Face the Fear of a Job Application

Have you made plans this summer but don’t have a way to fund them? Well, here’s a solution for you: get a summer job! 

Why?

            There are many reasons why anyone might benefit from getting a summer job, but in this article we are going to focus on how summer jobs can specifically benefit teens. First and foremost, getting a job can help you become financially responsible and prepare you for the real world. This is especially important for high schoolers who are going to college and will be living independently very soon. Obviously, working a part time summer job will not give you the same experience as you would get working a full time job when you’re older, but any sort of job experience will give you loads of knowledge in your future. Earning money is a big part of working, but it will also teach you how to manage your money, and can make you stand out amongst your peers on college applications.

In the summertime, lots of teens want to go out with their friends and spend a lot of money, but they don’t have enough funds to spend on recreational activities. When you get your first paycheck, you’ll learn how valuable money is and how crucial it is to use it wisely. For example, you can develop good spending and saving habits that will stick with you in the near future, or potentially help your parents out financially.

Job Examples:

• Tutoring

• Babysitting

• Dog Walking

• Food Service (hosting, bussers)

• Six Flags

How?

In order to get a job, you need a work permit. In some places you can start working as young as 14 but most places take 15-year-olds. Regardless of that, you still need a work permit unless you are 18 years or older. highschoolers can work for a maximum of 4 hours a day on school days and 8 hours during weekends, adding up to a maximum of  18 hours a week. Generally, during the school year, teens can work from 7am-7pm, but 9pm starting in the summer. Other limitations, such as no hazardous conditions, apply depending on the state you live in.

Legally, you can’t skip school to work a job. However, lots of people who have less than six  classes (usually upperclassmen), like to use their free periods to work more hours.  

Overall, it isn’t the easiest to get a summer job as a teen, as there are many limits to what you can do and where you can work, but if you are determined enough, you can make it happen.