This page is about working as self-employed online, to find remote jobs, please visit hireteen.com/remote-jobs/. Previously, teenagers had to rely on a summer job, but now they have the opportunity to make money from home. More and more teens are turning to the internet as a way of making money rather than taking a traditional part-time job. In 2015, nearly 3 million adolescents were working online from home.
Every day, many teenagers are getting online jobs that allow them to work from home and choose their own hours. While some of these opportunities require a skill or certification, many others don’t. This article explains how teenagers can earn money from home without having any prior experience.
Why Online Jobs
Why stick around when you can live the good life right out of your home? An online job is an excellent way for anyone—adults and teens—to earn money while enjoying all that the world has to offer.
Online jobs are appealing for teens because they can be more flexible than a standard job. For example, if someone has school or other obligations around the same time as their scheduled work hours, they would not be able to make those hours. However, with online jobs there is no set schedule and people can work whenever they want and as many hours as they want.
Minimum Age to Work Online
The answer to this question is kind of complicated. It’s different in every country, but the legal minimum age to work online in the United States is 13. And you can’t delete your account if you are under 18. The reason for this rule is because children are not mature enough to deal with the risks that come with working online.
Types of Online Jobs
There are many types of online jobs and the wages are typically higher than traditional jobs because the employer does not have to pay for transportation, office time, or lunch breaks. We categorize into three ways that teens can make money online: acting, selling, and sharing. Watch the video below to learn more.
The following are most common types of jobs that teens can do online, along with some tips to keep in mind for parents and their children.
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1. Taking Surveys / Sweepstakes (Level: Easy)
Category: Sharing
There are many websites that allow teens (and adults) to take surveys in exchange for a small payment. Although the payment for each survey is relatively low, they may only take a few minutes at most to finish, so the small payments add up as each survey is completed. Keep in mind that you may not make a living only by filling in surveys.
Swagbucks is one of the paid review sites we recommend. You earn cash for every feedback on surveys, mobile apps or games. Minimum age to join is 13. You can also make money online watching video playlists using Swagbucks mobile apps or on its website. Each time you complete a task you will earn points in the Swagbucks rewards currency called SB. You can then redeem SB for either PayPal or gift cards to Amazon, iTunes, Steam, Macy’s, Sephora and hundreds of others.
Tips & Tools
Surveys where the respondent must pay or purchase products to join a panel are generally scams, as are sites that disappear before paying the participants. Legitimate surveys do not need credit card information from respondents. You can avoid scam surveys by first checking the site’s Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) rating. If they have a bad accreditation or review, you should not join them.
Here’s a list of what you need to prepare before going on an online survey: your brain, your phone, tablet or computer, a robust antivirus software and a good internet connection.
2. Article Writing (Level: Medium)
Category: Sharing & Selling
Many teens with good writing skills make good money online by selling their products. Certain websites let you submit articles and earn money when your published articles attract many visitors. Those websites which you can write articles on will share revenue with you when people click an advertisement or buy products from Amazon after clicking the advertisement that appears in your article.
Some students also offer their writing services on the marketplace. Writing services can include copywriting (ads, sales pages, landing pages, product descriptions), guest posting, social media posting, email outreaching, video or podcast transcription, editing and proofreading, resume and cover letters, blog writing, press release.
Tips & Tools
Writing can be tiring for writers, using tools like artificial intelligence (AI) can make it easier for them. These tools help writers as the AI reads and writes as they do. The AI can also edit what the writer has written, which helps avoid errors.
3. Content Creator (Level: Hard)
Category: Acting, Sharing & Selling
Essentially a content creator is a person who creates content on various social media sites such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat. Young people are especially drawn to this position because of the low barriers of entry.
Social media creators have the power to create their own lifestyle on social media which is attractive to many young people with creative mindsets. In addition, they can earn money from sponsored posts and promotions of products.
The first steps to be a social media creator are:
– Have a dedicated social media account for your content
– Create a bio that includes a link to your website or blog
– Post good quality content on a consistent basis
– Engage with other social media users and respond to their comments
Youtube creators make money from their content by advertising, paid subscriptions, and other sponsorship. This means that the creators have a company or organization behind them that allows them to create videos and post them on YouTube.
Tips & Tools
If you’re looking for content creator ideas, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, what type of content do you want to create? Videos? Photos? Podcast? Second, who is your audience? What is their age range and life stage (e.g. football players, gaming fans)? Lastly, what type of content do they like to consume (e.g. sport shoes, game cheats)?
