Summer brings some of the best memories ever as a teen. You have little responsibility and a ton of free time on your hands.
So why take advantage of your extra time and start an online business, side hustle, or just earn some extra cash online this summer?
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Online Paid Survey Sites for Teens
One of the best places to start earning some extra money online is to head to the best online survey sites for teens.
Doing surveys is a great place to start as you don’t have to put any money into it, and it is flexible enough to do at pretty much anytime and anywhere.
Not all survey sites are equal though – there are some sites which will earn you a little reward for your time, but there are some that are worth doing as they pay out well and don’t screen you out.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of our favorite survey sites as there are so many different ways that you can make money on the site.
When you complete surveys (or any of the other ways to make money on there), you will earn what they call ‘Swag Bucks’ or ‘SB’s’ which are points that you rack up until a certain point that you can cash them out.
Click here to get started with Swagbucks and get a $5 bonus for signing up.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is one of the top survey sites in the U.S., and the surveys are quick and easy to do.
As with Swagbucks, you will earn points for the surveys that you complete, and once you get to 1000 points you can cash out $10.
We have done an in-depth review of Survey Junkie that you can check out.
Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is another survey site for teens to share their opinions and get paid in cash or rewards. Super simple to set up and start making money right away.
Much like other survey sites Opinion Outpost will reward you with points you can trade-in over time.
Click here to sign up at Opinion Outpost today.
MyPoints
MyPoints has a lot to offer as far as survey sites go. Fill out the normal basic information all survey sites require to match you with surveys and you will be off and running.
Like all survey sites it takes time to develop your profile and start getting matched with good high paying online surveys.
TeensEyes
TeensEyes is an online survey site for people who are between 13 and 18 years old. You will get paid for your opinion for companies who are looking for teenagers points of view.
Start an E-commerce Business
There are so many ways that you can make money online nowadays, and running an e-commerce business is becoming more and more popular.
Shopify
Starting your own Shopify store can not only be a great learning experience for starting a business but you can make some serious money!
Find some products laying around the house or learn how to dropship. Set up your e-commerce shop with Shopify and start selling!
eBay
eBay is a site where you can sell pretty much anything! You have to be 18 years old or older to have an account on there, but anyone under 18 is allowed to use an adults account (with their permission).
eBay is great because there is a huge audience available to you to sell to, and you can sell lots of different items (unlike perhaps Amazon where you are restricted on certain categories).
Amazon
Amazon is similar to eBay, but there is the option to sell using Amazon FBA which means that you can send everything into Amazon and they will store it for you.
When it sells, they will package it up and post it for you. This is perfect if you think that your parents won’t like tons of stuff hanging around the house!
Unlike eBay though, there will be certain categories that you will be restricted on before you are eligible to sell them – so make sure that you check this before buying your stock.
Sign up with Amazon today, here.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a good place to start when it comes to selling things, because there are no fees, unlike the other platforms, and Facebook has a lot of users that will see your stuff.
It is good for selling to people in your local area which is handy especially if you are selling big, bulky items that you wouldn’t want the hassle of posting – as you can get people to pick them up.
If you are getting people to collect items, make sure you check with your parents first and only do it when they are around. You could alternatively drop the items off for an additional fee.
Click here to get started with Facebook Marketplace.
Sell Handmade Crafts
Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace that is primarily for handmade and unique items. Some easy things that you could make to go on Etsy could be printables, which aren’t that hard to make.
You could also make things to sell such as jewelry, invitations, furniture, spreadsheets, clothes, and a whole lot more.
The amount of money you can make selling on Etsy is really up to your creativity. There are some people even making money selling memes.
Click here to get started selling your creations on Etsy.
Tutoring Jobs for Teens/Be an Online Tutor
Did you know that you can do tutoring even if you are a teenager and have no teaching experience?
This is a perfect online job for teens to try this summer because you can book the lessons in for when is convenient for you, and use the knowledge from all of the work that you’ve been doing to help out other students.
We will look at the best tutoring jobs for teens below, so you know where to get started.
Indeed.com
Indeed.com is one of our go-to job sites because there’s a huge amount of jobs on there, and they include remote jobs on there too.
Head on over to Indeed and search for tutoring jobs, but make sure that you check the age you need to be to do the role.
Click here to head to Indeed and start browsing for jobs.
SameSpeak
You can work for Same Speak from the age of 16 years onwards if you are a native English speaker.
