The Best Age for Kids to Get a Part-time Job and What Those Jobs Are

With the school year coming to an end, many kids are looking for a part-time job to keep themselves busy and to make some spending money so we asked some parents what age and what type of job for that age group would be best.  The same was asked of parents in 2012 and the responses were very similar.

Although the majority of parents feel that having a part-time job would be a great learning experience for kids, a few felt that the summer should be spent playing and that there would be enough time for work and responsibility when they are older.   Most however commented on how it helps to build responsibility, self-esteem and teaches them the value of money.

When asked at what age can a kid get a part-time job the responses by popularity were:

  1. Age 14
  2. Age 15
  3. Age 16
  4. Age 12
  5. Age 13
  6. Age 11
  7. Age 10
  8. Age 9
  9. Age 8 & under

When asked what part-time job would be best for kids overall, the responses by popularity were:

  1. Yard work                         Grass cutting, leaf raking, snow shovelling
  2. Babysitting                       Non-family babysitting
  3. Newspaper Delivery    Daily, weekly and flyer delivery
  4. Food Service                   Fast food companies, serving, cooking or cleaning
  5. Chores                               Dishes, cleaning and odd jobs around their home
  6. Other                                 Odd jobs for friends and neighbors
  7. Retail                                  Non-food stores, sales, stocking shelves
  8. Labor                                  Not construction but with a fair amount of lifting/moving/carrying
  9. Recreation                       Supervising, refereeing, coaching
  10. Dog Walking                    Taking dogs for a walk regularly
  11. Pet Sitting                        Feeding and cleaning pets in people’s homes
  12. Grocery Store                Stocking shelves and bagging groceries
  13. Tutoring                            Working with younger kids
  14. Lemonade Stand           Traditional front lawn enterprise

We also asked parents what they felt would be a good first job for kids by age group:

Age 8 or younger

  1. Chores around the house
  2. Lemonade stand
  3. Pet sitting

Age 9

  1. Chores around the house
  2. Lemonade stand
  3. Yard work
  4. Pet sitting
  5. Other

Age 10

  1. Chores around the house
  2. Newspaper/flyer delivery
  3. Lemonade stand
  4. Dog walking
  5. Other
  6. Yard work
  7. Pet sitting
  8. Plant sitting

Age 11

  1. Yard work
  2. Newspaper/flyer delivery
  3. Chores around the house
  4. Other
  5. Dog walking

Age 12

  1. Newspaper/flyer delivery
  2. Yard work
  3. Other
  4. Chores around the house
  5. Recreation
  6. Dog walking

Age 13

  1. Newspaper/flyer delivery
  2. Yard work
  3. Babysitting
  4. Other
  5. Labor
  6. Dog walking
  7. Pet sitting

Age 14

  1. Yard work
  2. Food service
  3. Babysitting
  4. Newspaper/flyer delivery
  5. Labor
  6. Dog walking
  7. Chores around the house
  8. Grocery store
  9. Recreation
  10. Other

Age 15

  1. Food service
  2. Babysitting
  3. Yard work
  4. Newspaper/flyer delivery
  5. Labor
  6. Other
  7. Recreation

Age 16

  1. Food service
  2. Babysitting
  3. Retail
  4. Yard work
  5. Labor
  6. Recreation
  7. Tutoring

What To Do With The Kids is the website that adults go to when they want to know what to do with their kids.  The site features games, crafts, activities, party ideas, downloads and product reviews.

What To Do With The Kids also has local Facebook pages that highlight family and kid-friendly activities in major cities across the country.

Visit us at www.whattodowiththekids.com and discover what to do with your kids.

Gateway Gazette Contributor