These 20 Legit Companies Offer 14 and 15 Year-Olds a Decent Paycheck
Calling all parents with young teens!
Are you raising a fourteen or fifteen year-old teenager and wondering how they can earn money with a job after school or over the summer to help pay for clothes, entertainment, etc? Aside from the usual babysitting, dog walking, and lawn mowing jobs that teens often do, did you know that young teens can actually earn a paycheck?
They can! According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, 14 is the minimum age for non-agricultural employment with limits to the number of hours they can work and jobs they can do. For 14 and 15 year-old employees, ALL work must be performed outside of school hours and they may not work:
- More than 3 hours on a school day, including Friday.
- More than 18 hours per week when school is in session.
- More than 8 hours per day when school is not in session.
- More than 40 hours per week when school is not in session.
- Before 7AM or after 7PM on any day, except from June 1st through Labor Day, when night-time work hours are extended to 9PM.
In some states, teens may need to obtain a work permit to legally be able to work. The best place to find out if they’ll need working papers is via the school guidance office or the state department of labor. Also, although some exceptions may apply, in most circumstances teens must be paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, but this will depend on what they do and where they work.
(Yasir Moore got his first job at Chick-fil-A handing out samples – at 15! 😊)
Wondering which companies hire young teens?
The following businesses are known to hire motivated 14 and 15 year-old employees*, however, please note the hiring process will vary by store and region. Contact your local store/restaurant to inquire about their hiring process and requirements. Also, there may not be as many spots available for young workers, so inquire early.
- AMC Theaters (hires ushers and concession workers 14 and older)
- Baskin-Robbins (hires team members 14 and older; select locations)
- Ben & Jerry’s (hires team members 14 and older)
- Burger King (hires team members 14 and older)
- Chick-fil-A (hires team members 14 and older; select locations)
- Culver’s (hires team members 14 and older)
- Dairy Queen (hires team members 14 and older)
- Giant Eagle (hires bakery clerks or shopping cart attendants as young as 14)
- Harvey’s (hires team members 14 and older)
- KFC (hires 14-year-olds for basic restaurant jobs)
- Kroger & affiliates (hires baggers or stockers with proper work permit – as young as 14)
- McDonald’s (hires crew members as young as 14)
- Pizza Hut (hires team members 14 and older for non driving positions)
- Publix (hires cashiers and clerks 14 and older)
- Rita’s Italian Ice (hires treat team members 14 and older)
- Safeway & affiliates (hires baggers with work permits as young as 14)
- Six Flags (hires young teens for part-time work as a skill game operator or to fill roles in food or ice cream trucks)
- Taco Bell (hires team members 14 and older)
- Winn-Dixie (hires baggers 14 and older)
*May vary by region. Be sure to contact your local company for specific details and pay rate.
Another option: Visit Care.com and check out the available jobs in your area, including babysitting, pet care, house sitting, lawn maintenance and more! Teens between the ages of 14 and 17 can create a parent-monitored account on Care.com (a parent will approve your account and be notified about any activity). Another great place to promote your services is on Nextdoor or your community website.
Need a few more ideas? The following jobs listed below are great first jobs for teens as they require minimal experience and are great for building up resumes. Also, be sure to think outside the box as some local Delis, Pizzerias, Car Washes, Pools, Parks, etc. may be willing to hire 14- and 15-year-olds.
- Babysitter
- Camp Counselor
- Car Washer
- Cashier
- Child Care Assistant
- Concession Worker
- Dish washer
- Dog Walker
- Fast Food Worker
- Food Prep Worker
- Golf Caddy
- Grocery Store Bagger
- House Sitter
- Independent Living Retirement Communities
- Kennel Assistant
- Landscaper
- Lawn Mower
- Lifeguard
- Mother’s Helper
- Nursery Worker
- Office Worker
- Paper Delivery Person
- Pet Sitter
- Plant Watering Person
- Restaurant Hostess/Host
- Restaurant Busser
- Weed Puller
What ways do YOUR young teens earn money?
Written by Mary for Hip2Save. Mary is a proud mom to 3 kids in Austin, TX, who thrives off Jesus, running long distance, bargain shopping, warm Texas weather, a yummy latte…and a little Candy Crush from time to time. She also loves quality time with family & friends and sharing great deals with others.
Great timing! Was just talking to my aunt about my little 14 y/o cousin that wants new shoes every few months.
Panera bread will also hire 15 year olds.
My daughter started her first job with Publix at 16. she is 18 now and heading to college. she plans to stay with them and picked a college with a nearby Publix she can transfer. They are wonderful with her schedule and balancing school. They teach customer service skills and provide feedback young workers need to improve their performance and take time to provide recognition for a job well done. I highly recommend them to any parent with a teen looking for a job.
I second that. Our oldest son worked there and it was a very good experience.
I also agree Publix is a great company to begin with (and continue a career if you choose). My young adult daughter started at 15 and worked there through high school and college. They worked with her crazy schedule during Nursing school. She only resigned (after 9 years) once she was hired as a Registered Nurse at a area hospital. She felt it was a good backup plan as a possible career with advancement if she couldn’t get through schooling for some reason. Love us some Publix around our house👍🏻
Our son worked for Kroger (same company) and his part-time paycheck was eaten up by union dues (taken at the full-time rate). Management also changed while he was there and it went from a good experience to a bad one very quickly. They changed his work hours at random (but not online, so unless he drove to the store to look at the schedule he wouldn’t know he’d been switched to an earlier shift, then got written up for not being there. And the store failed to have a union rep there to represent him when it happened.) Also, he worked all day bringing in carts from the lot while other employees stood around and chatted. Just so you know, your experience may vary.
