Kids cost parents a lot of money to raise and as they get older they start wanting and asking for more. When they’re young, it’s easy enough to say no, but once they’re teenagers that can become harder to do as they seek their own independence. Many teenagers are eager to earn money and capable, so you can assist them with that. We’ve compiled a list of side hustle ideas to help you give your teenager a nudge in the right direction next time they come to you asking for money.
Look in your local area
There are plenty of modern side hustle ideas for teens, but we’ll start with the tried-and-tested ones. This includes babysitting, mowing lawns, washing cars, dog walking, petsitting and doing odd jobs. Encouraging your teenager to offer their services in your street or neighbourhood can help them to learn about working and also build up their confidence. It teaches them how they can use a network to earn money and is also a relatively safe place to start, because they’ll be working for people they (or you) know. It’s a gentle introduction into the workforce if done right. And all these jobs can be pretty lucrative for a teenager.
Creating and selling
This category of side hustles will require a bit more initiative from your teenager. They’ll have to work out what they can sell and how they can do that. You could suggest baking and selling cakes, making crafts to sell, selling any old clothes they’re no longer using or even selling old toys or devices. Another way to help them is to take them to car boot sales so they can sell their items. For more assertive teenagers, they could look out for things they could buy then sell on elsewhere for a profit.
Online side hustles
This category of side hustles is the one you should be most cautious about encouraging, for obvious reasons. While the categories above are more likely to be available in your local area, online side hustles could be anywhere, so tread carefully and make sure you know what your teenager is getting involved in. Options include paid surveys, freelancing and selling stock photos, which is great if your teenager has a passion for photography anyway.
Tutoring and teaching
It seems strange to think of your teenager as someone who can instruct others, but there are a range of skills they have that could be valuable to use as a tutor or teacher. Older teenagers can tutor younger children if they’re quite good at a certain subject, especially as it’s likely to be fresh in their mind if they studied it recently. The same applies with teaching tech. If your teenager spends a lot of their time using technology, it’s quite likely that they’d know more about it than older people and could use that knowledge to teach adults how to use it.
Part-time job
Some teenagers are more ready for adulthood than others and a part-time job could be the best option for them. Once they’re old enough, it can be a great way for them to earn money and learn skills that they’ll be able to use in future. Some good jobs for teenagers include paper rounds, being a referee and working in a shop or restaurant. These allow them to work before or after school or on the weekends, so they don’t impact their studies too much.
How your teen can get paid
Once your teenager is earning money from a side hustle they need a way to receive that money and somewhere to put it. We have a guide on bank accounts for teens and debit cards for teens. You could get them an account that you have some oversight over, to help keep an eye on what they’re spending and give them some extra advice on how to save. Once they’re old enough they can open an account on their own, so it might be worth helping them learn about saving and spending while they’re younger, before they’re able to control their own finances.
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Jason is a writer and editor. He worked as a senior subeditor for Finder for 5 years and in that time became familiar with a wide range of financial products and services. Before that, he worked for Australian Associated Press. He has a BA from Macquarie University in Australia. Jason loves to help other people find new ways to save money. See full bio
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