If you’re reading this, chances are you’re probably looking for online jobs for teens to earn extra spending money.
Who doesn’t like having extra cash to spend on important teenage things like cool sneakers, gadgets, fast food, hanging out with friends even Fortnite skins!
Thanks to the Internet, today’s teens can find flexible part-time jobs online as freelancers or independent contractors and are not likely to be counted as employed.
So we did the legwork for you and found the best online jobs for teens, 18 and under, that are legit allowing you to put extra money in your pocket!
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure page for more information.
What Are the Best Online Jobs for Teens?
The best online jobs for teens are those that allow you to work according to your own schedule, work at home and still make good money from them.
Working from home means you don’t need to drive or have someone to drive you. This is the new lemonade stand for teens.
A traditional after-school job has fixed hours but working online gives you more flexibility. You can choose to do tasks that you’re actually good at and are interested in doing.
If you don’t like doing technical work, you may have to consider joining online platforms that pay for services like babysitting, pet care, housekeeping and other manual tasks.
The competition for some online gigs can be fierce though, often adults have the upper hand.
That being said, there are still some online jobs for teens that you can take advantage of.
Open PayPal Account Under 18
If you are working online, you need to have a payment processor to receive payments. Most of these sites pay via PayPal.
Previously, if you are between 13-18 years old, you can open a PayPal Student Account with your parents’ assistance. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.
As a workaround, you can use your parent’s PayPal account or ask them to create one for themselves if they haven’t got one and use it to receive payments.
Then, they will need to connect their PayPal account with their bank account in order to withdraw the money into cash.
Make Money With Online Surveys For Teens
If this your first time trying to make money online, you might want to start off with survey sites.
Companies conduct surveys to help them improve their products. As an incentive for consumers to fill out online surveys, they are willing to pay for those valuable opinions.
If you’re a young teen, you’re in luck because some of these paid survey sites accept users as young as 13 years old.
While answering online surveys isn’t going to make you rich, it’s a great way to earn some spending money without taking a formal job.
As a teenager, you won’t always qualify for all surveys because these sites tend to look for groups who have more buying power like adults.
The workaround is to sign up for as many of these sites to increase your odds of getting a steady stream of survey questions.
Also, it’s always a good idea to create a separate email just for surveys. This prevents unrelated emails or spam from clogging up your main inbox.
You can cash out your earnings via PayPal or redeem them for gift cards from Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Walmart and other popular retailers.
Once you’re ready to get serious, you can explore other online jobs for teens on this list.
Swagbucks (13+)
As a teenager, you probably spend a lot of time searching the web, watching videos online, reading emails and playing online games.
Guess what? Swagbucks will pay for doing those activities!
You can also earn rewards for taking online surveys or by referring your friends to Swagbucks.
Survey Junkie (13+)
Earn between $0.50 to $50 per survey in your spare time or while watching TV. The average survey takes between 1 to 15 minutes to complete.
You receive points for each survey you complete.
Once you got 1,000 points (worth $10), you can redeem them for PayPal cash or free gift cards.
MyPoints (13+)
Get free gift cards or PayPal cash for taking polls, answering surveys and more. Earn $5 when you take 5 surveys!
MyPoints also rewards you for shopping but you probably won’t do that a lot.
What you can do is team up with your parents while you take advantage of the free activities that earn you money.
Toluna Influencers (13+)
You can earn rewards for taking surveys or playing games.
If you’re lucky, you’ll also get to test and leave your feedback on new and up-and-coming products.
They are partnering with many popular brands like Amazon, Kellogg’s, Sony Music and Coca Cola so this could be a great opportunity to have your opinion heard by these companies.
Google Opinion Rewards (13+)
If you have an Android phone, then you might like to give this app from Google a try.
The app will reward you with free Google Play credits for taking short surveys which will be deposited directly into your Google Play account.
Surveys are short and easy to complete covering topics such as “Which logo is best?” and “When do you plan on travelling next?”.
You will receive up to $1.00 in Play credit for each survey which can be used to buy apps, games, movies, music and other media content at Google Play Store.
InboxDollars (18+)
InboxDollars rewards you for participating in online activities such as reading emails, watching videos, playing games or shopping online.
They’ll credit your account $5.00 just for registering then another 50 cents for completing a short profile.
