Everyone you admire was once a beginner.
Jack Butcher
Teenagers can't do what everyone considers the highest-paying jobs. They lack the necessary experience and qualifications. Still, they shouldn't give up on the idea of working. That's how we gain experience, after all: by doing.
Besides building experience, working gives teenagers a taste of financial independence. They can do what they want without their parents' money. Jobs for teens, like those in this table, also give them advancement opportunities. Even with these 'humble' jobs, young workers can build connections to help them when they start their careers.
| Job | Duties | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Elder care worker | Engage with clients, keep them safe. | $23 an hour |
| Babysitter | Care for children of various ages. | $23 to $30 an hour |
| Background actor | Follow directors' instructions | $27 an hour |
| Barista | Make and serve coffee and other brewed drinks. | $17 to $26 an hour |
| Cashier | Conduct financial transactions in a shop or market. | $27 an hour |
| Cinema attendant | Sell tickets and snacks, sweep up popcorn. | $22 to $28 an hour |
| Data entry clerk | Input data into a spreadsheet or database. | $29 an hour |
| Dog walker | Engage with and exercise dogs. | $20 to $28 an hour |
| Freelance writer | Write blog posts, opinions, product reviews, and more. | $42 an hour |
| Video editor | Compile clients' raw footage into presentable videos. | Project-based. |
| Retail sales assistant | Assist customers, keep the shop tidy, stock shelves. | up to $26 an hour |
| Tutor | Help students master their school subjects. | up to $33 an hour |
| Waitstaff | Take diners' orders, relay them to the kitchen, and serve the prepared food. | $26 an hour |
| App tester | Use and review apps while in development. | $10-20 per test |
| House cleaner | Do household chores in people's homes. | up to $30 an hour |
| Hotel housekeeping | Clean hotel rooms, make them ready for the next guests. | $20-25 an hour |
| Lifeguard | Monitor water activities, ensure swimmers' safety. | $30 an hour |
| Social media manager | Post content and reply to comments. | $30 an hour |
| Camp counsellor | Lead children through various outdoor activities. | over $35 an hour |
| Farm work | Plant, tend to, and harvest crops. Care for animals. | up to $30 an hour |
Elder Care Worker
Working with the elderly mightn't sound like the most glamourous job. However, anyone interested in medicine or care would benefit from this job.
Besides, this work is rewarding in itself. With average earnings of $23 an hour, elder care ranks among the best-paying jobs for teens.
Engaging with your clients is your top duty. The job entails keeping clients active, going for walks and helping with shopping; heating up meals and making sure your clients eat and drink. With no certifications to your name, you will not administer or oversee medication protocols. However, you should be CPR certified.
Babysitter
Babysitting is typically one of the first jobs for teens. Child-minding doesn't require any qualifications or credentials, but you have to be responsible.
Any teen interested in childcare, early childhood development, or teaching will gain valuable experience as a babysitter. A reliable babysitter can earn between $23 and $30 an hour.
Babysitting duties depend on the age of the child. In all cases, engagement and ensuring safety are these caregivers' top priorities. Babysitters must follow parents' instructions to the letter, including bedtimes and what the child may eat and drink.
Background Actor
Admittedly, this kind of work isn't available everywhere in Australia. Still, should you live in Sydney or Melbourne, you can find such opportunities. Any teen who has a career in the performing arts in mind will learn from this job.
As a set extra, your duties include dressing in costume, wearing makeup, and following directors' instructions. Long days in possibly uncomfortable clothing, and repetitive action could see you earn $27 an hour. A movie extra is one of the most fun jobs for teens.
Barista
Depending on the café or coffee shop, this job entails making coffee drinks, and either serving it over the counter or table-side. Other tasks include handling transactions, preparing or heating simple meals, and cleaning.
This teen job is great for anyone interested in food - food science, or food service. Also, anyone thinking about sales and marketing as a career would benefit from a barista job. The latest reports indicate that baristas earn between $17 and $26 an hour.
Cashier
A cashier works at the cash register in a supermarket, shop, or restaurant - particularly fast food. Cashiers perform other tasks, like stocking shelves, cleaning, and assisting customers. The average cashier earns $27 an hour.
