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Do you think it’s time to tap into independent life and start earning your own cash?
According to a study by Child Trends, 20% of high-school students were employed in 2018.
Opposed to the conventional belief that work does more harm than good for adolescents, working in my teenage years actually helped me develop a sense of responsibility, overcome shyness and taught me how to manage time and handle money.
However, as you probably have little to no working experience, you might be confused and wondering where to start.
I will review 15 ways you can start earning your own cash.
Can I Get Hired at 16?
Absolutely! You can legally get hired in the United States as a 16-year-old teenager.
What Companies Hire 16 Year Olds?
- Baskin-Robbins
- Chick-fil-A
- Burger King
- McDonald’s
- Taco Bell
- Starbucks
- Rita’s Italian Ice
- Publix
- Dairy Queen
- AMC Theaters
- Culver’s
- Bruster’s
- Giant Eagle
- Palace Entertainment
15 Best Jobs for 16 Year Olds
1. Survey Taker (Swagbucks)
Taking online surveys is the easiest way to earn money as a teenager.
Swagbucks is the most popular platform allowing you to earn some extra cash by providing your Opinion. Your input is then used to improve various products and services.
In return, you are earning SB points for each completed survey. 1SB = $1. You can expect to earn between 40 – 200 SB points per survey
You can redeem points for Amazon and Walmart e-Giftcards or cash through PayPal.
Taking surveys won’t get you rich, but you may expect to earn an additional cash every month if you put consistent work into it.
2. Customer Service (Uhaul)
If you love communicating with people and helping them, a customer service representative job might be a great fit for you. This job will not only earn you money but will also develop your professional skills and benefit your future career.
Uhaul is actively hiring youngsters like you and has open positions for customer service representatives nationwide.
According to indeed.com, you can expect to earn on average $12.14 per hour working at Uhaul.
3. Freelance Gigs (Fiverr)
Another great way to earn your own cash as a 16-year-old teenager is to become a freelancer and take gigs. A gig is a job that lasts for a certain amount of time – for example, creating a logo for a company.
Freelancing on Fiverr gives you the flexibility to work on your own schedule. As a freelancer, you’re not employed by companies, rather you are an independent contractor, providing your clients with services they need.
Before you get started on Fiverr:
- think ahead what skills you can utilize to make money – e.g. design, copywriting, etc.
- research your competition to set your pricing.
Generally, beginner freelancers price their basic gigs for $5-10 and increase their pricing over time as they get more orders.
4. Provide Your Opinion (Qmee)
Qmee is another great platform allowing you to earn real cash for providing your opinion.
Unlike other alternatives, Qmee rewards you directly with cash. On average, you could earn $1 per hour filling out Qmee surveys. You can withdraw your earnings through PayPal or redeem to an Amazon, iTunes or Starbucks e-Giftcard.
5. Answer Questions (Toluna)
You can earn some extra cash by answering questions on Toluna.
Toluna offers 2 types of surveys:
- Profile surveys – taking 1-2 minutes to complete – worth 100 points
- Longer surveys – taking 10-20 minutes – worth more
Either way, each hour you spend answering Toluna questions will earn you on average 74 cents.
You can cash out your earnings via PayPal or physical check. Alternatively, you can redeem your points for gift cards.
3,000 Toluna points = $1
6. Write Articles (Helium)
If you enjoy writing, you can turn your writing talents into cash with Helium. Helium Network lets you connect with various clients – including retailers, magazines, newspapers and others – who seek article writers.
According to a former Helium freelancer, you can earn $1 per article. However, most articles pay a revenue share. You will receive your earnings through PayPal.
7. Complete Small Tasks (Amazon Turk)
Joining Amazon Turk, you will be required to complete quick tasks like labeling images, transcribing receipts and taking surveys for a tiny payment.
For example, you might get a task to describe an image in ten words for 8 cents or write a product review for $2.50.
Although Amazon Turk isn’t a big earner, you might still want to try it to make some easy quick cash.
