You are 15 years-old and you are considering opportunities to earn your own money. Perhaps you would like to save money for a car, or would like to be able to go see concerts with your friends. Whatever the reason you desire to earn money, you are motivated and can’t wait to get started.

But where do you start? What jobs are available to 15 year-olds?

This blog post will cover the following:

• Child labor laws and work permits
• Online jobs for 15 year-olds
• Side jobs for 15 year-olds

Child Labor Laws and Work Permits

Child labor laws are in place to ensure that young people are not overworked. After all, this is the time in your life to be focusing on your schoolwork. The laws will limit the hours and times that you are able to work, as well as prohibit you at 15 from working certain jobs. To learn more about the child labor laws in your state, click here .

As a 15 year-old, before you begin your job search, you are going to want to research whether or not you need to have a work permit in order to be employed. Requirements for work permits vary by state. Click here to learn about work permit requirements in your state.

Should you need to obtain a work permit, it is not a particularly difficult process. Instructions and links for obtaining a work permit in your state can be found by clicking here and then choosing the state where you live. School counselors also typically have information on obtaining a work permit and speaking with the one at your school may be helpful.

While obtaining a work permit requires an extra step or two, don’t let it discourage you from seeking employment. Fortunately it is a fairly straightforward process in most states.

Online Jobs for 15 Year-Olds

While you consider obtaining your work permit, something else to think about is that at the age of 15 there is work that you can do that will earn you extra money without being particularly difficult. These options are typically flexible as well which means you will have no trouble working around school.

A great area of opportunity for 15 year-olds are online jobs. There are numerous opportunities for 15 year-olds to generate income from their home computer. Here are a few great options:

Creating Websites or Blogs

You don’t have to be a computer whiz or professional web designer to create websites and blogs. You can create your own site or blog or build them for others who pay you for it. There are pre-designed templates that you can utilize and build on. Cost is minimal and the main investment is your time.

Should you be interested in building websites or blogs for businesses, it is a good idea to offer to create your first few websites for minimal cost; say under $200. These sites can then be used as examples of your work and your clients can offer good references. Having a portfolio and clients will help you get future jobs from businesses. The ability to create websites will also be beneficial to you with future employers.

You can also create a website and/or blog for yourself. Choose an area of interest and build your site around that interest. For example, if you really enjoy playing video games, you can create a site dedicated to that. You can review new games that come out, offer advice on how to play a game, etc. You can learn about how to drive traffic to your site, and there are ways that you can earn money by doing so.

Online Freelance Writing

Another flexible way to earn money is by completing writing jobs online. Check out freelance sites like Upwork.com and Fiverr.com. You are able to build a profile and apply online for short and long term writing jobs. A lot of the jobs involve creating content for existing websites and blogs. For someone who enjoys writing, this is a great way to earn money doing something you love while learning about different topics.

Pay for online writing varies; some clients will pay per article and others by the word. It is a good idea to start with a low rate and increase it as you gain experience. If you are easy to work with and produce a quality product, you will find yourself with plenty of business.

Translations

If you are fluent in multiple languages, you can earn money by translating documents or articles. Upwork.com offers translating opportunities. You can apply for those that appeal to you and that you feel comfortable you can do well. As with the writing jobs, you can increase your rate as you gain more experience.

Sell your Creative Work on Etsy

If you love to create things, Etsy is a great platform to advertise and sell your work. You can post photos and descriptions of your items online and earn money doing what you love.

Sell Items on ebay

This is a great way to clear out your house and earn additional money. Not only can you sell your own items, but you can ask relatives or friends if they have items they would like you to sell on ebay. You can negotiate a commission for each sale that you make of their items. You can earn money quickly on things that were likely just collecting dust.

These are just a few of the jobs that you can do online. For more information and opportunities, click here.

Side Jobs for 15 Year-Olds

If you would prefer to work outside of your house and away from your computer screen, there are plenty of options for you to consider.

Tutoring

As a tutor you can set your own schedule and tutor in the topics you choose. Tutoring will give you the opportunity to review things you did in school previously and help younger children and teenagers. This part-time work can be both challenging and rewarding. This will be great work experience for your future and tutoring will be a great way to earn additional money after high school as well.

Rates for tutoring will vary. As a 15 year-old, you might want to start at about $10 per hour and you can negotiate an increase as there are improvements in the grades of the child you are tutoring.

While tutoring may feel like a lot of pressure, you can also offer homework help services for elementary school kids. Many parents would love to have someone spend an hour with their children one or two days per week to help with homework. Particularly when there are multiple children in the home, having an extra hand with homework is appreciated.

Running Errands

Many adults are extremely busy working full-time jobs and trying to maintain their household. You can offer to run errands using your bike or walking to stores. There are many things you can help with; grocery shopping, going to the post office, doing the household’s holiday shopping, etc. Charging around $10 per hour would be appropriate. Keep in mind, if you provide excellent service, your clients will refer you to their friends.

Pet Sitting/Dog Walking

When people go out of town, they worry about their pets. Many will happily pay you to feed their pets and spend some time with them. While you can leave cats alone for a week while you are on vacation, they will need to be fed and their litter boxes will need to be changed. You can negotiate payment per visit, as well as what the client would like the visit to entail. Some may just want you to feed the pet once or twice a day; others may want you to spend time with the animal or animals.

Even when they don’t go out of town, dog owners may be interested in dog walking services. Perhaps they work long days and are worried about their dog getting exercise. You can offer to pick up the dog and take it for a walk. This may be helpful to people during their workday, which may last until 6pm or later, or even when they get home from work. You can charge a rate per walk and come to an agreement on the length of time the walk will be.

For more information on side jobs for 15 year-olds, click here.

For those who have been looking forward to working at a fast-food restaurant once they are able to, finding one of those jobs is a strong possibility at 15. For those that are less enthusiastic about those jobs, there are plenty of other ways to earn money at the age of 15. These opportunities offer flexibility in your schedule and plenty of growth potential.

So, what do you think about easy jobs for 15 year-olds?  Do you agree with what was said above?  Comment below to let us know!