Such a job, particularly in larger supermarkets, is one of the best jobs for teens. This public-facing position delivers a masterclass on dealing with different personalities. Handling cash reinforces your mental maths skills. Through it all, you get a taste of branding, marketing, and salesmanship.
Cinema Attendant
Cinema attendants earn somewhere between $22 and $28 an hour. Different cinemas distribute roles and tasks differently.
Your job might be selling tickets, showing guests to their seats, or cleaning up endless amounts of popcorn. Depending on the theatre, you might make and serve coffee and food.
Among the job ideas for teens, working in a cinema holds the top spot. These jobs combine the roles of sales assistant, cashier, barista, server, and cleaner. Add that experience to seeing the latest blockbusters for free, we conclude that the cinema is one of the best places to work as a teenager.
Data Entry Clerk
This online job is great for teens with no qualifications or experience. It entails plugging information into a database or spreadsheet.
Any teen aiming for a career in tech, IT, or business should investigate data entry work.
Data entry isn't exciting, but it could be a lucrative way to spend time in front of a computer. If you've got an eye for detail and decent computer skills, you could earn up to $29 an hour. Note, however, that these are not jobs for young teens. In many cases, these jobs will be in larger companies with potential networking opportunities.
Dog Walker
If you love animals and the outdoors, dog walking falls on the list of good paying jobs for teens.
The work calls for you to socialise the animals and engage with them. You must also ensure they stay safe, and clean up after them.
Dog walkers may earn between $20 and $28 an hour. It's an ideal job for anyone planning on going into veterinary medicine, dog grooming or opening a doggie daycare. Besides dog walking, you might look into pet-sitting. You'll spend time feeding and taking care of pets while their owners are away.
Freelance Writer
This is one of the highest paying jobs for 15 year olds Australia. Of course, it's not limited to that age group; 15 is just the minimum age one can land such a position.
As a freelance writer, you will create blog posts, SEO articles and web copy. Freelance writers in Australia can earn up to $42 an hour.
This job is great training for all the papers you'll write for your university courses. It will test your research skills and build your written communication abilities. And, if writing is your main career goal, this is how you build your portfolio. Freelance writing is one of the greatest jobs you can land without a university degree.
Video Editor
A client sends you raw footage, along with a detailed instruction list for how they want the clip to look and sound like. As a video editor, your job is to make sure the images, sound, and effects deliver the message your client intends.
You must return the finished product by the client's deadline, and rework the parts they're not satisfied with, if needed.
If you've ever edited a video on your phone, you have an idea of what this job entails. Any teen working towards a career in media or graphic arts should look for video editor opportunities. How much you might earn depends on your experience level and the project's size.
Retail Sales Assistant
Good jobs for teenagers aren't hard to come by, especially in retail sales. This is a customer-facing role, so you need people skills, as well as good communication abilities.
Teenagers with an interest in business, marketing or sales should seek these jobs. The average retail sales assistant can earn up to $26 an hour; a high paying job for teens.
Retail jobs touch on everything: fashion, food, tech and electronics; furniture, home appliances, and more. Besides working a retail position in the field you find interesting, you'll learn about other business aspects. Those include management, inventory control, and labour. Sales assistant jobs are a great way to hone in on your future career.
Tutor
One doesn't have to be a subject specialist, or have a teaching degree, to become a tutor. If you have a knack for maths or science, you could help younger learners master these subjects at their level.
Your work as a tutor calls for you to guide your pupils' understanding of the subject(s) you teach. You may use workbooks, education technology (Edtech), and materials you create.
Tutors can earn up to $33 an hour, depending on the subject, your geographical location, and how much tutoring experience you have. Tutoring jobs are perfect for teens aiming for a teaching career, as well as those fixating on social work and child development.
Waitstaff
Working as a server is a quintessential job for teens. This work involves taking meal orders from diners, relaying them to the kitchen staff, and delivering the prepared dishes.
Your manager will assign you an area - a part of the dining floor, with a certain number of tables. You are responsible for those guests' dining experiences.