8. Do Voice Over (Voices.com)
Doing voice-overs is another great way to earn money as a teenager. Voices.com is the best choice as it’s the world’s largest voice-over marketplace.
The payout for voice-over jobs depends on what type of voice-over you’re doing.
For example:
- Voice-over for commercials – earn from $100 (local radio) to $10,000 (national TV)
- Cartoons and animation – from $100 for short (15-second animation) to $10,000 for a starring role in short animation and even more for a longer film.
- Audiobook narration – between $200 – $300 per hour. Most audiobooks are 4-6 hours long, meaning you can earn $1,500 for one book.
9. Start Youtube Channel
Creating videos for Youtube channel can be a great side hustle that you can grow into a full-time business over time.
There are several ways to earn money from a youtube channel:
- Partner with businesses and create sponsored videos.
- Affiliate marketing – refer products/services to your audience and get a commission when they buy using your link.
- AdSense – let Google place ads on your videos. You will earn money based on how many views your videos get and how many people will actually click on the ad. However, it may vary between $300 to $1,500 per 50,000 monthly views. Play with AdSense Calculator to estimate your potential earnings.
- Sell your own products or services.
10. Online Business (Shopify)
Have you ever wished you owned your own business? The digital world has made it accessible for everyone to start a business online. Nowadays, e-commerce is one of the fastest-growing industries.
Regardless of what product you want to sell, Shopify is the best option to build your brand and sell online.
Shopify advantages:
- You don’t need any design or coding skills to create your online store
- Provides a variety of design templates to build your brand
- Listing and managing your products is easy
- Gives you the ability to link marketing tools like popups, email marketing automation, etc to boost your sales
The amount you can earn from your online business depends on your sales and may become indefinite over time. I suggest you don’t expect any large profits in the first couple of months and focus on its development.
11. Become Photographer (Photosesh)
If you’re passionate about taking photos, you can become a photographer.
Photosesh is an app that connects you with local people who need a professional photoshoot.
To get started with Photosesh:
- Download the Photosesh iPhone app and apply
- Pick what types of requests you’d like to receive
- Set your hourly pricing
- Select the time slots you’re available for nearby requests
What’s good about Photosesh is that you can sit back and leverage free marketing the app does for you.
12. Become DJ (Bark)
If you’re interested in becoming a DJ, Bark could connect you with people who seek DJs for their events.
The average payout for a DJ is $500 per event. However, the price may vary based on your experience and location.
13. Play Games (MyPoints)
If you’re interested in getting paid to play games, then MyPoints is another great option to earn some cash as a teenager.
You can earn on average 4 points per dollar playing popular games including Bejeweled, Angry Birds and more.
You need to collect 700 points for a $5 gift card. Once your earnings reach $25 (3,500 points) you can also cash out via PayPal.
14. Review Music (Slice the Pie)
Music creators need to hear people’s opinion. Slice the Pie is a platform allowing you to earn some cash while helping artists create the music people will love.
Most reviews are worth between 2 and 20 cents. You can manage to review 40 pieces within an hour, earning on average $4.
Once your earnings reach $10, you can withdraw cash via PayPal.
15. Test Products (Valued Opinion)
Another website that’s paying you for providing opinion is Valued Opinions.
Valued Opinions lets you test products and complete surveys. Your opinion is then used by brands to improve their products.
You will earn $5 for every completed survey. You can redeem your earnings for gift cards from top brands including Macy’s, Domino’s Pizza and more.
What is the Best Job to Start With?
Since you still have to focus on school, I would recommend you take a job with a flexible schedule. Nevertheless, my suggestion would be to take online surveys on Swagbucks to earn some extra cash as it allows you to spend as much or as little time as you want.
This article covered 15 jobs that are suitable for 16-year-olds and you may find the one that matches your interests and preferences the most.
The post 15 Best Jobs for 16-year-olds In 2020 appeared first on DollarBreak.
