Let's face it — between school, home, friends, and extracurricular activities, life as a teenager can be chaotic. Many teens view summer as a time for relaxation and vacation, but for some, it's all about the money. Summer jobs for teens should be fun, social, and flexible. Here are some popular part-time jobs that let teens earn extra cash while gaining valuable experience for the future.
Landscaping and Lawn Care
Landscaping and lawn care are booming businesses during the summer months. Many people don't have the time or aren't physically capable of caring for their lawn and garden. Landscaping is a challenging job that entails manual labor and long hours. If your teen doesn't mind getting dirty and loves the outdoors, nature, and designing, this job is right for her. She'll hone her creativity and benefit from the physical activity, while learning about responsibility, hard work, and time-management. Plus, her hard work will be on view in the community - a free advertisement for his services.
Camp Counselor
If your teen is interested in gaining knowledge and experience in leadership, brainstorming, and team work, working as a camp counselor is a perfect choice. As a counselor, your teen will be a mentor to other young people, modeling good behavior and other positive qualities. She will probably also be exposed to a variety of people from different backgrounds. Camp counseling is a great opportunity for teens to gain self-esteem as well as leadership skills, which they will carry with them when summer ends.
Life Guard
If your teen is at least 15 years old and a proficient swimmer, she might consider training to be a certified lifeguard. Besides spending her working hours in the sun soaking in the rays, she will learn valuable lessons in responsibility and safety. To become a certified lifeguard, a 37-hour course is required, which includes training in CPR, AED, first aid, surveillance techniques, proper use of rescue equipment, and managing spinal injury victims. Your teen will also have to pass a written test and a swimming test. Life guarding is a rewarding job that develops confidence, decision-making skills, conflict resolution, and professionalism in your teenager.
Source: www.redcross.org
Source: www.redcross.org
Starting a Business
Starting his own business for the summer is a great way for your teen to earn some extra cash and learn the ropes of running a business at the same time. If the business begins to flourish, your teen's services could continue long past the summer months. Some ideas include babysitting, cleaning, messenger/errand service, car washing/detailing, house painting, and pet care. Entrepreneurship is a great opportunity for your teen to enhance her professionalism, time-management and organization skills, reliability, and confidence -- while providing a helpful service to the community.
Concert/Event Venue
This is a job fit for a teen. Jobs at concert or event venues include ticket sales/stubs, reception, concession stand, parking, security, and cleaning services. Your teen could also get involved in the technical, marketing, and coordinating side of event planning. It takes a lot of people to make large events successful, and jobs at concert or event venues can teach teamwork and build people and leadership skills. Plus, your teen will see all his favorite bands or sports teams for free!
Food Services
If your teen is a social butterfly and loves interacting with people, restaurant employment might be right for her. She can choose from such positions as cashier, host/hostess, server, bus girl, food runner, dish washer, and prep cook. Many towns have popular and unique diners and drive-ins, which make for a fun and social working environment. Food industry positions can help your teen develop people skills, self-esteem, and responsibility, while enjoying a bit of socializing.
Tutoring
If your teen enjoys working with adults or kids and excels at school subjects such as math, science, English, computer software, or foreign languages, he can establish a money-making business. Tutoring younger children in school subjects or teaching adults computer knowledge, software applications, and technology are great ways to help others while earning some summer cash. This opportunity will also strengthen your teen's teaching and people skills, while solidifying his knowledge in her field of expertise.
Sports Instructor
Many teens are involved in extracurricular activities and sports during the school year. Your teen could take his soccer, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, running, jump rope, or other athletic skill to the next level while earning some summer cash. If she is personable and likes to interact with adults or kids, working as a sports instructor will be a fun, outdoor experience. This is a great opportunity that will boost your teen's confidence, provide healthy physical activity, and improve her people skills.
Movie Theater
Free movies, free popcorn, and socializing are just a few of the benefits you get when working at a movie theater. If your teen is a movie buff, this is the perfect environment for him to spend his summer working hours. Concessions, tickets sales, ticket stubs, and usher are a few of the positions your teen can choose from. He can choose to beat the heat during hot summer days, and maybe catch a free flick at night.
Internship
Some teenagers have it all figured out and know which field they want to pursue. If your teen wants to gain experience for her professional future, an internship is the best summer employment plan for her. Many internships are unpaid, but the job experience can lead to future employment. If the experience is more important than the money, an internship will propel your teen in the right direction as she gains confidence, professional knowledge, and real-world experience.
