11 Best Online Jobs for Teens
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Getting your first job as a teen is an exciting time. For the first time, you’re earning money you can use to buy things you want, and you get the first taste of financial independence. While you can get a job flipping burgers, there are numerous online jobs for teens under 18 that provide a legitimate way to make money on the side.
As a parent, you should encourage your child to find ways to make money as a teen. Earning cash allows them to learn the value of money. It also allows them to learn how to balance school, extracurricular activities, helping around the house, and work.
Doing so will only help them develop those skills they can use for the rest of their lives. If you’re looking for legitimate ways to make money as a teen, our guide shares a few top choices.
Best Online Jobs for Teens
Your teen years are an exciting time. It’s also a time where you begin to learn that items have a cost.
Unfortunately, you may also have a limited amount of time to earn money. Working online or doing work for an on-demand app is an excellent solution to that problem.
Here are 11 of the best online jobs for teens to earn spending money.
1. Paid Surveys or Games
The problem with many of the ways for teens to make money online is some of the best choices require you to be at least 18 years old.
Paid surveys often don’t have that requirement, making it one of the best jobs for 16-year-olds or younger.
Here are a few of the top paid survey choices for teenagers:
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is an online survey site that partners with brands for market research. In exchange for providing your opinion, Survey Junkie rewards you with points that you can then redeem for gift cards or cash via PayPal.
This site is perfect for teens, and they can sign up for an account starting at 13. As long as they have an email address and answer questions honestly, they can make quite a bit of extra change.
Swagbucks
Are you looking for jobs for 14-year-olds or even a 13 year old? Swagbucks is one of the best ways for teens to earn money by taking surveys, but they also offer a great deal more than that.
Besides surveys, Swagbucks also allows you to earn points by:
- Completing offers
- Playing games
- Watching sponsored videos
- Playing online games
When you first sign up, you receive a $10 bonus credit. To open an account, you need to be at least 13 years of age and have a valid email address.
A valid email is also essential because that is where Swagbucks will send any redeemed gift cards.
Just like with Survey Junkie, there are many gift cards that you can choose from, like Target or Starbucks. You can also cash out via PayPal and Visa prepaid debit cards.
Toluna
Toluna is a bit different when it comes to survey sites. Instead of taking multiple surveys for points and cash, you test products and give your honest feedback.
This is great for teens who want to make more money and try new products.
While you earn points for your feedback, they are redeemable for gift cards, PayPal cash, or free products. Unlike Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, you have to be at least 15 to use Toluna.
LifePoints
LifePoints is another survey site that allows teens to make extra money. You can earn points by testing products and participating in mini-polls.
There is one caveat with LifePoints: you have to keep your account active to use the site. To keep your account active, you have to complete a survey or other activity within 30 days of signing up, and at least one every 90 days.
To sign up with LifePoints, you need to be at least 14 years old.
2. Deliver Meals
Delivering pizzas is one of the classic jobs for students to earn money on the side. Thanks to on-demand delivery apps, delivering meals is one of the highest-paying jobs for teens as you can earn up to $20 per hour, with tips.
Popular apps require drivers or bikers to be at least 18, so this won’t qualify among jobs for 16-year-olds, but it will work for your older student.
DoorDash and Postmates are the two top delivery apps in the space and provide an excellent way for teens to make money. Both services deliver meals, though Postmates also delivers groceries and clothing.
To qualify for DoorDash, a driver must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a valid driver’s license and car insurance
- Be able to pass a background check
- Have a clean driving record
- Own a newer smartphone with the latest update
- Be able to attend orientation (based on your city and state)
To qualify for Postmates, a driver must:
- Have a valid driver’s license and car insurance
- Pass a background check
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Own a newer smartphone
- Be able to pass an interview (if applicable in your state).
The great perks about driving for DoorDash and Postmates is that workers can set their own schedule and earn tips.
Read more about both services in our Postmates vs. DoorDash guide.