Become a YouTuber
Ask any teenager and try finding one who doesn’t have a favorite YouTube channel or YouTube personality. You’ll find none!
Teenagers are more familiar with content creators on YouTube and therefore are the best candidates to succeed on this platform.
While Google allows users between the ages of 13 and 17 to register for an account with parental permission, they do not allow children under the age of 13 to create an account.
Having your own YouTube Channel can be fun. It allows you to engage with people of the same interest while showing your creative side.
Before getting started, you’ll need to be aware of the risks of broadcasting on the Internet like negative comments, privacy concerns and so on.
So you’ll need to talk to your parents before taking the first step.
You can make money off your content in videos by enabling monetization. For that, you’ll need to sign up for Google AdSense to enable ads.
Other ways to make money on YouTube include creating sponsored videos.
For instance, PewDiePie, the most popular YouTuber reportedly received up to $450,000 for a sponsored video!
You can also make money via affiliate marketing or sell your own merchandise.
Do you know the highest-earning YouTuber in 2020 was a 7-year-old kid whose YouTube Channel Ryan ToysReview earned $29.5 million in 2020?
Of course, the channel is owned and managed by his parents.
To learn more about how to start your own YouTube channel, check out the YouTube Masterclass course.
This course will teach you how to:
- Create your own successful YouTube channel
- Create high-quality videos on a budget
- Get more views and subscribers to making money from your channel.
Become a Gamer
If there’s one activity that many teenagers are constantly doing, that is playing video games.
Start a YouTube Gaming Channel
Some of the most popular YouTube channels are about gaming. People go online to learn how to be a better player or watch other people play games for entertainment.
Others share strategies, instructions or walkthroughs about how to complete levels.
If you enjoy playing video games, you can also make money on YouTube by creating a gaming channel.
Start a Twitch Channel
Twitch is a popular platform among gamers to stream videos of themselves playing video games and let viewers watch them.
If you are between the ages of 13 and 18, you may only use the Twitch Services under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.
The most popular ways to make money on Twitch is via Twitch Subscriptions. Viewers can buy premium twitch subscription for $4.99, $9.99 or $24.99 monthly.
This amount is then split 50/50 between the streamer and Twitch.
In addition, if you’re unable to make money on YouTube, you may still be able to make some money on Twitch by accepting donations.
Showing video ads during a stream is also a popular way to make money on Twitch.
To learn more about setting up your own Twitch channel, growing it and making money, check out this excellent Udemy course – Ninja’s Guide to Twitch Streaming: Grow Your Channel.
More Ways to Make Money Playing Games
You can be a game tester at PlaytestCloud and get paid $9 to test a mobile game.
To join, you’ll need to be 13 years or older or have parental consent if you are below 13.
For more ways to make money playing games, check out this post: 17 Amazing Ways to Get Paid to Play Games for Free.
Writing Jobs For Teenagers
Writing assignments for school are not always fun but what if you get paid for writing?
There are endless opportunities online to write for blogs, websites, online magazines, ad copy, sales letter and others.
If you know your grammar and spellings and enjoy writing fiction or nonfiction, you can turn these skills into a lucrative online job for teens.
If you’re a complete beginner, check out Start A Profitable Freelance Writing Business In 5 Weeks.
Alternatively, if you want to learn how to make your writing sparkle check out: Writing With Flair: How to Become An Exceptional Writer.
To get started with writing gigs, check out the following freelance sites:
Fiverr
Must be 13 years or older to join. You can offer small gigs and sell them repeatedly. You can charge extras by offering add-ons and create different packages at a different price.
Fiverr isn’t just for writers though. You can offer other gigs in marketing, funny videos, web development, designing to name a few.
Fiverr has a FREE video course that teaches aspiring freelancers who want to be a successful Fiverr seller. You can watch the video course here.
Textbroker
Pays you based on your star rating and it ranges between 0.07 cents to 0.5 cents per word. To join, you must be a US citizen older than 18.
Upwork
Use this when you’re ready to compete with other freelance writers for clients. Must be over 18 to join.
Sell Your Art & Craft
Some teens enjoy creating art and craft as a way to express their creative side.
The good news is there’s no shortage of online platforms where you can turn your hobby and talent into a money-making venture.
Etsy
Etsy focuses on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. You can sell (and buy) handmade jewelry, bags, clothing, toys, art, home decor, art supplies, you name it.
