Best First Jobs — Tandem

By: Aaliyah Barker, Marketing Intern at Tandem

Looking for a first job can be hard, especially when you’re young. As a student, I have always struggled with balancing school and work. Over the years, I have experimented with different types of jobs from babysitting to working in fast-food restaurants. A lot of time and stress was spent trying to find the middle ground between working and keeping up with school.

With the many laws, regulations, and societal expectations, making extra money as a teenager can be daunting. Making money at a young age teaches us how to manage, save, and spend money early on in life. Many students want to start working younger than the traditional age of sixteen, but struggle to find avenues that allow it.

Financial freedom is something that we all aspire for, and for good reason. In this day and age, being financially independent means everything. In this article, I am going to highlight 5 great first jobs that any teenager can do (yes, even if you are under the age of sixteen!).

Neighborhood Lawn Mowing Service. $15–30 Per Lawn

If you or your parents own a lawnmower, it may be smart to start a lawn mowing service in your neighborhood. For some, yard work can be taxing. However, if you are doing it for money, it makes it worthwhile. Having a lawn mowing service is a great way to make money at a young age while also diving into the world of entrepreneurship.

If you have a printer, you can make some awesome flyers and hang them around your neighborhood. Be sure to include:

• Name and local street (if you’re in a neighborhood, people may want to know how close you are)
• That you are a teenager looking for some extra money, and why you’re right for the job
• Your rate (You can start at $15 for the first few, but when you get better/do it longer, try to charge $25-$30!)
• This also depends on yard size. Do not undersell yourself, but know that people will not pay a lot of money for someone with little experience upfront.
• Times you are available to work.

Remember, people love supporting local businesses, especially young entrepreneurs. You are sure to find a few neighbors who would love a break from mowing, while also supporting a hardworking local.

Here is a great template for you to get started when you are looking to advertise yourself!

Babysitting. $10–25/hr

Babysitting can be a great way to make money on the side, especially if you are in school. Looking for a first job can be difficult when you’re younger, as most traditional jobs have a minimum age requirement of 16 years old.

However lucrative babysitting jobs may be, finding them is difficult. There are various methods you can use to find families to babysit for.

It may take time, but you can always market yourself similarly to owning a lawn mowing service. You can make flyers, print them, and then hang them up around your neighborhood waiting for people to give you a call.

Luckily, if you live in central Ohio, the Tandem Babysitting App does the work for you. As long as you are at least 13 years old, you can get connected with families in your area for free!

1. You tell the app your availability
2. You set the rate you want to work for. (Usually, if you do not have reliable transportation, like a driver’s license or car, a fair rate would be between $10–14.)
3. You get paired with jobs that match your preferences.

Don’t worry about your method of payment, either. Tandem care providers are paid through TandemPay, a payment method baked into the app that allows you to save or transfer earnings, or spend them on your Tandem debit card.

Whatever money you make by babysitting through the app can be spent using the Visa Tandem debit card. But if you decide you want to use your current debit card, transfers are made easy through Tandem as well.

Pet Sitting. $10–30/hr or per walk

Dog sitting is a great way to make some extra money, particularly if you are young and looking for a first job. This is great if you are in school because the time commitment is not too demanding. You may make considerably more money through babysitting, but pet sitting typically does not require as much time as children.

When you pet sit, you are getting paid to do various things:

• Let the dog out to use the bathroom
• Walk the dogs
• Feed them
• Light housekeeping related to the pets

Depending on the animals and job description this is a great way to get some extra homework done. Many people only require their pet sitter to come for a few hours during the day to let the dog out or take them on a walk.

Tutoring. $20–50/hr

After-school tutoring or homework help is a great way to make some extra money on the side. Even if you are in middle school, there are a lot of parents who would love some extra help for their younger kid’s homework assignments.

Many elementary school students require extra help during their developmental stages in life for many subjects: Reading, Science, Math, and Social Studies. Being in middle school or high school, these curriculums are ones that you probably know like the back of your hand.

You can always use Tandem as a source for finding tutoring or homework help, as well as babysitting jobs. It’s the same setup:

1. Choose when you are available to tutor.
2. Set the hourly rate you want to tutor for.
3. Get paired with families who are also looking for additional homework/tutoring help in your area.

Car Washing Business. $5–15 Per Car

Having a car washing business is an easy job to start if you have a driveway and a hose. Here is a $10 car washing kit to help get you started. Charging around $5 per car is a fair price and one that many parents/neighbors in your area would be willing to pay to support you and get their car clean promptly.

Having a car washing business is a super-easy way to make money quickly, and it is especially fun during the summer when it’s hot outside. For a winter alternative, check out shoveling driveways or scraping car windshields.

So Many Options

Whether you are looking to babysit or tutor through Tandem or wash cars on a hot day, don’t let your age or experience get in the way of making money. Having financial freedom from a young age is invaluable. It teaches you how to make, manage, save, and spend money responsibly, as these are lifelong skills.

Making your own money is a crucial step in the process of growing up and becoming an adult. Your parents are sure to support you in your early entrepreneurial efforts. They would also be happy to not have to give you money every time you want to go to the movies with your friends!