You will be helping people learn conversational English through Skype and won’t have to come up with the lessons yourself as you will be provided with details on what the specific students need to work on.
The pay is $10 for a 30-minute lesson, and once you reach $100 you will be paid via Paypal.
Click here to sign up at Same Speak.
Skima Talk
When you sign up to Skima Talk, you will have to complete some tasks in order to get approved. Once you are approved you are able to begin and set your rates.
Skima Talk requires you to be 18 years old or older to work for them. The calls are 25 minutes and you will get paid at what you set your rates.
Generally speaking, most teachers set their rates around $8-$12 per session, and you will be paid via Paypal each month.
Click here to sign up with Skima Talk.
Get Paid to Write
Are you a good writer, or willing to learn how to write articles for other people? There are loads of writing jobs for teens available online because of all of the publications that there are and the constant need for more content.
Fiverr
Fiverr is one of those sites where you can advertise a wide variety of services, and writing is one of them.
Don’t be put off by the name, as although you can start your pricing at $5, you can upscale your services by adding extras to it.
For example, you could put more costs on for writing more words, or faster turnaround time.
Click here to sign up to Fiverr and post your writing services on there today.
UpWork
UpWork is a freelancing site, where you can reply to any job offers with a pitch and try to win work.
If you don’t have a portfolio, you can always write some articles to showcase your writing skills and put them up on there.
When you are just starting out, please note that it may take a lot of pitching before you secure your first job on there due to the competition. But keep going!
Click here to sign up to Upwork and start pitching!
TextBroker
This may not be the best paying site for freelance writing, but as a first way of making money for a teen, it is a good way to get some writing jobs under your belt.
They offer different kinds of jobs on there which are: OpenOrder (this is open to everyone to pitch), DirectOrder (these are jobs sent specifically to you) and TeamOrder which is where you will work on a team.
The average pay of a 4-star author (you will be rated on the site) is:
- OpenOrder – 1.4 cents per word
- DirectOrder – 3-5 cents per word
- TeamOrder – 2-5 cents per word
You can request to get paid via Paypal once a week if your balance is over $10.
Click here to get signed up on Textbroker.
Start a Blog
Our favorite way to make money writing is by running this blog.
If you have a knack for writing and solving peoples real life problems then blogging might be a great way to make money online.
It takes a lot of work to become profitable but why not start young and build yourself a nice online business for years to come?
How do blogs make money?
- Paid advertising
- Affiliate marketing
- Sponsored posts
- Selling your own products or services
You can start your own blog for as little as $2.95/month. Simply head over to our how to start a blog tutorial and get started today.
Become a Virtual Assistant – Jobs for Teens
A virtual assistant is someone who provides help to a business owner, and this could be in a variety of ways.
Ideas of services that you could provide as a virtual assistant are:
- Creating graphics
- Answering emails
- Making appointments
- Editing
- Marketing
There are many more thing that you can offer, and it would be good to try and aim for doing things that you enjoy.
UpWork
As mentioned before, Upwork is a freelancing site where you can pitch for work – and it is particularly good for writing and virtual assistant jobs, so you can find virtual assistant jobs for teens on here.
You can earn between $5-$10 per hour when you are first getting started and gradually increase your rates.
Click here to read our how to become a virtual assistant guide.
Online Proofreading Jobs for Teens/Become a Proofreader
Proofreading is the act of reading through some text and making sure that there are no grammatical or spelling errors.
There are lots of companies who will pay you to do this as they may not have the time to check themselves, and it’s also much harder to find errors in your own work than others!
One of the best ways to get started with online proofreading is taking the course Proofread Anywhere.
UpWork
Again, UpWork is a great site for this kind of work because there are so many opportunities available for you on here, and is one of the first places that business owners head to when they are looking for work.
Have a look at the rates that other proofreaders are pitching on there and adjust your rates accordingly.
Click here to get signed up on UpWork today.
Freelancer
To get started on the Freelancer site you will need to sign up and complete your profile so that they can match you to the best jobs.
There are a variety of jobs on there which is great if you need it to be flexible – there are small jobs or big jobs, fixed price or hourly rate projects, local projects or international projects etc.
Once you’re all signed up, have a browse through the projects and pitch for the ones that appeal to you.
Click here to get signed up to the Freelancer site.
Online Jobs for High Schoolers
If you are looking for work that you can do from your computer or phone, there are a ton of online jobs that you could try out.
