How to make money as a teenager has become very interesting. You have to look for moneymaking opportunities from non-traditional sources. But that is not a problem, because there are more of them than ever before.
The only reason we stopped is that the possibilities are almost unlimited. So, here are the ways to make money as a teenager that we thought were the best.
We left off the usual teen job situations, like fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, and big-box retailers. You do not need us to tell you about ordinary jobs.
Oh, and even though the opportunities are numbered, they are not in any special order. It is mostly a matter of picking which one will work best for you.
How To Make Money As A Teenager
Become Tutor
Not only does it help the person you are tutoring and let you earn money, but it also gives you a refresher on an old subject so that you can do better in your current classes. If you tutor a subject that you love, it does not even need to feel like work. To find someone to tutor, just ask your parents or friends if they know anyone who needs help.
Often, students are embarrassed and will not admit they need a tutor, and that is why it is important to talk to parents.
Designing Skills
A lot of people are looking online right now on UpWork for creative people to help them design their logos, websites, and media. You can sign up for a freelancer account and submit your cover letter or resume for available job openings. This should only be for people who already have experience in graphic design or art.
Make Money As A Teenager Organizing Events
Put those good leadership skills to work and help adults organize events. You could be paid as an assistant or even find people who need to have an event organized. One idea is organizing birthday parties for small children.
It is often a headache for parents with little time and kids with high expectations. You can take that responsibility off them by organizing an amazing birthday party with fun games and cute decorations.
If one kid goes to an amazing party you organized, they will tell their parents they want you to organize their birthday as well. That is where you can turn this idea into a business.
Computer Service Company
Before you count yourself out as someone who does not know much about computers. You will not realize it now, but as a teen, you are likely more tech-savvy than you realize. If there is something you do not know how to do, I am betting you would do a lot better following a tutorial online than your older client would.
All you need is one client or family member to pay for your help setting up their phone, fixing their iTunes account, and installing some software and you are off to the races.
Sell Your Stuff
Another way to make some easy money is by putting your clothing or other items on websites such as Dote, Let Go, or thredUP. You can create your own account and choose your own prices. Another option is to organize a garage sale and invite the neighborhood.
Babysitter
This is probably one of the most common teen jobs out there and one of the easiest. Online websites such as Facebook or Reddoor can also help. Chances are someone you know will know someone who will need a babysitter, or they will know someone else to refer you to. Do not be afraid to just ask around.
Start A Youtube Channel
YouTubers only make under $50 their first year of making videos, but after years of creating a following, you can start to get brand deals and better revenue from ads and start earning thousands of dollars. To make this option work, you need to make sure that the content you are putting out into the world is unique and of good quality, otherwise, no one will pay any attention.
Starting a Youtube channel takes a lot of time, so you need to make sure that making videos is something you absolutely love doing before pursuing this option.
Sell On Shopify
There is something called dropshipping where you can sell other company items in your store and ship directly from them to the customer and make a difference. This is how Gym Shark got started.
Instagram Account
This could be a personal account to grow your personal brand or a completely separate, niche account that focuses on viral content. If you grow an account to 40,000 followers, you can start charging money to post content on your account.
Practically every large account does this. If you are not convinced, follow twenty large memes or niche accounts and take notice of what they post. Often the paid posts will only be live for a few hours. Niche accounts on Instagram can charge anywhere from $30 to $300+ for one post. The number of followers and engagement rates are important in determining how much can be charged for a story.
You can also become an affiliate and recommend a product in your story links that you can earn a commission.
Sell On Etsy
Are you good at art? You can sell your crafts on Etsy. It is a website specifically for buying and selling handmade items such as jewelry, decorations, clothing, etc.
Movie Or TV Show
It might take hundreds of auditions, and a lot of patience, but for all the stars who have made it, it is been worth it. Do not count yourself out just because you are scared to pursue this dream. All it takes is one quick Google search to see auditions in your area. You could start at a local theatre or maybe a small commercial to get your name out there. If you are not afraid of hearing the word no, you can not lose.
Remember, people are not just born with talent. Maybe some skills come easier than others, but all actors or actresses have spent literally thousands of hours honing their craft. If this is a dream of yours, there is no reason not to start now.
Manage Social Media Accounts
If you are a teen who spends several hours per day on social media, you are qualified for this job. There are literally hundreds of thousands of businesses out there without much of a social media presence.
For small business owners, this aspect of the business is too big of a time-sync for them to invest time into. Why not ask around or reach out to local businesses to see if any business owners need someone to run their social media accounts?
So if you feel confident that there is a business out there where you can get them an online following that will give them leads, you can convince that business to pay you. Once you start building a track record for yourself, you can get more clients and start earning even more each month. There are social media managers who are earning upwards of $1000 per month just for one business.
Teach A Skill
Maybe tutoring academics is not your thing, but you have another talent you are amazing at. Maybe you can play the guitar or sing really well. Or maybe you are an amazing dancer or choreographer.
The fact is that whatever you are really good at there is someone out there wanting to get better at that skill. You can either try to find someone wanting to learn a skill you are good at or advertise your own lessons.
If you get really good at teaching that skill, you could even make an online course and start to earn a lot more income online.
Sell Your Photos
So, if you have a good camera and a good eye for photography, you can list your photos for sale and earn passive income online.
