Are online jobs for teenagers the answer to the horrific data that continues to come out?
Possibly!
Let’s discuss.
But first, you might be thinking what horrific data about teens?
Glad you asked.
The Brookings Institution just released a report showing a decrease in teenagers having jobs.
Forty years ago, it was common to see teenagers with part-time jobs.
In-fact, roughly 60% of teens had a part-time job.
By 2020, projections show that teen employment will be hovering in the 20% range.
It’s not only during the school year that we see Teen jobs on a major decline but also during the Summer. Recent stats are showing that 3 out of 10 teens have a summer job, down from 7 out of 10 in the 1980’s.
You might be asking why is this horrific since my child stays active with band, sports or some other extra-curricular activity?
Let’s tackle that first and then discuss a solution.
Benefits of Teenage Jobs
Nothing can replace the life skills gained by a teenager having a job.
It doesn’t matter how many clubs, sports or after-school events a child has, nothing can replace the lessons they’ll learn working for someone else.
Recently Mark Gregston, founder of Heartlight Ministries, discussed this exact topic on his weekend podcast on why your teen needs a job.
10 benefits of teenage jobs:
- Teens will grow up and become more mature
- A part-time job teaches kids real life skills learned only through having a job
- It teaches teens to be responsible
- It teaches Teenagers financial responsibilities
- Kid learn to serve someone else other than themselves
- A teen job will break down having a sense of entitlement
- Kids will learn instantly what they like to do and what they don’t like to do
- They get to experience the real world outside of the home
- A job will motivate teens to be less dependent and more independent
- Teens quickly get a reality check of how much you have to work for how little they get
Some may worry that they’ll miss out on ‘activities’ and not gain the full experience of High School, but Mark goes on to share that this needs to be part of a teenagers experience. Our jobs as parents are to prepare our children for the next stage in life and that’s exactly what jobs for teenagers will do.
Having a job as a teenager will quickly help them realize they aren’t owed anything in life. Kids begin to not only value money more, but they value you as a parent more and become grateful for what you have given them and what you continue to give them. When they get paid to do that job they learn the value of a dollar and that they at times do need to listen to someone else (or they’ll be fired).
Earning Money Teaches Teens How to Live as ‘PIGS’
No not pigs oink oink, but appropriate for some teens (wink, wink).
‘PIGS’ is an acronym and honestly a valuable life lesson to teach our children while they are young.
Do you have debt as a parent? If you do, you’re not alone because 2 out of 3 households are in debt, with the average household owing more than $8,000 on credit cards alone, as of May 2019.
Do you have a personal savings for a rainy day? Most households don’t.
Learning to manage finances at a young age will help prevent this.
Do you know Rachel Cruze?
Well you probably know her father Dave Ramsey, America’s trusted voice on money.
Together they wrote an amazing book called “Smart Money Smart Kids“.
Rachel is empowered to equip parents to teach their children how to win with money. She’s compared herself on podcasts as preventive medicine and her father is the emergency room surgeon (for us moms and dads).
So what is my ‘PIGS’ acronym?
The philosophy teaches your kids early on good financial habits, so they learn as a teenager today and continue it as an adult tomorrow. It’s a way of dividing up your pay check each week.
PIGS stands for:
- Personal: Spend as you’d like for you. You worked for it, enjoy it.
- Invest: Investments create a second source of income. Learn this early.
- Give: Donate and give a portion of your income to those less fortunate
- Save: Save for tomorrow
The percentage your child decides on will vary by family.
Teaching children to give 10% of their earnings away to a local charity will give you child an amazing life lesson. Investing a portion in a stock or mutual fund can also teach them a lot. Think about the value in researching a company and the excitement they’ll have in watching it fluctuate weekly. If they’re saving for a car, that percentage might be more than what they enjoy personally. This makes for a great question to ask your teenager to think through with you and revisit the allocation frequently.
Are Online Jobs for Teenagers the Answer
So why should one consider the option of online jobs for teenagers?
Well, the numbers don’t lie with the massive decrease in the number of teenagers with jobs.
Part of the problem, isn’t a lack of teenagers wanting to work (many want to), but that:
- There are less opportunities today
- Teenagers face more competition from elders taking up part-time jobs during the retirement years
- Underemployment is growing. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s when a worker gets a job that does not use the worker’s skills. This is what a lot of recent college graduates are faced with due to high debt from college and opportunities being outsourced to the GIG Economy.
- Child-Labor Laws are stricter today than 20-30 years ago.
Now this doesn’t mean there’s no jobs for teenagers locally, because in many cases there are when you look hard enough.
But, with schedules busier today, than yesterday, an online job for a teenager could be the answer.
They still receive the benefits an offline job can offer, it offers more flexibility for busy schedules and it still will teach them how to make money (and manager that money).
Teenagers as we know are extremely tech savvy and love being online. There’s also a ton of companies looking for virtual assistance.
Take U-Haul for instance, they’re always looking for part-time customer service jobs and their minimum age is just 16.
Another example is becoming an online tutor.
The minimum age varies. TutorMe’s minimum age requirement is 18, but TutorCare’s minimum age is only 13-years old and has several ways for students to earn money tutoring and answering questions. Heck they can even become a teacher on SkillShare and earn nice money teaching a skill they know well.
Another option is managing local businesses social media accounts. Local businesses need this help and typically hiring an agency is not affordable, though they’d gladly pay a teenager $200 a month to handle their Facebook page, Instagram account and customer reviews. A handful of clients requires little time and becomes a great monthly income.
Another option is putting the money aside and having them assist a local non-profit in need of help. My entire family volunteers at a local Tampa Zoo called HorsePower for Kids. Myself, my daughters and wife help out on this Tampa farm, but my son has taken on the task of creating a YouTube channel for them from home. He stops by to take pictures and even recently filmed a local Tampa birthday party for a family there.
They make money from other activities but this also checks off many of the 10 benefits mentioned above.
Conclusion: Jobs for Teenagers
So let’s summarize and turn it back to you mom and dad.
Dave Ramsey and his daughter have both shared that as parents it’s our responsibility to teach our kids about both work and money.
Yes we want to raise good kids, but it’s our duty to prepare them today to be good adults tomorrow. That’s exactly what a job will do better than anything else.
With all that said, we know life can get crazy and even committing to a local part-time job can be difficult, thus online jobs for teenagers can be a great solution.
The hours are typically very flexible and heck if you feel an hour is the most your child can commit, an online job might be the answer.
What are your thoughts on your teenager having a job? Are there other benefits we missed?
If you believe your child shouldn’t have a job while in High School, are you doing anything to teach them financial lessons today that aren’t taught in school to prepare them for tomorrow so they don’t end up like 2/3 of Americans in debt?
Jump over to our parent only Facebook Group and share your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you.
Lastly, below are 55 business ideas for Teenagers that they can do from home to earn some money today.
How to Raise Successful Kids (Here’s the TRICK)