Test Websites
An easy way to make money online is to test websites. There are lots of businesses out there that want to make sure that their website is running the way that it should be!
Our favorites include:
- UserTesting
- TryMyUI
- TestingTime
- UserZoom
- WhatUsersDo
Become a Vlogger
Being a Vlogger is a great way to make money as a teen, especially if you don’t need to have the money rolling in straight away.
What we mean by that is – it can take a while for it to build up, but once you hit monetization on YouTube the only way is up!
Write an eBook
There is so much tech out there these days that you are able to easily self-publish or write an eBook for your business.
There are many different things that you could write about, whether that be non-fiction or fiction. Just take a look at E.L.James who self-published!
Create an Online Course
This isn’t a job, but you can make a lot of money selling an online course, if it is successful.
You don’t just want to create a random course straight off the bat, but have a business plan and target audience in mind.
If you have a social media presence, such as on Youtube, Instagram or TikTok, you can use those as marketing tools to push towards your course.
Start a Podcast
If you’re tempted to do something like vlogging but don’t fancy being in front of the camera, have you thought about starting a podcast instead?
Choose the specialist subject that you want to talk about and get a decent mic – that’s pretty much all you need!
Manage Social Media
Do you know your way around the social media sites? Do you know what kind of content does well on them?
If so, you can offer this as a service to business owners. Social media is something that can take a lot of time, and can definitely be a full-time job, so you’ll get a lot of interest.
Maybe you know one social media platform better than the rest, and can offer this to become the go-to person.
Be an Influencer
Do you love being on social media, and maybe even have a bit of a following? You could be an influencer!
Influencers are people who influence other people to take certain actions, which typically involves buying products.
For example, if you were a beauty influencer then you would show people certain beauty products and this would cause them to want to buy them because of you.
Graphic Design
Graphic design does take a bit of know-how and skills, but if you are self-taught and want to do graphic design for businesses, you could be on the right track.
A lot of businesses want their social media graphics created on sites such as Canva or Picmonkey – this is where you can come in!
Transcribe Video and Audio Recordings
Are you a fast typer? If so, you could think about becoming a transcriber. This is where you will listen to audio and type it out – hence the needing to type quickly!
We recommend checking out the companies TranscribeMe, Scribie and Rev.
Get Paid to Play Minecraft
Did you know that you can get paid to play your favorite games? Yes, really! One of the most popular ways to get paid to play Minecraft is to have a Youtube channel. Younger kids love watching it!
Get Paid to Refer Your Friends
This isn’t exactly a job, unless you wanted to dive into affiliate marketing or ambassadorship. But you can refer friends to companies/products and be paid this way.
Boostapal
Boostapal is a cool way of getting paid to refer your friends – as it will probably usually be your family you convince to sign up – because you will be referring adults, who will be called your Boosters.
When your Boosters shop at specific stores, you will make money for each purchase that they make.
Boostapal Ambassador Program
You can invite your friends to be student members of Boostapal, and earn between $5 – $10 per referral.
Market Research
Similar to answering surveys, market research is where you are paid to answer questions that companies have, so that they can get more information on their target demographic.
YouGov
A good market research site to try out is YouGov, where you will earn points for the surveys that you take that you can convert into cash when you reach the threshold.
Sell Used Books
Selling used books is a good way to make money if you don’t have a lot of money to put into something.
BookScouter
You could start with selling on BookScouter. On BookScouter, you just need to type in the ISBN, choose the best prices, choose a vendor and sell it!
Take Notes
Taking notes is something that a lot of people will pay good money for, as not everyone has the skills to do so.
You could sell them on sites such as Fiverr or StudySoup to other students.
Watching Videos
A way of making money as a teen that’s pretty laid paid is getting paid to watch videos. Sign up to sites like Swagbucks, MusicXray and Slice the Pie.
Get Paid to Search the Web
Did you know that you can get paid to search the web? There are certain companies that will pay you to search for specific things (usually for SEO purposes).
Qmee
Qmee is a great example of a site that you can join to get paid to search the web, where you can earn cash rewards.
Online Shopping
There are ways to make money with online shopping, but it’s important to note that this won’t be a full-time job, and you will be spending money in order to make this money.
Apps like ShopKick will reward you with points that you can convert into gift cards that you can spend on other things that you want!
Design T-Shirts
If you like the idea of selling your own merch, you can do this whether or not you have a personal brand.