If you don’t want the hassle of packing and shipping physical items, you can create templates, downloadable printables, or customized artwork that can be delivered online.
Opening a shop on Etsy is free and easy. They charge $0.20 to list an item to the marketplace and take a 5% cut on the sale price.
If you are between 13-18, you must have a parent or legal guardian to manage your Etsy account.
To learn more how to set up an Etsy shop and get traffic check out this highest rated course from Udemy: Etsy 101: Set Up a Shop and Promote It On Social media.
Fiverr
Unlike Etsy, you can only sell services and digital media that can be delivered over the Internet on Fiverr.
If you have skills in graphic design, photography, painting, video editing and other digital forms of art, Fiverr is a great place to get started.
Example of Fiverr gigs you can start:
- I will draw you into superhero comic book pop art cartoon
- I will teach you how to start your own face painting business
- I will create beautiful animal art from a photo of your pet
To learn more how to become a freelance full-time or part-time on Fiverr check out: Start Freelancing & Become a Top Rated Fiverr Seller.
Be a Babysitter, Pet Sitter, Housekeeper
Babysitting is a great job, especially for teenagers. You can earn quick cash while looking after and playing with children.
If you had babysat your little brother or cousin before, you know what it takes to watch them. Why not do the same thing and get paid for it?
Although if you want to do babysitting online, it’s a good idea to take a babysitter training course and learn CPR and first aid. These courses are not hard nor as expensive as you might think!
Another plus for taking a course, you can charge more as a babysitter!
The Red Cross offers babysitting classes to prepare 11 to 15-year-olds for babysitting available in many locations as well as online at a nominal cost.
In the course, you’ll learn topics such as:
- Choosing age-appropriate activities
- Basic child care like bottle feeding
- Child behavior
- Safety
- Starting a babysitting business
- And more…
Care.com
Care.com is one of the largest services for finding care for childcare, special needs care, elderly care, pet care, housekeeping and more with members in over 20 countries.
You can set your own rate or use their handy calculator to help you determine the best fee to charge. You can also see how much other carers are charging in your area.
If you are between the ages of 14 and 17 your legal guardian can apply for jobs for you. Only when you are 18 years old can you have your own account and apply for jobs yourself.
You’ll have to pass a background check for safety purposes. Once accepted, you’ll be eligible for extra benefits like health insurance, doctor visits, transportation expenses and education.
Sittercity
With Sittercity, you can offer services like babysitter, nanny, specialty needs, pet care, elderly companion or housekeeper.
You’ll be matched with people in your area who are willing to pay for your services. You set your own rate and availability.
You’ll need to be 18 years old or older to be a sitter at Sittercity.
Be an App/Web Developer
While this Internet job for teens can be lucrative, it is probably one of the more challenging one unless you are really talented, passionate and have a deep understanding of the ins and out of programming.
I am going to be realistic here so that you know what to expect.
You’ll be competing with adults who may have more experience than you.
Being young, most clients would assume you might not have enough experience under your belt yet.
Although, the advantage of working online is that your age is irrelevant. You don’t have to reveal your age in order to bid for a programming gig.
As long as you can demonstrate what you’re capable of, that’s all that matters. So having previous experience to show in your portfolio will help a lot.
There are also legal considerations. For instance, as a minor and you will likely require a parent or guardian to sign your contracts.
You can start by creating a portfolio of mobile games or websites and publish them under your own name.
Spend your time contributing to Open Source projects as this looks very good on the CV.
These will give you an opportunity to hone your skills without the demand and pressure of having to satisfy customers’ requirements.
Learn How to Program
If you think this is for you and would like to learn how to program, check out these highest rated/bestseller courses from Udemy:
- The Web Developer Bootcamp – a complete beginner full-stack developer course that covers NodeJS, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap and more. This is a comprehensive course that teaches everything you need to know about web development.
- The Complete Android Oreo Developer Course – learn how to create Android apps. Whether you want to be a professional app developer, take freelance gigs or do side hustle for a college student, this course is for you.
- iOS & Swift – The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp – if you want to learn Swift and iOS development to build any app you want, then this course is for you. No previous programming experience needed. This is one of the highest-rated courses of its kind on Udemy.
If you know how to program/create websites already, you can start looking for coding jobs for teens at the following sites:
Fiverr
The best thing about Fiverr is that you can offer small gigs tailored specifically to your expertise.
