Resource Center

Depending on the laws of your state, you may not be able to legally work for a company, such as a retail outlet, at your age. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have no way to make money. With a little creativity and some planning, you can come up with ways to earn extra money even if you don’t have regular paycheck.

Both boys and girls can become babysitters, although there is more of an opportunity for girls to get hired in a job such as this than boys. Boys might be able to find a babysitting job with a family of boys, especially if the teen boy enjoys sports and so do the male children. There’s also the option, mostly for girls, to become a mother’s helper.

For these types of positions, it’s suggested that you take some sort of babysitting course. Parents will be more likely to hire you if you’ve taken a course like this. St. John’s Ambulance often offers babysitting courses for teens between the ages of 11 and 14. Topics covered are babysitting leadership and first aid. Visit http://www.sja-haltonhills.org/ for more information.

Another place to get babysitting training is through the Red Cross. If you click on the following link, you’ll find out more information about what is covered in the Red Cross babysitting program. http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/babyindex.html It also has a list of very useful resources for babysitters. Some of these resources come in a PDF format that’s easily printable. The site also features interesting articles about how important babysitters are.

If you like animals, some stable and humane societies may hire you under that table to take care of the horses or dogs.

You also have the option to be creative and start your own mini-business. Summer is a busy time for many people. Many go on vacation or like to go to the cottage for weeks at a time. This means that someone needs to mow their lawns and pick of their mail. You can offer to do this service for much cheaper than a larger company specializing in this type of service. Do your job well and you’ll have references for “regular” jobs once you’re old enough to apply for them.

Dog walking is another teen job that you can do. Offer to walk your neighbors’ dogs. In most cases, you’ll be paid cash. Plus you’ll be able to collect good references for when you apply for a typical job.

There are plenty of flyer routes available that take only a few hours a week. The added benefit to this type of job is that you get to enjoy the outdoors and get a little exercise too! But, like any job, you need to be reliable. They might just seem like flyers to you, but advertisers depend on flyers getting out on time (for example, if they’re having a sale) so that they can get as many clients as possible.

Newspaper routes are also a teen job that many teens under 15 can do. It pays fairly well, but you’ll need to get up every morning and make sure the newspapers are delivered on time.