Learn Photoshop, Web Design & Profitable Freelancing. You can also check out free and premium courses on Skillshare; this is a great site because you get to practice what you learn during the course.
- Experts: Use freelance websites like Upwork to find clients, design logos for companies at 99designs, crowdspring, designcrowd (very high competition), or host a class on Skillshare.
Use your social network to also promote your services and create a website showcasing your services and work.
8. Social Media Manager
Are you on Social Media? You’d be amazed at how many small businesses in your area do not utilize this. Check out this list of small business ideas.
They would love to have a young student who is active on Social Media post on their behalf.
How Much Can You Make? You could make anywhere from $1,000-$10,000 a month depending on how many clients you have.
There are many Social Media schedulers out there that you can use to schedule your posts so you can focus more on school work and sit back and collect your check.
How to Get Started? Check out my article How to Become a Social Media Manager and this highly recommended course on How to Become a Freelance Social Media Manager
9. Flip Items from Flea Markets and Thrift Shops
This is another one you’ll want to do with a parent as you’ll need to be at least 18 years old to sign up with eBay; but this is a high paying job for teens or anyone who sets their mind to it.
But if you think you’d like buying products at thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets and selling them for a higher price then you should check out Rob’s free workshop.
How Much Can You Make? Rob from the Flea Market Flipper made over $130,000 flipping items from Flea Markets and thrift stores PART-TIME mostly on eBay in one year.
How to Get Started: Rob created a free workshop to turn your passion for visiting thrift stores, yard sales, & flea markets into a profitable reselling business – in as little as 14 days.
10. Lawn Care Service
Start your own lawn care service and include cleaning the gutters, mowing the lawn, edging, and raking leaves a part of your package.
I recently had a kid ask to cut my grass for $30, and although I needed it, I had no way of knowing that he would do a good job, so I declined.
I recommend taking a photo of your work before and after and maybe even a picture of you cutting the grass yourself (for some credibility). Had I known the kid could do a good job I would have hired him.
How Much Can You Make? It really depends on how big the yard is but this could be one of the highest paying teen jobs with the average rates at $30-$100 per lawn.
11. Start a Cleaning Service
If you enjoy cleaning (some people really do and are good at it), you could make some good money doing this.
Adults like to help young go-getters and wouldn’t mind having you clean their home for some extra money, but you will need to prove yourself.
How to Get Started: I recommend doing your first job for free just to win your clients over.
Always exceed their expectations so it will make them talk about you to their friends and family and you could get more work through word of mouth. Reach out to people you know and see if you can work for them.
How Much Can You Make? You could charge $25-$45 per hour, making this one of the highest paying teen jobs.
12. Car Detailing Service
I’m a true believer in this business for teens because people will already pay anywhere from $50 to $125 for their cars to be detailed. If you charged a little less to be price competitive you would still make good money.
Basic car detailing entails a car wash, vacuuming, polishing inside/out, and window washing.
How to get started: I recommend doing your parents vehicle and taking pictures of before and after (make sure the before looks terrible :-)) to show off the good work you do when trying to get clients.
I would also consider doing a couple of free trials for your nearby neighbors in exchange for them to spread the word. Post to your social media network frequently of the jobs you do to stay top of mind if your friends hear their parents need their car cleaned or friends.
They’ll tell their family and friends, and they’ll also have a little adult guilt for you doing such a good job for free and become a paying customer. Here is a great article on How to Start a Car Detailing Service.
13. Photography
Do you enjoy taking pictures? Then you should get paid for it. This is one of the best jobs for teenagers because even though you may not get the trust you deserve to get high paying gigs like weddings, senior pictures, etc. but you can be the main photographers assistant, and learn a great deal.
I also recommend working on your photography skills and license your photos to stock photography sites like iStock and Shutterstock or submit them to The Sun Magazine.
My sister recently purchased the Canon EOS Rebel T6i Body, and she takes AMAZING pictures, and she also purchased the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens which is a KEY component of taking quality photos. It is an investment that can pay off significantly.
14. Work for Parents/Friends Parents
If your parents own their own business or you have a friend(s) whose parents own their own company you should definitely reach out to them first to see if you can work for them.
You already have a relationship so it should be easy to get hired, but I do caution that working with family or close friends is not always the best thing to do.
Every situation is different, you’re smart so really think about what will happen when you’re ready to move on from that job and think about how it could affect your relationship before asking for work.
How to Choose The Best Job for Your Teen (or YOU)
Once you find a job on the list above, click through to our additional resources to learn more about it. You won’t know if a job is right for you until you check it out and give it a shot.
I hope you enjoyed this list of the best jobs for teenagers and found something that will work for you.
Let me know if you have any more best paying jobs for teens that are not on this list. I would be happy to add more!
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