You likely wouldn’t mind having extra cash if you’re a teen. Whether buying new clothes, saving for a car, or preparing for college, money is one of life’s necessities.
Luckily, several side hustles for teens like yourself can help you make extra money. Which one of the ideas listed here will be your cash cow?
Should a Teen Get a Side Hustle While in School?
As you consider working a side hustle, you might wonder if it’s a good idea to get a side hustle while in school.
After all, it is important to do well in your studies. Will having a side hustle interfere with that?
One cool thing about the many side hustles we’ll discuss here is that you can choose the days and hours you’ll work them.
In addition, we’ve got ideas for earning cash that allow you to work at all times of the day and night.
In other words, if you choose the right side hustle, you can create a work schedule that allows you to leave ample time for your studies.
Best Side Hustles for Teens
The side hustles listed here are among the best ideas for teens to make extra money.
We’ve even included some ideas for online jobs for teens. Make a list of your skills and interests, and choose the best side hustle ideas for you.
1. Create and Sell T-shirts
Creating and selling t-shirts is a side hustle idea you can do anytime, day or night. And believe it or not, you don’t have to have a production line to do this.
Companies such as CafePress and Redbubble have a system where you can upload your t-shirt designs to their sites.
From there, customers can order t-shirts and other items with your design.
These companies will make the shirts, ship them, and handle all customer service issues. When an order is placed, the company you use will give you a commission on each sale made with your design.
2. Become a Freelance Writer
If you’ve got a gift for writing, you might consider earning money as a freelance writer. This is another side hustle that allows you to create your schedule.
Many freelance writers get paid to write for blogs such as this one. As a freelance writer, you’ll get paid per word or article as an independent contractor.
Being an independent contractor means you are responsible for setting aside money for taxes and business expenses. Find freelance writing work on a site like Upwork.
3. Mow Lawns
Do you like mowing lawns, shoveling snow, and other yard tasks? Then, creating a side hustle doing those types of jobs might be perfect for you.
You can create flyers and advertise your services on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. What’s more, you can create a schedule that works for you.
You’ll need your equipment–and a way to transport it–to do this job unless you only work for clients close to your home. Or, clients may allow you to use their lawnmowers and other tools.
4. Become a Social Media Manager
Businesses and entrepreneurs often hire people to manage their social media accounts. Are you the type of person who can attract people to your Instagram, TikTok, or other social media posts?
If so, you may be able to get paid to create engaging social media posts for others. This type of job may be advertised as a W-2 (employee) or independent contractor position.
Find jobs by searching on the best job search sites, such as Indeed.
5. Work as a Virtual Assistant
A Virtual Assistant is tasked with various functions depending on the position. As a virtual assistant, you may be asked to complete tasks such as:
- Manage a business owner’s calendar
- Manage employees or independent contractors
- Handle social media accounts
- Make appointments
- Care for customers
- Manage a website
Or other tasks. If you are organized and work well in a support role, you might consider searching for employee or independent contractor jobs as a Virtual Assistant.
6. Care for Children
Do you like being around kids? Parents of young children are always searching for babysitters.
You could advertise babysitting services by handing out flyers in your neighborhood.
In addition, you could create a profile on a site such as Care.com, where parents go to search for qualified babysitters.
One nice thing about working as a babysitter is that, in many cases, you can determine your hourly pay rate.
7. Start a Blog
If you’ve got a knack for writing and valuable information to share with the world, why not consider starting your blog?
Starting a blog is a doable project, even if you’ve never done so. We have a tutorial showing you how to start a blog in 10 minutes or less.
From there, you can learn how to make money as a beginner blogger and create your own lucrative side hustle.
8. Tutor Students
Do you have certain school subjects that you perform well at? If that’s the case, you might be able to create a nice income for yourself by learning how to start your own tutoring business.
You can connect with local parents to tutor children in your area in the subjects they need help with.
Advertise at local schools or by posting your services on social media sites. If you’re 18 or older, you can work at one of the best online tutoring jobs.
9. Care for Pets
If you’re a pet lover, you may be able to find success working as a caregiver for pet owners. Pet owners often seek out pet sitters when they travel for work or pleasure.
As a pet sitter, you may be asked to stay home for the pet owner’s trip. Or you may only have to stop in and check on the pet once or twice a day.
Another business idea for you if you’re a pet-loving teen is to start a dog walking business. Advertise your services on social media by posting flyers or creating a profile on Rover.
10. Work as a Pooper Scooper
If you’re not interested in taking care of pets, why not start a business cleaning yards of doggie doo?
While not the most pleasant job, pet owners often pay good money to hand off this arduous task.
Advertise your services by delivering flyers to local pet owners, and charge by the hour with a minimum cost of one hour.
11. Wash Cars
Washing cars is another side hustle for teens to make extra money. Offer your services to local car owners, bringing your cleaning supplies and using their hose and water.
You supply the bucket, soap, rags, and handheld, battery-operated vacuum. Don’t forget the window cleaner and paper towels to clean the inside of the windows.
Charge per car, and don’t be afraid to charge extra if the car is dirtier inside than you would expect.
