19 online jobs for teens and students to work from home

Making money as a teenager often requires creativity. You have to work around the school schedule, and some jobs have minimum age requirements.

But remote work has opened up more flexible options. You can fill out age-appropriate online surveys, offer tutoring, sell goods on reputable e-retailer sites, or freelance as a writer, graphic designer, or tech support. Many online jobs offer flexible scheduling and the freedom to work from wherever. In some cases, all you need is that sweet, sweet Wi-Fi.

Up next: Some of the best online jobs for teens to kickstart your search.

How do online jobs work?

Online jobs for teens vary in structure depending on the type of work. 

There are actual “JOB jobs,” where you’re essentially a standard employee (but you work online). 

Then, there are opportunities like freelancing, where you provide services to organizations or individuals, but you aren’t an employee.

Hybrid is another type of online job, where you do a mix of remote and on-site. 

If you’re in school, you may not be able to work full-time. So, part-time and freelance gigs are good options if you want to make money from home as a teen or student.

Traditional jobs you can do online

Many “standard” desk or office jobs can be done online, like customer service, telemarketing, or data entry. However, many full-time office jobs have set hours, so look for part-time opportunities after school (or full-time summer jobs and during holidays).   

Jobs like this could start at your state’s minimum wage or higher. 

Median U.S. wages by job

• Customer service representative: $19 per hour

• Data entry clerk: $19 per hour

• Telemarketer: $16 per hour

Where to find online jobs for teens:

• FlexJobs

• Indeed (must be 16+ to create an account)

• Monster (must be 13+ to use site; parental supervision required)

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Freelancing/contract work for teens

As a contractor or freelancer, you aren’t an official employee. You work for yourself or through a third-party recruiter to provide services to a client or company. Contractors usually set their own hours and may get paid per project or by the hour.

For example, if you’re a freelance writer, you might get $50 per article or earn by the word. Bloggers are often paid by post. 

Average U.S. wages

• Freelance writer: $22 per hour

• Blogger: $19 per hour

Where to find freelance work for teens:

• Fiverr (minimum age 13 to create an account with adult permission; must be 18 to enter into any contract)

• Upwork (minimum age 18)

• Snagajob (minimum age 16)

Online businesses for teens

Unlike traditional jobs where you get paid for work, nobody pays you to become a business owner. An online business means forming a company to sell products or services. 

But it comes with risk and there’s no guaranteed paycheck. Teen business owners can lose money if things don’t go well. There may also be legal obligations, such as applying for a business license and paying taxes if you earn over a certain amount. Check out small business ideas for teens.

Online side hustles for teens

Side hustles are more casual, informal opportunities to earn, often sporadically or in your spare time. Online product and game reviews, research, and surveys are popular side hustles. 

Note: Some companies pay in gift cards instead of cash, so read the fine print. 

19 online jobs for teens

Before starting any job or job search, talk about your child’s skills and strengths to determine what might be a good fit. 

Get inspired by these popular online teen jobs to earn extra cash.

1. Virtual translation and editing services

Bilingual skills are in high demand. If your student is fluent in or a native speaker of more than one language, part-time and full-time opportunities abound, from “localizing” website content (translating English pages into other languages), to quality control, to building and maintaining glossaries.

Many news and entertainment outlets also need freelance translators to interpret and convert scripts, articles, and videos and edit them for accuracy. 

2. Mystery shopper

Get paid to shop! Some online and brick-and-mortar retailers regularly evaluate how they’re doing in the marketplace by using mystery shoppers. Remote mystery shoppers might conduct market research, evaluate customer service, assess sales techniques, and provide feedback on their shopping experiences. 

Some actively recruiting companies say you can make up to $200 a day. 

3. Virtual recreation coordinator

Many local community centers need help planning and running their programs and services. Think youth programs, parks and recreation, athletics, summer camps, and classes. Eligible teens and students can make good money helping with administration, recruiting, enrollment, marketing, and communications. Most positions start at $18 or higher. 

4. Online tutor 🧑‍🎓

Got a special skill? You can share your expertise virtually on many topics, from music to math. Some companies offer online tutoring jobs, or you can offer tutoring (with parental and school permission) to other students, friends, or family. 