4. Art/Design (Level: Expert)
Category: Sharing & Selling
There are many teens who are good at drawing or designing things. These people may be able to make money by selling their skills. If you are good at drawing or designing, you could put your creative skills to use by selling art or design services.
Teenagers are often more up-to-date on the latest trends in technology and social media than older generations. They are also more creative and willing to try new things. Design services for teens can include anything from graphic design, to logo design to website design.
Tips & Tools
Designing a logo or web design is a difficult task. There are many tools out there that can help you to do this, but the best tool is to use your imagination and creativity.
There are many tools and programs available for designing logos or websites. Some of the most popular programs are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, and Inkscape. There are also many free online logo design sites where you can upload your logo design to get feedback from other designers.
5. Online Tutoring (Level: Expert)
Category: Acting & Sharing
Online tutoring is a growing industry and many teenagers are making a living as online tutors. The internet has made it easier for people to learn and the demand for lessons has grown. This is a great way for teens to make money and also help others learn. The best way to work as an online tutor is by finding a niche that you are passionate about. This will make it easier for you to find students and keep them interested in your lessons.
Tips & Tools
You can start by registering on one of the many online tutoring platforms. Once you’re registered, you can either wait for a student to contact you or search for students in need of your services.
If you choose to wait for a student to contact you, be sure to set your availability and rates upfront so that you don’t waste time with negotiations. You may also want to include information about any certifications or degrees that make you an excellent tutor.
Freelance Marketplaces
Freelance service marketplaces are websites where people can offer their services to others. They are typically used by small businesses, entrepreneurs, and other professionals who need help with specific tasks. For example, a business might hire an illustrator for designing a logo or hiring a web designer to build their website.
Fiverr, Freelancer, Amazon Mechanical Turk and UpWork are 4 freelancing sites that teenagers can start on to earn money for themselves right off the bat.
Fiverr
At Fiverr, you are the one who set the tasks you think you can complete starting at $5 per job (or they call it Gig). Most people are looking for help for making or editing graphic and design; writing, rewriting, and translating articles; producing or editing video and animation; and many other tasks.
Fiverr is available to users who are 13 years of age or older. You need to have PayPal account or Bank Account to be paid. If you are under 18 years old, you need your parents to set up an account for you.
Amazon Mechanical Turk
To join Amazon Mechanical Turk you have to be 18 years old or older. You can either receive payment to your U.S. Bank account or an Amazon gift certificate. Here is an example of the tasks (they call it HITs or Human Intelligence Tasks) on Mechanical Turk: Rewrite an article in your own words with reward $0.75 with allotted time of 3 hours.
Marketplaces | Age |
---|---|
Fiverr | 13 |
Freelancer.com | 16 |
Amazon Mechanical Turk | 18 |
UpWork | 18 |
Tips & Tools
You do not need previous experience to work as a freelancer online. Here are some skills you can offer online:
- Graphic & Design: logo, business card, cartoons, flyers, book covers, banner ads, infographics, presentation, invitation, photo editing
- Data Entry: transcribing, updating customer information, and entering accounting records
- Digital Marketing: SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, domain research, music promotion
- Writing & Translation: articles writing, copywriting, resume writing, translation, press release
- and even Game Coaching and Game Challenging
Some jobs- though very few- can be done through tablets or smart phones, but most teens will need access to a laptop or computer. In order for teens to do online work, they will need technical resources that help them stay safe from spyware and viruses.
Programs that should be standard for teens working online normally consist of an antivirus program, anti-malware protection and sometimes using a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
How to Get Paid
There are several different ways that teens can get paid when working online. Depending on the platform where they work, there will largely seem to be available options for payment methods or schemes in place.
One of the most common ways is through PayPal. PayPal does require all users to be at least 18 years old. Teens who want to be paid via PayPal will either need to be 18 years old or have a trusted legal guardian that allows them to address payments to their PayPal.
The other easy method of withdrawal is by using Payoneer. Marketplaces such as Fiverr and UpWork allow you to withdraw money from your account using Payoneer. To open a Payoneer account, you also need to be at least 18 years of age.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are plenty of opportunities for teens who want to work online. Whether it’s for money or just for creativity, the industry is wide open. Teenagers should take advantage of the opportunity now, as it will only get harder as they grow older.