If you do have a personal brand, then you can sell this on your own website/social media, but if not then you can sell on sites such as Cafepress or Redbubble.
Remote Customer Service
So far, we’ve covered a lot of online jobs where you will be working for yourself, but a remote customer service job means that you will be an employee.
uHaul
A company to always check out for remote customer service jobs is uHaul who offer work from home jobs with flexible hours.
Offline Jobs
If you prefer to do something that doesn’t involve sitting in front of the computer all day, there are still lots of ways that you can make money as a teen.
Sell Stock Photos
Do you prefer to be behind the camera? If you are a decent photographer, you could look into selling your photos on stock websites such as Shutterstock.
There are all kinds of genres of photo that people need, such as a home, office space, pets, people, flatlays and more.
Be a Pet Sitter
Pet sitting is a really fun way of making money, and is perfect if you have lots of neighbors with dogs.
You can either let them know that you’re looking for work, or sign up to sites like Rover.com or Wag (dependent on age).
Get Paid to Walk
Along with pet sitting, a great way to be paid for being out in the fresh air is getting paid to walk!
You can sign up to an app like Sweatcoin, which rewards you for the amount that you walk each day.
Earn Money Selling Jewelry
Did you know that you can make money selling jewelry? You can either sell this online or at craft fairs. We also recommend that you try it out on Etsy, which is very popular for handmade jewelry.
Calligraphy
If you have a skill that other people don’t have, but they like it – this is something that you can sell. Calligraphy is one of those things!
Everyone loves calligraphy, and the beauty is that you can sell it on pretty much anything. You can sell it on products like mugs, or on items such as wedding stationery.
Make Slime
Slime has become one of the most popular toys that kids like to play with, which means there is high demand!
You can easily make slime to sell – you only need white glue, baking soda, water and shaving cream.
Other Ways For Teens to Make Money
There are lots of other ways for teens to make money online. But what if you want to go out and get your hands dirty or like to move around?
Craigslist and Facebook Gigs
Did you know that you can find job opportunities on sites like Craigslist and Facebook?
These are often sites that employers head to because they know that they will get a lot of eyeballs on their ads and it is much cheaper than advertising on job sites.
Search for jobs in your local area on Craigslist and in Facebook groups to find opportunities for you, and this is a good place to look for side hustles in the future too.
Yard Work
Yard work is a perfect job to do during the summer if you want to be outside more, rather than being in front of a computer screen working.
Start with asking your neighbors if they need any yard work done, and let it be known that you are looking for work and are available.
Mowing Lawns
As with yard work, mowing lawns can earn you some extra cash and be outdoors in the summer instead of doing work inside.
Be sure to take into account the size of the lawns and try and figure out ahead of time how long it will take you and price accordingly.
This is another job where you can start off finding work by word of mouth in your local neighborhood and area.
Create an Online Babysitting Account
Babysitting involves looking after younger children when their parents are out of the house.
Parents will only leave their children in the company of someone who is responsible and will keep their children safe, so make sure you present yourself in this way.
The ideal situation will be if you have younger siblings that you look after, but if you don’t you may want to think about volunteering with children to get some experience.
A good place to start would again be in your local area, and it would probably be a good idea to get your parents to let their friends know too, as they may have younger children and as they know you, will be more likely to hire you.
The Best Advice for Teens Looking for Jobs
When you are looking for your first job, it can be a little bit nerve-wracking – but you aren’t alone. See if your friends want to help you, and don’t forget that everyone has had/will have a first job.
The fact that you are actively looking for a job over the summer is great as it shows that you are becoming financially aware and can use this money wisely.
Get a bank account or PayPal
When you are working, you are going to have to have accounts set up so that you can get paid – whether that be a bank account or a Paypal account.
Our recommendation would be getting paid via PayPal to there is a easy track record of payments.
Make sure that you have these set up in advance before you start working, as you don’t want your pa18 Legitimate Ways to Earn Money Online Right From Homeyments to get tied up.
Start networking
As mentioned, you can get a bunch of jobs just from letting people know that you are looking for work.
Never underestimate the power of networking and remember the phrase ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’.
Let your parents help you
As tempting as it will be to go about this alone, your parents can help you out more than you realize.
They will likely know a lot of people who either need some work doing, or will know somebody else who does.
They know how to secure jobs and can help you with sorting out your bank accounts, too.
