Texas Living

4 Summer Jobs for Teens

By Mitch Gruen 6.30.21

This summer, if your teen asks you for that new smartphone or the latest video game, you can tell them they can buy it for themselves.

Summer school and family vacations are great, but working during the summer provides teens with a much-needed dose of reality. By working a job or starting an independent business, your teen will learn life skills that will prepare them for life out from under your roof. Here are a few summer jobs for teens that will train them to provide for themselves independently.

Dog Walking

If your teen loves animals, this could be the summer job for them. Depending on where you live, dog walkers can charge a solid rate for each dog they walk. Business-minded dog walkers can compound their hourly earnings by walking multiple dogs simultaneously, all while enjoying the fresh air and summer sun. One big benefit of this job is that it is relatively passive — once your teen gets walking, they can pop in their headphones, throw on an audiobook, and learn while they earn.

Tutoring Summer Jobs for Teens

Tutoring

As far as summer jobs for teens go, tutoring can be perhaps the most lucrative. Parents will do anything to give their child a leg up in the classroom and are often happy to pay a high rate for a skilled, patient tutor who gets through to their child. Another benefit of tutoring is that the act of teaching makes the teacher smarter, too. By tutoring younger students, your teen will make money while locking in the fundamental concepts of their chosen subject.

Grocery Store Summer Jobs for Teens

Working at the Grocery Store

Tutoring and dog walking are solo gigs, so for someone who prefers the company of others, working at a grocery store could be the perfect choice. Grocery store jobs will provide your teen with experience in the job-hiring process, such as interviewing and maintaining professionalism. If they work on the cash register, they’ll interact with hundreds of community members every day, providing an opportunity for them to build conversational skills. These kinds of soft skills are incredibly valuable later in life.

4 Summer Jobs for Teens

Lawn Mowing

Mowing lawns is a solid side business that any responsible teen can start. To get the business up and running, your teen will need a well-maintained lawnmower and basic lawn-mowing skills. Have them do a trial run in your own yard to make sure they can cut it before making ugly mistakes on one of your neighbors’ lawns (not an easy one to live down). And, for maximum safety, have them check out the six essential rules of lawn care safety.

They’re Growing Up Fast

These four simple summer jobs for teens will help them build their own income and execute some responsibility. This is also the perfect time for proactive teenagers to learn the basics of saving those earnings for the future. Click here for our guide to teaching your kids to save money.

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