5. Customer service representative 🎧

Being a customer support agent involves answering common questions, solving or escalating customer issues, processing returns, and guiding people to get what they need. It might be over the phone, chat, email, or a combination.

6. Data entry ⌨️

Is your teen good with details? Do they have solid typing or technical skills? They can get paid to enter information into a database, compile records, build spreadsheets, or transcribe. 

7. Virtual assistant 🖥️

For the resourceful, being an online assistant involves things like scheduling, answering calls or emails, making reservations, and completing various tasks from home.

8. Social media manager 🤳

Why not use your online skills to get paid? Businesses often need people to manage their Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or other social media accounts. They may also need help with business-specific profile pages like Google or Yelp.

9. Freelance writer ✍️

If you have good writing and grammar skills, you can get paid to produce articles, blog posts, website content, social media posts, and more. 

10. Freelance graphic designer 🖌️

Graphic designers get paid to create web graphics, promotional materials, social media graphics, infographics, and more. If you have an eye for design, this can be a good way to expand your skills while earning some money.

11. Freelance editing and proofreading 🤓

Teens with a keen eye for detail, grammar, and writing can get paid to edit or proofread documents or online content. 

It’s especially helpful if you’re bilingual. Many employers look for writers, editors, and proofreaders proficient in multiple languages.

12. Photo and video editing 📹

Lots of companies look for people skilled in editing or producing digital assets like art, imagery, photography, and video content. Teens can work directly with clients or link up with photographers to edit their content for clients.

13. Music production and mixing 🎶

Musically inclined teens can also earn some money by producing music and other audio files. You could even get paid to compose your own music or become a recording artist yourself.

14. Sell stuff online 💸

Selling on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or other online marketplaces is a common business opportunity for teens. You could sell homemade T-shirts, jewelry, crafts, or resell items. This is a relatively simple business: Buy low, sell high, and don’t forget to account for all the costs of doing business (shipping, your time, etc.) 

15. Be a TikTok host or YouTube influencer 🎮

You must be over 16, but creating content can make money (eventually). Content creators on YouTube, TikTok, etc., make money primarily through advertising revenue or sponsorships. Streamers on Twitch can earn through paid subscribers or sponsorships.

One recent trend is TikTok host, where you serve as an online brand ambassador demonstrating or describing products and how they work. 

16. Sell online courses 📑

If you have something to teach others, you could be a tutor — or you could record content and sell courses to multiple people! It’s an exciting business opportunity because it involves a lot of upfront effort but minimal ongoing effort once your courses are published. This can create the opportunity for passive income and is a powerful way to diversify your income sources.

17. Complete online surveys 🗒️

Some companies pay individuals to fill out online surveys or provide feedback to clients. Sites like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and MyPoints are good places to start looking for these opportunities. You won’t earn a whole lot, but it can be a fun, casual way to earn some extra money.

18. Test websites and apps 📲

Some companies use third-party testers to evaluate their websites, mobile apps, or products in addition to surveys. This helps companies detect issues with their sites. Reputable platforms help connect testers with clients who need testing.

19. Complete paid tasks ✅

In addition to surveys, some survey sites like Swagbucks pay users to complete little tasks and gigs. It could be watching a short video, playing video games, or signing up for a free service. The payout per task varies, but there are plenty of options to explore.

What are the benefits of online jobs?

The biggest benefit of working online is flexibility. Between school, homework, and extracurricular activities, it can be hard to squeeze in a part-time job, too. But with an online job, you can work when it’s convenient for you. 

There’s also a lot of variety in online jobs — giving you the chance to work on a new skill or find something you’re passionate about. You might even discover a new interest you want to pursue in college. 

Last but not least, money! Having extra spending cash never hurts, but you also get to practice money management skills, like budgeting, saving, and investing. Learning how to save and invest now will be invaluable throughout your life and can help you build wealth.

Learn how to manage your income with Greenlight

Whether you land a part-time job, start freelancing, or become an influencer, you’ll need to manage your new income properly.

At a minimum, use a banking solution to help you save, spend, and manage your money. And once things really get rolling, you may want to look into investing your profits.

Talk to your parents about using Greenlight, the all-in-one money app for teens — with investing and direct deposit. You’ll get a debit card, a slick app, and powerful tools to manage your own money.

This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.