Another great job is at a trampoline park such as sky zone or a moon bounce warehouse like bouncetown and bounce u. My daughter makes an hourly wage and tips from parties too.
Not wanting to be the downer here but we raised 5 kids and were shocked to find that fast food in our area hires convicts on work release from the prisons. Just try to check things out before allowing your kids to apply. Another thought is that a 3 hour work day is going to keep the parents on the road driving them back and forth a lot. and they never seem to come out on time so you are left sitting there wasting time.
Yes, double check, I worked in a few restaurants that would hire cooks that were in prison. I was young and clueless and I am sure my parents were clueless also. I was working in a wealthy town that happened to have a prison. I learned and was exposed to way more than I would ever what my children exposed to at that age.
Ridiculous comments. I work for an organization that help formerly incarcerated look for jobs and help them integrate back into the community. Their past record does not define who they are they need a second chance to be succesful on their release.
I appreciate the honest feedback, Lana. These are important things to think about!
Yes our local Burger King does this
When I was a teen, I worked with people on work release at a couple of different jobs. They were generally nice and worked hard. They’re getting driven to/from work by guards–the guard gets a report from the manager if they did anything wrong during their shift. Most of the time, they’re so happy to be out of the prison for a while they’re not going to risk looking at someone wrong and screwing it up. If anything, one of them I remember used to tell us all the time to stay far away from drugs because it messed up her life, landed her in jail and it was really hard to try fixing things after you’ve done that. By all means, yes, ask the management if your child will be working with prisoners on work release but also understand that most of the time these are people who were in jail on minor drug offenses, they aren’t going to send a pedophile to work at McDonald’s.
My sister works for a prison, directly with the work release program. These people are paying their debt to society and they don’t let just anyone out on work release. Hate to break it to you, but it’s not like there are extensive background checks on your average joe working a minimum wage job, either, and your child can be exposed to a lot of unsavory people and conversations without someone being a convicted criminal.
Is there any job related to technical ? Can someone help me to get job in networking .
My 15 year old daughter worked for a family last year taking care of their horses- grooming, cleaning stalls as well as cleaning the barn and watering the cows. She loved it and made decent money. She also worked a few hours at the horse stable where she took lessons. It wouldn’t be for everyone but she loved it and misses it dearly now that we have moved to a new state.
My boys are certified soccer referees. When they started the minimum age was 12, but I believe they just raised the age to 13. Refereeing is a great job for kids because they are involved with a game they love, can request games to suit their schedule, the pay is good ($16-$26 per game for rec level in our area, more for travel level games, and our area pays less than more metropolitan areas), and the job is portable (referees work as independent contractors, and for example they could keep refereeing when they go away to college). Requires annual certification training, and not for the meek.
AMEN:)
Yes! This is a great summer job! I used to umpire softball. The schedule was awesome and I thought I was making a ton of money.
My son is also a soccer ref. He started at 12. He makes $25-30 a game. He absolutely loves it and how flexible it is. If you plan it right you can easily make enough money to equal a part time job in just a weekend. Doesn’t take away from school and studies. My husband actually ended up signing on to ref as well. Now, at almost 16, my husband and son do most games together. It’s pretty great!
If your kids are into sports, check out your local city rec department for reffing jobs. My 2 sons started reffing soccer at 14. It was perfect for them! They got paid a set amount per game, and our city had youth soccer games going from 7 am till 7 pm all spring and summer. They attended training for a few Saturdays in the winter and by spring they were ready to go. It was a good kid friendly atmosphere and they would work around the kids game schedule too. Our city had opportunities in several different sports for youth reffing. It was a great way for them to make spending money, and we felt like it was a great way to get some pay back for all the $ we put into their sports:)
Hy-Vee is another place to add to the list. They begin hiring at age 14 for Grocery Clerks (bagging groceries) and at age 16 you can become a Cashier. I loved working there in high school – HIGHLY recommend!!! 🙂
I second Hy-Vee – I’ve never worked there but I know a few people who started in high school and stayed with them. They’ve now finished school and are managers or have moved into corporate.
My son worked part time for Kroger while going to school. He quit because he was paying full union dues, even on a part-time schedule. Dues ate up a third of his check sometimes. Just something to check before you hire on there. He went to work at a local movie theater and was much happier.
Thanks Hip2save. This is a great post that we are not likely to see elsewhere.
Good to know
Moe’s Also hires 15yr olds….and siblings…my kids have been working there for over 2 years. Super supportive of all of their school functions, academics, and make sure they followed all labor laws (which a lot of business’ don’t).
My teen daughter (15) designs journals and shirts and sells them on Amazon. She also sells crafty items on Facebook. She loves it as a creative outlet and makes good money when she puts the work in.
Jennie Hunt, could you please give me more information how to help my 13 year old do this? She is a very talented artist and she has try doing craft shows but she hasn’t had much success. I’m not sure if Etsy is a good fit for her either since I’ve heard varying results from people. If you can email me, I’m at moonlight NC 3 at AOL com. Thanks for sharing the information for these teen artists!
My 17 year old has been earning a small side income designing things on Red Bubble. She gets a percent of each sale and doesn’t have to ship anything. My 14 year old enjoys dog sitting on our local military base for families. A good teen babysitter is sooo valuable to families with young kids. Both have done babysitting periodically starting at 10 dollars an hour.
The area I live in does not hire anyone under 18 and in high school. My son had a heck of a time finding part time work after graduating high school. We were flat out told that managers don’t want to deal with kids when they can hire an adult to do the same job