12. Take Surveys
Taking surveys is another option for teens looking to earn some extra cash. There are several great survey companies to sign on with.
The best survey sites have transparent pay rates, lots of surveys for you to take, and low payout thresholds. Survey Junkie is one example of a great survey site.
Note that while you won’t make a ton of cash taking surveys, you can make a bit of extra money while doing other things like watching TV.
13. Get Paid for Online Tasks
Some websites will pay you simply for completing a variety of online tasks. For example, Swagbucks will pay you for taking surveys, playing games, and shopping online.
Other sites that will pay you to do short tasks might ask you to perform Google searches, visit websites, or caption images on websites.
As with surveys, you won’t make much cash doing short tasks for money. However, you can earn a bit of extra cash during your downtime.
14. Work as a Photographer
Are you a talented photographer? Could you use your great skills with a camera to make some extra cash?
For instance, you could start your own local photography business. Offer your services to parents of high school grads or newborn babies.
Another option would be selling your photos to stock photography websites like Shutterstock. Check out these other easy ways to get paid to take pictures as well.
15. Create and Sell Digital Products Online
If graphic design is your passion, you may be able to earn some extra cash by creating and selling digital products online.
You can make printable, digital products such as planners, motivational quotes and more. Sell your designs on a site such as Etsy.
When you create designs people like and advertise your items wisely, you can create a passive income source for yourself.
16. Make and Sell Crafts
You can sell other items on Etsy as well. Do you have a gift for making crafts you can sell on Etsy and similar sites?
Can you knit hats, mittens, or other items? Do you have a knack for making jewelry? Check the Etsy website and get ideas for making and selling items.
Be sure to expand your advertising to other social media sites as well.
17. Work as a Retail Arbitrage Specialist
Retail arbitrage is buying items at a low price and reselling them for a profit. If you choose retail arbitrage as your side hustle, you might find items to sell on clearance racks at local stores.
You could also find items at garage sales or in the free section on Craigslist. Learn more about this potentially lucrative side hustle by reading How to Make Money with Retail Arbitrage.
18. Become a Remote Customer Service Rep
You may be able to find online or in-person work as a customer service representative. Check local stores to see if they’re hiring.
Or, look for companies such as U-Haul that may hire teens to work from home as customer service representatives.
This could be a good side hustle for you if you’ve got great customer service skills.
19. Work as a House Sitter
We talked earlier about creating a profile as a babysitter on Care.com. But did you know that Care. com allows you to advertise as a house sitter as well?
Some homeowners aren’t comfortable leaving their homes unoccupied when they’re away for an extended period.
Because of that, they hire people to visit or stay at home while they’re away. You’d get paid a set amount for simply hanging out at the house.
20. Clean Houses
Are you good at cleaning houses? If so, a side hustle as a house cleaner could be perfect for you.
Start by deciding which house cleaning tasks you will and won’t do. Then, advertise your services via a flyer or an email to homes in your area.
As the business owner, you can decide when, where, and how you’ll work. You also get to choose your rate of pay.
21. Teach an Online Course
Do you have a subject that you know a lot about? If so, you could make an online course or video on the subject.
Then, depending on the type of course or video, you could publish it on a site such as Udemy or YouTube.
With Udemy you’d get paid per course purchase. However, there are several ways to make money on YouTube.
22. Write a Book
Are you a gifted writer? Have you ever thought about writing a book? Whether it’s a fiction or non-fiction book, you can sell it and make some cash.
Platforms like Amazon allow writers to publish their books without needing a publishing company or an agent.
Check out our article on How to Make Money Writing a Book to learn more.
23. Start a Cottage Bakery
Do you have a gift for baking delicious cakes or cookies? Most states allow teens to start their cottage bake shop under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
A cottage baking license allows you to sell your baked goods with minimal oversight from state governments.
Check out your state’s Secretary of State website to learn the rules for owning a cottage bakery.
24. Work as a Camp Counselor
Summer camps around the U.S. hire camp counselors to help keep camp attendees occupied.
Search for camp counselor jobs by visiting the website of your favorite summer camp. In addition, you could visit a site such as SummerCamps.com to find a camp near you.
One nice thing about camp counselor jobs is that they keep your school year open so you can focus on homework.
25. Get a Part-Time Job
Part-time jobs abound at restaurants, stores, and coffee shops. Check with local retail establishments near you to find a part-time job you’ll love.
Although the hourly wage for most part-time jobs isn’t high, you can have a steady income.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may still have a few questions about side hustles for teens. Here’s a look at common questions.
What should a teen look for in a side hustle?
Look for a side hustle that compliments your skills and is work that you would enjoy. Do you enjoy crafts, or pets, or kids? Think about things that come easy to you. Also, take a look at your schedule between school and sports. Find gigs that fit with your schedule.
What should teens do with their money?
The great thing about having your own money is that you can manage it however you want.
However, you might want to create a budget to manage it wisely.
How to make sure your side hustle doesn’t interfere with school?
Of course, school has to be the priority. For that reason, it’s important to design your side hustle schedule to ensure your homework gets done promptly.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of side hustles for teens to make extra money. Choose one that will ensure you do work you enjoy.
As pop artist Marc Anthony says, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