Whether you’re looking for summer jobs for teens, or a job to work on weekends, delivering meals is a great way to earn money.
3. Walk Dogs
Although not an online gig, if you’re asking yourself, “What are the best part-time jobs for teens near me?” look no further than walking dogs as a possibility. If your teen is an animal lover, they can earn money with Rover.
You can make money with Rover in the following ways:
- Walking dogs
- Boarding animals in your home
- Pet sit in a client’s home
To start with Rover, you have to create a profile and pass a background check. You also need to be at least 18 years old. Once you’ve signed up and completed a background check, you can start getting clients right away.
Besides being able to play with animals, Rover contractors also charge what they want. For example, you can charge $30 a night for boarding, or $100 a night. The choice is yours.
Rover’s site claims dog walkers can earn at least $1,000 per month offering various pet-related services; this makes it one of the better high paying jobs for teens.
Read our guide on the top dog walking jobs to learn more about Rover, and other platforms.
4. Perform Simple Tasks on Fiverr
Fiverr is a terrific opportunity for any teen looking to break into the world of online business and side hustling. With Fiverr, you perform various tasks for, you guessed it, $5.
While admittedly a small amount, the real money comes in offering add-ons you can charge at whatever level you want. You can make money in countless ways on Fiverr, including:
- Doing voice-overs
- Creating custom background music
- Fast graphic design
- Writing thank you notes
If your teen is tech-savvy, Fiverr is one of the best online jobs for students available.
To work with Fiverr, you need to be at least 13 years of age. If you’re looking for jobs for 14-year-olds, this is a perfect platform to start.
5. Design Products Through CafePress
If your teen likes designing and creating products, CafePress is a terrific website to use to earn money on the side. With CafePress, you customize products to sell to people.
Examples of what you can design include:
- Mugs
- T-shirts
- Hats
- Blankets
You can also purchase premade items and resell them.
The opportunities are endless when it comes to creating and customizing products on CafePress. However, it is important to remember that if your teen wants to sell their creations, they’ll have to find a platform to do so.
Sites like Shopify and Sellfy are great places to start. To design and sell products through CafePress, you must be at least 13 years old.
6. Tutor Other Students
If your teen is great with people, they can teach English. Teaching English online is a popular way for those with teaching experience to make money.
However, it’s still an option if your teen wants to make money tutoring.
SameSpeak and SkimaTalk are excellent platforms to find online tutoring jobs for teens.
For SameSpeak, tutors earn $10 for every 30 minute session that they complete. For SkimaTalk, there aren’t any specific numbers, but they share that their top earners make more than $1,000 a month.
You must be at least 16 years old to work for SameSpeak and 18 years old for SkimaTalk.
It’s also important to note that as a tutor, a teen would be teaching someone in China. Due to the time difference, early mornings are the most popular class times.
If you’re looking for summer jobs for teens, this schedule works well since they won’t be in school.
7. Work for U-haul
U-haul hires online representatives, and is one of the better online jobs from home for students. U-haul starts employees at $10.00 an hour, to work from home on a computer providing customer service.
You can also earn bonuses and extra pay based on performance. To be an online representative, you must meet the following qualifications:
- Ability to type 25 words per minute
- Have a reliable internet connection
- Be at least 16 years of age
Your teen will have to go through interviews, and if chosen as a representative, they will have to go through four weeks of paid training.
The position is part-time, typically 32 hours a week or less.
U-haul is open seven days a week and has multiple shifts, so your teen can work during times that are convenient for them.
8. Babysitting
Babysitting is a classic job for teens. If your student likes spending time with younger children, babysitting is one of the higher paying jobs for teens.
Care.com is a useful resource to use to find babysitting jobs. The minimum age requirement is 13 years old. However, if the teen is between 13 and 17, they need a parent or guardian to grant permission for them to hold and use an account.
You cannot have your own account until you’re at least 18.