Once the clients discovered your listing, they come to you instead of the other way around.
To be a seller on Fiverr, you must be at least 13 years old.
Some examples of coding gigs that you can offer:
- I will do programming for your Arduino
- I will set up 5 pages WordPress blog for you
- I will develop Unity games in 2D/3D for Android or iOS
Also, check Upwork and Freelancer once you’re ready to compete with other coders and developers.
There’s a catch to land a job on these sites though. You’d probably need to bid very low or have to establish your profile of past jobs with high ratings.
So be prepared to work for very low pay or even for free in order to establish a list of clients in your portfolio.
Once you have built trust and rapport with them, you can ask for a small pay increase for the next project.
Creating apps or games can be fun. As a youngster, you might have the potential to provide fresh insights which are sought after by many clients.
Be a Blogger
Truth be told, creating a successful blog is hard. Most bloggers make nothing in their first year and gave up.
But as a teen, you can start a personal blog with the goal of eventually turning it into an online business. No pressure!
The earlier you start, the earlier you can start honing your skills. Your posts will start aging and Google loves aged posts. It will start ranking them eventually sending you free organic traffic.
The best thing about blogging is that it allows you to earn passive income every month once it starts getting lots of visitors.
You can make money by displaying ads, accepting sponsored posts, doing affiliate marketing, or selling your own products or services.
How to Get Started
Check out my step-by-step guide to starting a profitable blog.
If you want a more detailed guide to starting a blog, see Blogging for a Living – Perfect Small Budget Project.
This course will teach you how to make a full-time living, or in this case, make extra money as a teen, starting on a very small budget.
No knowledge of blogging or online business is required.
Be an Online Tutor
When it comes to tutoring, most sites won’t even let teenagers register unless they have a degree or a professional qualification in the field.
Fortunately, there are still places that accept teens to tutor online without a degree and get paid for it!
To get started, you’ll need a video camera, a headset with microphone and a good Internet connection.
Here are some of the best sites that offer tutoring jobs for teens:
SkimaTalk
You can earn $15/hour on SkimaTalk teaching English via Skype.
To apply to be a SkimaTalk teacher, you must be a native English speaker and 18 years of age or older. Prior teaching experience/training is preferred but not required.
You’ll need to complete a few simple tests. Once you’re approved, you can set your availability and rates and begin teaching.
Sell Unused Stuff Online
The following options are not actual jobs for teens but they are one of the easiest ways to make money fast.
If you have a lot of extra or unused stuff, rather than throwing them away or let them take up space in the house, why not turn them into cash?
You may think you have nothing worth selling as a teen but try talking to your parents and siblings and you’d be surprised what you can find.
DeCluttr
If you have extra electronics laying around, CDs and DVDs, Blu-rays, books, refurbished phones, game consoles you can sell them for cold hard cash through DeCluttr.
Decluttr gives you an instant cash price for the item you want to sell just by scanning its barcode using their app or by manually entering the code.
Shipping is free too. They provide shipping labels which you can print out and use the prepaid box to send out your items.
Postmark
For used clothing and accessories, you can try the smartphone app Poshmark. It’s very similar to eBay or Craigslist but they put emphasis on social media and being mobile-friendly.
Postmark provides a prepaid shipping label that you can print with your printer and ship the item directly to the buyer.
LetGo
For other second-hand stuff, anything from electronics, cars and collectables to clothing, furniture and home decor, you can try LetGo.
LetGo doesn’t charge a listing fee and they don’t take a cut of the final sale. So there’s no reason not to start selling on there.
Conclusion: Best Online Jobs for Teens That Pay Well
The online jobs for teens listed above give them the opportunity to learn important employment skills and problem-solving as well as understand the value of money.
When an adult has trouble finding a job, it’s a big deal, but if a teenager struggles to find a job, there’s not much to worry about.
Instead, he or she will gain skills to be better prepared when it’s time to find a real job later as an adult.
Whatever you plan to do, let your parents know for your own safety and benefit.
They may be able to help by keep track of your income for tax purposes once you’re making enough money, or help set up a Paypal account or open a bank account.
Now it’s your turn.
Are you a teen looking for an online job or a parent who are researching suitable jobs for their children?
Which one of these online jobs for teenagers appeals to you the most? Let us know in the comments!