You are responsible for your area's cleanliness, too. Clearing tables once the diners are gone, sweeping up and keeping the condiments stocked are also among your duties. Server jobs are ideal for anyone thinking about a future in the hospitality industry, or any public-facing work. You stand to earn up to $26/hour as you gain this experience.
App Testing
Before software companies release a new application, they employ a battalion of users to test it.
Likewise, before a new website launches, its creators want to know how the public will use it, and what they think of it. Such testers put those apps/pages through their paces, and report their conclusions.
Your job is to probe the pages/apps to determine their ease of use, appearance, and functionality. Your report must tell of your experiences while using it - good and bad, and make recommendations, when needed. This is an excellent job for university students and teens alike, as each test pays between $10-20.
House Cleaner
For people who are neurodivergent - or don't like the standard work environment, this is a prize job. Cleaning other people's houses entails doing household chores, and perhaps seasonal cleaning.
One client might want you to dust, mop and hoover every week, while another wants their windows done and the silver polished every three months.
Working as a house cleaner doesn't train you for a specific career field. However, it teaches you about time management, efficiency, and working independently. These are all great skills, applicable to your future career. To top things off, you may earn up to $30/hour for your efforts.
Hotel Housekeeping
Cleaning hotel rooms is not the same as cleaning individual clients' houses. This job entails changing sheets, hoovering or sweeping/mopping floors, and cleaning bathrooms.
Hotel housekeepers will also wash the sheets and towels, and prepare their carts for the next day. That means stocking paper rolls, clean towels, and other amenities the hotel affords its guests.
Like restaurant work, this is an essential job for any teenager aiming for a hospitality industry career. Housekeeping introduces you to hotel management from its lowest position. The work is physically demanding, and it's definitely not among the high paying jobs for teens. The average pay across Australia is $20-25/hour.
Lifeguard
If swimming comes to you as naturally as walking, this is one of the best jobs for teens. Your duties include monitoring swimmers and calling out unsafe activities.
This work's most extreme parts include evicting swimmers for rules infractions, and rescuing swimmers in distress.
Lifeguard jobs are perfect for teens considering a coaching career, or social work. You should have CPR training, as well as lifeguard training, before taking your place poolside. Lifeguards earn more than $30/hour, but you may have to gain some experience to take home that much.
Social Media Manager
Today, businesses of all types use social media; some are better at it than others. Those that garner great followings likely have a savvy social media strategist to manage their posts. This work entails responding to comments, posting new content, and keeping up with trends.
This job is the best training ground for teens aspiring to a marketing or business career. Future social scientists and psychologists would also learn a great deal from this work. A competent social media manager can earn more than $30/hour.
Camp Counsellor
Camp counselling involves planning and overseeing activities for the young 'campers' in your care. Typically, those are outdoor activities: swimming, hiking, and games.
Camp counsellors also see to their campers' health and well-being: supervising meals, tooth-brushing and bedtimes.
Being a teenager, you might prefer to focus on seasonal work, to earn a bit during school holidays. This job falls in that category. It prepares you for a career working with children, from social work and teaching, to sports coaching. Camp counsellors are well paid; the average hourly wage is more than $35.
Farm Work
If you live in - or have easy access to, a farming community, consider hiring on as a farm hand. Such work may include planting, harvesting, and tending to crops as they grow.
Working on a dairy farm involves caring for the animals, as well as milking them, and cleaning their stalls.
These jobs are tailor-made for anyone considering a future in agriculture, ecology, and animal husbandry. As a farmhand, you stand to earn up to $30/hour.
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Eshays
Hello my name is stella
I’m a 13 year old girl from Australia nsw I am very interested in farm work if u need anyone
It sounds very cool
Hi Stella! Thanks for reading! Most farms have minimum age requirements, though you might find some volunteer opportunities in NSW. Perhaps speak with your parents about local, age-appropriate options in your area. Best of luck with your agricultural interests!
Hola estoy interesado a asistente de cine tengo 16 años estoy en mivdale Utah Estados Unidos