The 12 best jobs for teens looking to earn their own money

Whether you just need extra money for weekends with your friends or you’re saving to buy your first car or pay for school, finding a job is a big step for a teen. A job provides a sense of financial independence, as you no longer need to rely on your parents for extra spending cash.

So, you’re likely wondering, “What are the best jobs for teens?” 🤷 We’ve got you covered with 12 great jobs to consider below.

These are the 12 best jobs for teens

You can choose from a wide range of good jobs for teens, but some offer more benefits than others. These 12 in-person and online jobs are great options for teens, as they offer useful experience, higher pay, or possibly both.

1. Restaurant server 🥞

On top of learning a broad set of skills and time management as a server, you also learn one of the most marketable skills in the workforce: customer service. Serving food to customers requires patience and the ability to be polite, cheerful, and helpful to a wide range of customer types.

Another reason this is a good job for teens is the income potential, even as a part-time job. Sure, the hourly pay for a server is below minimum wage in most areas, but with great service, you can also get great tips. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the national median income for a waiter or waitress is $14 per hour.

2. Kennel assistant 😻

Do you love pets? Do you dream of having animals as a part of your long-term career? Being a kennel assistant can be a great way to do what you love now and earn skills you can use as you progress toward a future job, such as dog training, becoming a veterinarian, or getting into veterinary pharmaceuticals.

As a kennel assistant, you can get a jump start on caring for animals, as you’ll help clean cages, groom animals, feed and bathe them, take them on walks, administer medicines, and more. You may even interact with owners as they check their pets in and out, giving you customer service skills too.

Animal care and services workers make a median hourly wage of $13.81, according to the BLS.

3. Babysitter 👶

Throughout generations, babysitting has been a rite of passage for teens looking to earn extra cash. It remains one of the best jobs for teens today because it can help you learn all types of useful skills in life and work, including childcare, cooking, cleaning, problem-solving, leadership, and more. Plus, it’s often one of the more flexible jobs for teens because you choose whether or not you want to accept a job offer based on your schedule.

Childcare workers, which includes babysitters, earn a median hourly wage of $13.22, according to the BLS.

4. Lifeguard 🏊

A popular summer job for teens is being a lifeguard. You get to work poolside and enjoy the fresh air all while protecting swimmers. To become a lifeguard, you will need to be a strong swimmer and become certified, including first-aid and CPR.

Remember that some areas have age requirements to become a lifeguard as well, so check with local regulations to see if businesses in your area can hire teens in your age range for this role.

According to the BLS, lifeguards earn a $13.11 median hourly wage.

5. Barista ☕

Coffee shops hire baristas to make coffee and serve customers. Being a barista is about more than adding cream and sugar to coffee. ☕ You need to provide excellent customer service, memorize complex drink recipes, manage your time and tasks, run a cash register, and more. This makes what you’ll learn as a barista very marketable as you move on in your early career.

With a teen job as a barista, you can work in various settings, ranging from a small mom-and-pop coffee shop to a massive nationwide chain. On top of the range of workplace settings and tons of marketable work experience you’ll gain, you can also pad your bank account, as the average barista in the U.S. earns $13.89 per hour, according to Indeed.

6. Delivery driver 🚚

Another great high school job is being a delivery driver, including pizza, subs, groceries, or even local parcel delivery. This is a great job for someone who is good at working alone without supervision. You can turn on your favorite radio station or podcast and enjoy it as you drive between deliveries.

While it offers lots of freedom, being a delivery driver also teaches you valuable working skills, such as self-motivation, time management, logistics, problem-solving, and even customer service.

According to the BLS, the median hourly wage is $15.72, but remember, you’ll want to calculate your fuel costs and wear and tear on your vehicle if you use your own car.

Check your local regulations, as some impose age restrictions on delivery drivers, so job seekers under 18 may need to look for a different opportunity.

7. Dog walking 🐕

If you have a special place in your heart for dogs, why not immerse yourself around them by becoming a dog walker for busy dog owners in your neighborhood? In this job, you’ll go to your customer’s house, put the dog on its leash, and take it for walks once or twice (or more) during the day for exercise and to let them relieve themselves.

As a dog walker, you’ll learn valuable skills like time management, customer service, self-motivation, and more. Plus, this is a great stepping stone if you plan to pursue an animal-focused career. This can also transition into pet sitting and other pet-related jobs for teens.

According to Indeed, the average hourly wage is $17.76.

8. Retail sales associate 🛍

Being an entry-level retail sales associate covers a broad spectrum of job opportunities, ranging from selling used clothing at a boutique to helping customers set up their dream entertainment system at a large electronics store. Either way, these jobs offer great learning environments, making them some of the best jobs for teens.

In these roles, you’ll learn all about the products you sell, deliver great customer service, handle complaints and other issues, run a cash register, and more. What’s great about these jobs is you may find a position that aligns with what you love most. For example, you could work at a video game store if you love video games.

The median hourly wage for a retail sales associate is $14.03, according to the BLS.

9. Car wash attendant 🚗

Another option on the list of best teen jobs is a car wash attendant. This role will have you performing all types of tasks, from selling car wash packages and accessories to cashing out customers to washing and drying vehicles. Because the job has so many responsibilities, it’s highly marketable because it shows your ability to switch tasks quickly to ensure the customer gets the best possible service.

Once you learn the ropes of detailing cars, this could also become a lucrative side hustle to do on your own and earn even more money.

The median hourly wage for this role is $14.90, according to the BLS.

10. Chat support 💬

Companies nationwide now offer all types of support, including live chat. They need to hire folks to cover shifts throughout the day and evening. This is a great opportunity for a teen, as it gives you the flexibility to work around your busy schedule. Another reason it's one of the best jobs for teens is that many allow you to work from home.

In addition to all the convenience, being a chat support agent can help you learn many marketable skills, including customer service, problem-solving, task management, grammar and punctuation, and any of the technology you use to do the job.

On average, a support specialist in the U.S. earns $18.68 per hour, according to Indeed.

11. Data entry ⌨️

Data is crucial to the success of companies in this digital age, and they need people to manually enter this information for tracking and forecasting purposes. That’s where a data entry job comes into play. 

In today’s world, many data entry jobs allow employees to work from home, making them super convenient for teens. Plus, you’ll learn many useful skills, including typing, task management, self-motivation, and even special skills like medical coding.

Data entry is also a high-paying job for high school students, as the median national wage is $17.40 per hour, according to the BLS.

12. Fast food restaurant team member 🍔

Fast food is a common industry for teens because there are often plenty of job openings, making the job search relatively easy. But we consider it one of the best jobs for teens for other reasons too. 

First, you’ll have a robust job description that covers the entire restaurant. Some of the types of jobs you’ll handle include cooking, cleaning, taking customer orders, resolving problems, running the register, and more. You’ll gain a broad set of skills while working fast food that you can use just about anywhere.

Fast food restaurants also generally offer flexible hours and can work around your extracurricular activities.

The median hourly wage is $13.43, according to the BLS.

Find the best job for you

Whether this will be your first job or you’re looking to replace your current job, the best teen job is the one that suits you best. While searching for the highest wage is tempting, be sure to also consider your scheduling needs, your skills, and your personality.

Most important of all, make the most out of what you can learn from these jobs. While some tasks may seem mundane, even the smallest task can help you hone an important skill for future use.

Speaking of making the most of it, Greenlight can help you make the most of your paycheck with direct deposit, a debit card for easy access to your cash, and even financial literacy lessons to help you learn more about managing your money.

Take the Greenlight app for a spin today and see how it can help you.