Ideas for Teenage Jobs

Yard Work

Yard work provides many entrepreneurial opportunities. Use the family lawnmower and start a lawn-mowing service. Ask friends and teachers if they'll become customers. If a lawnmower is not in the picture, try a removal service. Earn money raking leaves, weeding gardens, and even clearing backyards of dog droppings. Remember additional landscaping services, too, such as shaping and maintaining shrubs and small trees. Buy a pressure washer for less than $100, such as the Stanley H1610, and start a pressure washing service. Use it to clean driveways, decks and sidewalks.

Teens are the go-to babysitters in every neighborhood, so you're already a candidate for this job. Get experience and credibility first by taking a class in babysitting at the local Red Cross. You'll learn the dos and don'ts of watching kids as well as some first aid and CPR. Offer your services to friends and family members. Put your child-watching skills to work part-time at nearby daycare centers and after-school programs. During the summer, get a job at a local camp that's operated through your county or a private country club.

You know a lot more than elementary schoolers, so take what you're good at and earn money sharing your knowledge. One idea is tutoring. Offer your academic expertise at elementary schools, libraries and after-school programs. If you're great at sports, such as soccer, offer private soccer lessons. Make all those years of piano practice pay off in a new way by giving private piano lessons to neighborhood kids. Take whatever skill you have and turn it into cold, hard cash by offering one-on-one teaching sessions.

To find out what to charge for your services, call a professional and ask what he charges. For example, call a piano teacher or lawn mowing service and get actual numbers. Since you're still in high school and not yet a professional, you may have to charge less. The benefit, however, is that you'll attract customers who want to save money. Advertise your service by making up a flier that lists your services, prices, contact information and any certifications, such as a babysitting class. Add quotes from satisfied customers and offer to provide references. Distribute the fliers in neighborhood mailboxes, and tack them up onto bulletins boards at schools, libraries and the local YMCA.