Legally, a minor is someone who is under the age of 18. As a minor, when your spending habits begin to outpace your allowances, then it is right time you to look for a job.
There are many age-appropriate jobs for minors that help them to learn about responsibility and money management apart from earning. Minors are young to take up a typical situation and are not ready to take on responsibilities or handle complex tasks.
On the other hand, children are old enough to understand money management. In most cases, children can take up specific types of work and learn profession-specific skills.
There are plenty of jobs for fourteen years old that allows them to earn while they learn. While there is no limit to how much a minor can make, many states set a restriction on the number of hours a minor can work.
Types of Jobs for Minors
Children can start earning money in a wide variety of ways that match their personalities and interests.
1. Babysitting
Watching infants, toddlers, and kids younger than them is one of the best jobs for children aged 12 and above. A minor who is mature and responsible enough for this job can get trained and start with babysitting. It is fun to babysit when school is out. A minor can also join online services that match families with babysitters.
2. Dog Walker
Dog walking is not suitable for every kid. However, parents can start observing if their child can handle the responsibility if they have a family pet. Dogs need to get out for walks, and children can do this job better as they are naturally extra friendly with pets.
3. Yard Worker
Children can help out with tasks that homeowners need, such as lawn mowing, spreading mulch, planting flowers, pulling weeds, raking leaves, shoveling snow, covering bushes, etc. In the case of handling machines like lawnmower or snow blower, kids should know how to operate it safely.
4. Tutor
A kid who is active in any subject at school can help other kids who are struggling. A teacher should be able to assess whether the kid who wishes to take up the job of the tutor is mature enough to handle and teach kids younger. While some kids are natural tutors, others may require coaching on how to be patient enough to listen.
5. Selling Recycling Items
A minor can gather recyclable goods like newspapers, glass bottles, and soda cans and take them to the recycling plant to earn extra money. Many recycling companies pay well.
6. Selling Crafts and Home Decor
If you have a flair for art, making crafts such as handmade jewelry or decorative items is one of the best ways to earn. This also helps kids understanding the value of money. By buying your supplies and making your profits, one can learn financial management too.
7. Washing Cars
Washing cars can be a fun activity, especially in warm weather, and young teens can do easily as long as they don’t mind getting wet. Washing cars is an excellent choice of a summer job for ten years old as the kids will learn to enjoy being outside the sun, playing with the hose, getting wet, and shed some sweat.
8. Online Jobs
From conducting surveys to selling crafts and home decors, online jobs for fourteen years old and above are more these days. They can be a fun way to spend some time during summer vacation, especially if kids find themselves indoors. Parents should investigate the site and make sure that there are no age requirements or permissions required.
9. Public Library
A teen that is fond of books can prefer to take up the job of assisting a librarian. Public libraries often hire a teen workforce to shelve books. Teens can assist the librarian who needs help using the computer for data entry, as well.
10. Game Tester
Any kid who is an avid gamer can become a game tester as it’s the perfect way to spend the summer. Being a game tester is not all fun and games; you will have to play the same levels over and over to make sure that every aspect of the game works perfectly.
Limitations on Jobs for Minors
There are few employment restrictions in the jobs for minors.
- Kids aged 14 and below, should not take up any non-agricultural jobs unless employed by their parents in the non-hazardous industry or family business. Children aged 14-15 can only work hours when they are not in school.
- The children can work up to 3 hours per day on a school day and 18 hours total in a school week. In the case of a non-school day, they can work up to 8 hours and 40 hours total in a non-school week.
- However, the FLSA (Fair Labor Security Act) places restrictions on the jobs for minors depending on their age, time of year, day of the week, and much more.
How Parents Can Help Working Teens
Parents can help their kids develop an excellent worth ethic by assigning them chores. A kid as young as five years old can feed pets, pick out their clothes, straighten their room. Completing these simple chores independently gives kids a sense of value and builds their self-esteem.
Positive feedback for a job well done helps a kid develop good work ethic work. Every kid will feel validated for his hard work only if he is praised for his accomplishments.
Parents should make sure that the kid learns early that hard work comes with rewards. Rewards motivate them to work hard on their own. A parent can reward their child with weekly allowances when their child completes all the chores.
Jobs can help teenagers tune their financial skills, the importance of money, and develop a strong work ethic.
