Summer jobs and teens go together like sun and sand! Getting a summer job can teach your teens o many wonderful life skills. Life skills such as communication, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and more! Not to mention building their savings account and giving them a sense of independence as they have their own money with which to make choices.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of great summer jobs for your tweens and teens!
Head to Camp!
Summer camp is such a magical place for kids and teens! If your teen loves the outdoors, and helping kids they should consider working at a camp. Depending on their age, they can be a Jr or Sr Camp Counselor, cook, janitor, help with Admin and even work on the maintenance crew. Church, Scout, and Family Camps are a great place to start!
Chick-fil-A
Who doesn’t love God’s chicken? All kidding aside, their food is good, the store is always clean, and the employees are always so kind and courteous. More to the point, their leadership is incredible, and your kids can learn a lot about customer service and serving with a humble heart by working at Chick-fil a. And if Chick-fil-A isn’t hiring, other fast food joints usually are.
Lifeguard
If your teen loves all things outdoors and is a competent swimmer, have them consider lifeguarding. They get to hang out around pools, keep the world of water recreation safe and make some money while doing it. Some things to keep in mind with this job is that it is very serious business and your teen needs to understand that they might be saving someone’s life that summer. Also, there will be CPR and lifeguarding classes and certifications they will need to get at the beginning of the season as well.
Give Your Kids the Gift of Freedom!
Learning Entrepreneurial skills will be useful throughout your teen’s life, particularly in the global, gig economy in which they’ll be working! Our 1 semester class gives your kids practical, applicable, marketable tools to equip them for success! Shark Tank challenges make True North Online Academy’s Entrepreneurship class a engaging win for everyone!
Water Safety Instructor
If your teen is already a lifeguard, have them go a step further and obtain their WSI -Water Safety Instructor Certification. This will allow them to teach swimming and it’s a great way to work at camps, as well as pools, year-round.
Movie Theater Attendant
If your teen enjoys a good movie and the smell of popcorn in the air, then working at your local movie theater is a great option. From popping corn to taking tickets, there are a myriad of jobs, but all are geared towards helping movie-goers have a fantastic experience.
Snow Cone Stand Attendant
Nothing says summer quite like snow cones, right?! Right around April, our snow cone trailers start popping, and you know summer is almost here. The soft ice, the sugary syrup on the snow cone, and in the air of the summer breeze; it’s a winning combination! If your teen likes people, is super nice, and enjoys delighting others with sugary goodness in a cup – the snow cone stand attendee is for them!
Theme Park Attendant
Snow cones and theme parks. Yep. Summer has also arrived when the theme parks open. With theme parks being so large, there are usually quite a few different jobs they can choose from. From ticket taker to funnel cake maker and everything in between, including singing and dancing! This job will more than likely call for late hours, but if they really enjoy the environment at theme parks, it’s a win.
Landscaper
Landscapers are generally super busy during the summer months and can use extra help. This job is demanding and requires physical strength and mental stamina as most landscapers do hardscaping as well.. Kids who work for landscapers work hard, haul heavy stuff and get down and dirty. Besides all that, the pay is generally very good and your kids might develop muscles they didn’t know they had!
Lawn Maintenance
Encourage your kids to open their own mowing business. We have known several homeschooling families who have created incredible micro businesses out of simply mowing lawns, doing simple planting and weed control. Encourage your kids to use their summer free time to create a simple business plan, make and pass out flyers around your neighborhood and do a great job on the homes that hire them. It could lead to steady income long past the summertime and even lead into a snow removal service.
Golf Caddy
Another fun outdoor job to consider is being a golf caddy at your local country club or golfing range. If they know the sport of golf well, they are even better. If they are new to golf, encourage them to learn the rules of the game as they wait for their interview.
Referee/Umpire
Does your teen enjoy and understand the rules and nuances of sports? Have them consider being a referee/umpire for summer sports! They’ll get paid while they keep in shape and provide wonderful summer experiences for other kids!
Career Exploration (formerly titled Orienteering) focuses on vocational and career exploration. Students will understand their strengths, challenges, and more as they prepare to launch as adults in a complex, digital, and fast-changing world!
- Students will leave class with a Personal Pathway based on strengths, interests, passions, and gifting paired with real-world career exploration.
- The student will identify spheres of possibility instead of a single job or career.
- Students will also create an occupational interest inventory.
More Summer Jobs for Kids
Grocery Baggers/Cashier/ Shopper
I don’t know about y’all, but our local grocery store will do the grocery shopping for us. We download the app, pay and then we let them know that we are there, and they will bring it out to our car. Grocery shoppers go around the store with a digital list and a large cart and grocery shop. And of course, there is still the bagger and cashier option as a job as well.
Birthday Party Entertainment
Has your teen always loved to dress up and create events? If so, you might encourage your teen to go be the entertainment at parties as characters from movies and books. They could create their own business or join a company already offering those services. If creating their own, of course, make fliers for your community, but also, I would recommend they tap into their babysitting network as well.
Tutor
Does your teen want to be a teacher or enjoy helping others learn subjects? Then maybe they should consider being a tutor. This, again, maybe one of those entrepreneurship opportunities where they announce on the community board and put a flier up at church sharing what ages and subjects they are helping tutor this summer. They can make their own hours and can meet in places like the local library to do the job or even on Zoom.
Nanny
There is always a high demand for nannies during the summer. In many families, both parents work, and they need your teen’s help! Have them search the local community boards and papers for possible nanny opportunities for the summer.
Dog Walker
If your teen enjoys dogs and wants to get their steps in for the summer, being the community dog walker is just the trick. If they would prefer to work for someone else, they might consider talking to the local vet or animal shelter and see if they are hiring part-time workers for the summer.
House Sitter
For older teens, being a house sitter is freedom! You would need to decide if you were comfortable with them staying at the home by themselves while the owners are gone or if you would prefer, they can just visit the house daily to take care of animals and water plants. Either way, they get out of the house each day doing work for money.
Sales
You are never too young to learn to sell; it’s an important skill that will benefit your kids regardless of what vocation they eventually go into. Tweens and teens can sell online or through local boutiques at local Swaps and Craft Fairs. They can sell items of their own making or purchase items to mark up and re-sell.
Summertime is a great time for your kids to dive into the world of paid work. Not only will they earn spending money or money to invest, but they’ll gain valuable life skills!
Resources
Check out FREE the SMART Goals printable worksheet.
Be sure to check out our other Marketable Skills Classes: Accounting, Copywriting Electronics, Video Editing, Photography and Digital Tech and Entrepreneurship! These classes will save you both time and money and take your young adult farther, faster!
