15 Great Jobs For 15 Year Olds

In today’s job market, it can be hard for a teenager to find a job. I remember looking for jobs when I was 15 – they were hard to come by! Don’t let the idea of not having a car keep you from finding work. If you’re willing to work, you can find something that’s worth your time.

I wish I had this list of jobs for 15 year olds when I was a teenager! Unfortunately, I can’t turn back time, but you can take advantage of your spare time with these teen job ideas.

1. Make Money Online

Granted, it takes an ambitious 15 year old to make money on the Internet – but it is possible! There are all sorts of ways to make money online. You can start a blog, design websites, design logos, write articles, and create and sell products. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re too young to be an entrepreneur! Check out our resource page to get started with some tools to make money online.

2. Start a Tutoring Business

Tutoring services are in demand by parents of students who do not understand some of the essential school classes. The rates for tutoring may be difficult to calculate at first, but if you are successful and the child shows a significant improvement, then you may be able to negotiate a higher rate. Start at $10 an hour and work your way up from there.

3. Typing Service

Teenagers who have good typing skills can offer their services to business owners who do not type well or would rather have someone else type for them. If you can type 40 wpm and charges a penny a word, you can make $24 an hour. Not a bad job for a 15 year old!

4. Start a Babysitting CO-OP

Babysitting service may seem like a hit-or-miss low-paying job, but there are ways to create a unique service for people and drive business to the point where the next logical step can take place: networking. By pooling with a few close friends, you can offer more availability options. One way to increase the amount you can charge is by taking a CPR course and obtaining babysitting certification through the Red Cross.

5. Clean Houses

Another way teenagers may supplement the hourly rate of babysitting is to offer cleaning services. By adding housecleaning to the repertoire of services that a babysitting pool offers, teenagers can easily earn extra money by cleaning house on a regular basis and occasional specialty cleaning projects such as garages and basements. When performing a specialized cleaning project, the homeowner may wish to get rid of some unwanted items that are still functional and/or have value.

6. Become a Craigslist Scavenger

Scavenging includes any legal method to obtain items that people no longer want and only care to have it removed. People set things at the curb the night before garbage collection, post advertisements on bulletin boards at grocery stores, Laundromats, etc. and post advertisements on Craigslist. The teenager may have to clean the item up or even make minor repairs before selling it, whether at their own rummage sale, Craigslist, or at a local auction.

7. Become an eBay Expert

If you are good at selling items, especially on eBay, you can offer services to other people to sell their items for them. This is generally a commission-based job with rates between 30 and 50 percent of the net profit on the item. You can also use your eBay skills to sell those items that you find for free.

8. Get Outside and Ask For Work!

Many homeowners are willing to pay teenagers to mow their lawn and perform other yard work. This is a very easy way for a 15 year old to find a job, especially during summer vacation.

9. Become a Gopher

If you don’t mind running errands for others and have the ability to get around town on public transit or a bike, you might consider an errand running service (what I like to call ‘gopher’ jobs…go for this and go for that…) Include services such as grocery shopping, mailing letters and buying postal supplies at the post office and other errands. These types of jobs typically pay a lower rate of whatever the individual offers and what you will accept. However, simple errands often lead to more jobs and almost always additional referrals.

10. Work at a Restaurant

Many local restaurants hire 15 year-olds to bus tables and perform kitchen tasks, such as salad preparation or washing dishes. State labor laws may restrict certain tasks that an individual under the age of 18 can do, i.e. operating machinery.

11. Turn Crafts into Cash

If you’re a crafty teenager, you might consider making crafts and selling them on sites like eBay or etsy.com. Afghans, quilts, clothing, fishing lures, shelves, Christmas ornaments – you name it! If you can make it, you can probably sell it on etsy.com.

12. Housesitting

People who have a working relationship with a teenager may employ them for odd jobs like housesitting or petsitting while they are on vacation. This usually involves bringing in the mail, feeding fish and other unattended pets, etc. Sometimes people utilize a house sitter to actually stay inside the residence for a specified event, such as a funeral for a close relative. Try making these connections through your church or school.

13. Work at School Carnivals or Events

You might be able to find work at your own school if they’re hosting an event. Check with the school office to see if they’re hiring students to work at the school carnivals or events. At my high school, students could work track and cross country events to make a few extra dollars.

14. Hand out Flyers for Businesses

Local businesses sometimes offer anyone who is willing to hand out flyers money for canvassing large areas where people congregate. If it is lawful and permissible in your area, you may find work that involves leaving flyers underneath the windshield wiper of a parked car. Yes, it’s annoying, but it’s a job nonetheless!

15. Work at Summer Camps

Organizations that offer summer camp programs for elementary children usually hire teenagers as assistants in gaming activities and crafts. This student who has CPR certification may have an upper hand in landing a job.