To apply for “jobs”, all a teen has to do is look for open positions, see if the times, dates, and situation work for them, and apply. People can also request to work with the teen, and they can accept or decline the offer.
A significant feature of Care.com is that you can create a profile. This profile lets you list your experience, and clients can give testimonials of your service. That will help you gain more clients.
Nextdoor is a suitable, and free, way for teens to find babysitting gigs and earn their own spending money.
9. Produce videos on YouTube
YouTube is a big hit for kids and teens because there is so much opportunity to earn extra cash. The best part is, your teen can record and edit videos right on their phone.
You must be at least 13 years of age or older to start a YouTube channel.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to starting and maintaining a YouTube channel. Your teen can create their own schedule and film whatever they find interesting.
However, it’s important to remember that you can’t make money from YouTube right away, and it could take time to build a base that pays. However, if your child wants a creative outlet, this can be one of the more fun online jobs for teens.
10. Start a Blog
Does your teen have a lot to share? Do they enjoy storytelling or writing? If so, they can start a blog and make money from it.
Self-hosting offers the best chance of earning money with a blog. Bluehost offers hosting for $2.95 per month. For that price, Bluehost sets up the site and provides the chosen domain name free for one year.
The minimum age requirement to use Bluehost is 13 years of age. If your teen is a minor, you will have to purchase the Bluehost hosting for them. However, they can set up everything else and design their website exactly how they want it.
It’s important to note that blogging doesn’t mean money coming in right away. It takes hard work and dedication to build a successful and money-making blog. However, it is possible, especially if your teen is passionate about it.
11. Slicethepie
Slicethepie is similar to survey sites, but with a twist. This is a great site if your teen likes music and clothing.
Like other survey sites, Slicethepie pays you for your opinion. The most popular way to earn money on the site is to give your opinion on a song. You listen to a clip of music, then review it.
Each review you leave nets a payment of $0.05 to $0.20. Yes, this isn’t one of the highest-paying jobs for teens, but it’s also not difficult to do.
Once you earn at least $10, Slicethepie pays you via PayPal.
To sign up for Slicethepie, you must be at least 13 years old.
What to Know About Teens Making Money Online
Making money as a teen is exciting, but there are also some things to know first, especially when looking for tips for working from home. Working online is a terrific way to earn money, but you also want to avoid scams.
Here are a few tips to help as you look for online jobs for teenagers.
Know the Age Requirements
No matter what, it’s vital to know the age requirements. And, a teen shouldn’t lie about their age.
For example, if you’re looking for online jobs for 15-year-olds, don’t apply for a side gig app that requires you to be at least 16 years old.
That can cause issues and even get them banned from websites. It can mean forfeiting the money they’ve earned.
Have A Valid Email Address
To sign up for any online jobs for teens, you must have a valid email address. They’re easy to create, and you only need to be 13 to open a Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook email.
Get A PayPal Account
To sign up for PayPal, you need to be at least 18 years old. However, a parent can sign up for a teen and then transfer the money made to the teen’s account.
Remember that if your teen is an independent contractor, they may need to set aside some earnings for taxes.
Be in the Know
Unless the teen is a legal adult, it is important to include parents in what they do. That way, if anything goes wrong, a parent is aware and can help.
Always Be Smart Online
The internet is great, except when it’s not. The internet is full of scams. Due to scammers and other people who take advantage of others, it’s not always completely safe.
So, always be aware and smart online. Don’t give out personal information, don’t plan to meet up with anyone you don’t know without a parent, and always practice safe online practices.
Summary
Summary
While traditional part-time jobs are always typically available, some teenagers want something a little more flexible. They may also want to start their own business or pursue multiple passions at once.
These online jobs for teens offer ways to make money and be independent, without sacrificing other areas in life.
What are some other ways to make money as a teenager? How many hours a week do you think is appropriate for a teen to work? What do you do to ensure your student is safe while working?
Kim Suazo
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