Design Your Own Clothes
You can create custom designs and put them on shirts, socks, posters, hats, accessories, etc. If you use a service like Printful, you do not have to worry about shipping because they will ship your orders for you directly to your customers once you have made a sale.
So if you are the creative type and designing your own clothing line sounds exciting to you, you can go ahead and set up your own store on Shopify, upload your prints to Printful, and have your own clothes shipped to customers within a week.
Become An Affiliate
Did you know you can make money recommending other peoples products? If you build a following on a blog or social media account, you can earn a commission from recommending a product or service that you have tested and love.
Write An Ebook
Do you love writing? Independent writers of all ages are writing stories or informational EBooks on a variety of topics. You can self-publish on Amazon or make your fictional story available on Wattpad where fans can choose to give money to you.
Take Surveys
Filling out surveys is not the most thrilling way to make money. And you may feel like these websites are a scam. But really, there are lots of legitimate survey companies out there. One of my favorites is Survey Junkie as they have a low cash-out requirement of $5. You will not make a lot of money, but it is easy to do and can be done while you are just sitting around.
One more tip if you are looking to go this route: sign up for a separate email address to use just for surveys. That way your normal email inbox will not be blocked up with mail and you will be able to see your available surveys all in one spot.
Swagbucks
One company I did not mention in the previous point is Swagbucks, yes, you can take surveys through Swagbucks, but there are lots of other things you can do with Swagbucks. You will earn Swagbucks for performing activities like playing games, watching videos, searching the Internet, and even doing your online shopping through Swagbucks.
You will not make a lot of money, but it is a nice little extra. Plus, you only need to be 13 to sign up for a Swagbucks account.
Gain A Skill And Do Freelancing
There are so many skills that businesses and people need help with, especially online. And yes, you can even help if you are a teen. Just be sure you know what you are doing and present yourself professionally.
Here are some different skills you can develop:
- Writing/Copywriting
- Social media management
- Digital Marketing
- Coding
- Bookkeeping
- Graphic design
- Proofreading
If you are confident in your abilities, you can reach out to small local businesses to see if they need any help with any of the above. Social media management is an especially looked-for skill these days
As with some of these other options, it takes some effort to get started making money this way, but once you start and have some happy clients, you may end up with more work than you ever dreamed of you are not quite ready to start your own business this way, consider signing up for a Fiverr account to find opportunities that way.
Fiverr is a marketplace for buying and selling freelance services for $5 and up.
Start A Blog
If you have a passion for a topic, start writing, Teach people what you know and share your experiences. There is a wealth of information out there about how to make money with a blog, but it starts with quality, consistent content.
Blogging can be a great way to earn passive income but keep in mind that it may take a long time to get started earning money with a blog. That is why it is important to blog about something you are passionate about and add content regularly.
Eventually, you will be able to monetize your blog with ads, affiliate links, and sponsored posts.
Play Video Games
What teen does not love video games?! Did you know that you may even be able to get paid for playing video games? If you are good at video games, people may be interested in watching videos or a live stream of you playing.
Set up an account at one of these online platforms to get started:
Twitch:
Get paid with donations, or apply to become a Twitch partner and get paid for serving ads when you reach 500 regular viewer count
Mixer:
Ask for donations, or become a Mixer partner and make money from ads
Sell Crafts And Homemade Items
If you are crafty, selling your wares is a fun money-making option. Many people love the look of handmade crafted items but do not have the talent to do it themselves. One option is to create an Etsy or Amazon store. Then go nuts putting your items together and sharing them with the masses.
Selling fees on both stores are minimal, but you will still need to remember to price your items fairly so you are not making pennies per hour.
Pet Sitting
People routinely pay adults to take care of their pets while they are away on vacation. But you may be able to create your own book of business by charging a little bit less than the going rate for adults.
You can find customers by advertising in your own neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. You have to love pets, and the work is usually very casual.
Sell Your Art
I once ran into a teenager who was creating and selling his own artwork at a fair. He was creating the artwork at the fair, and selling it. He was creating dazzling artwork with spray paint. It was exciting stuff, and he was actually selling it at about $20 each.
If you have an artistic streak, selling directly at fairs and craft shows can be a serious moneymaking opportunity.
Fiverr and Upwork
If you have certain skills, you can make money doing microtasks. These are small jobs, like graphic design, voiceovers, and social media work, that pay a few dollars per gig. The idea is to do multiple jobs, from the comfort of your home, and earn some extra money.
You can do this through platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.
Web Content
WriterAccess.com provides an opportunity to write content for websites. You are eligible if you are a teenager. The pay ranges between 1.4 cents and 7 cents per word, which means you can earn anywhere from $14 – $70 for 1,000 words. Pay is twice a month. Get good at this and you can try your hand at freelance writing.
Video Editing
If you know how to create videos, you can probably edit them as well. If you have created some professional-quality videos, or have performed editing work on other people videos, you already have a portfolio of work.
Offer your services on Craigslist and other sites. You can charge either an hourly fee or a flat fee depending on the job.
Conclusion On How To Make Money As A Teenager
So, there you have a lot of ways to make money as a teenager. Even better, you do not have to pick just one way. You can choose two or three, or even more. You can even choose to do one for a while, then move on to the next.
There is always another way to make money and you never have to get bored.