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Teen Part-Time Jobs: Out of Fashion?

Posted by: Lourdes Lee Valeriano on September 18

How many 14-year-olds do you know have part-time jobs?

I’m not acquainted with any, barring those who do very occasional baby-sitting and—this being New York City—modeling in commercials. Indeed, the demographic of working teenagers is so minute in my daughter’s private school that when a friend, who was toying with the idea of applying for a job at a neighborhood bakery, wanted work papers, she found that the student affairs coordinator wasn’t even aware the school is supposed to have these forms.

This doesn’t mean my daughter goes to a school for slackers. It’s just that kids are so busy with the mounting workload of high school and extracurriculars that many consider a part-time job beyond the realm of possibility. My teen, a freshman, comes home every day at 6:45, and it’s an easy night if she’s done with chores (see my blog on chores and teens) and homework by 10:45.

Not that there’s going to be an abundant supply of part-time jobs for teens, given the expected aftershocks for this week’s Wall Street upheaval. (I wonder whether the yogurt chain Pinkberry, which is my daughter’s employer of choice, would be rapidly opening new outlets in Manhattan after this.) “All evidence is that whenever the economy turns down, teenagers are the most adversely affected of any age group,” says Andrew Sum, who is director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University and who has been tracking teen employment for many years.
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All of which is a shame, because—as many in my generation can attest—a job has much to offer kids: exposure, responsibility, self-satisfaction…and spending money. A job also can keep teens out of trouble. One mom wistfully told me she wished her daughter, a crack soccer player who plays on two teams, had time to babysit regularly. If her daughter had, say, a regular Saturday night gig, my friend mused, she’d have a “cool” excuse not to go to parties, where kids might be drinking or worse. Of course, you may think that she doesn’t need a “cool” excuse, but that’s for another blog. (Here’s a test to see if your kid is ready to hold a part-time job.)

That’s why I didn’t give up on the idea of part-time work for my teen. If the time demands of a regular part-time employment are too constraining, then there’s the entrepreneurial route (check this blog out for some innovative suggestions for small-businesses-minded teens). Last Christmas, my daughter painted a portrait of our dachshund as her present to me that was so good that I put a lavish frame on it and mounted it in our living room. Now she has a commission from a family friend for two portraits of two yellow labs. She negotiated the price herself (with some suggestions from me after surveying my friends) and has been discussing photos, canvas sizes, and delivery dates with her client by e-mail.

It’s only a glimmer of a business, but I can see that my daughter’s excited. And I can’t help but believe that earning your own money will be a good antidote for all the financial anxiety that will be floating around the city in the coming months—which can get to you even if you’re just a kid.

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Reader Comments

Jonna Espey

September 19, 2008 03:48 PM

Having seen her work I advise everyone to get in early while they can still afford it. Her bold lines and original compositions will grace any wall.

Anne Newman

September 23, 2008 11:05 PM

Actually, teens in my New Jersey suburb compete for jobs, particularly in the summer. While some head for camps, we have plenty who work at our town pool or pick up good money as umpires. And they work during the rest of the year if they can find jobs that fit their schedules. My daughter picked up an application at the local library (of course, she's not available until field hockey is over). Others work at the mall (or used to), local bakeries, the popular downtown ice cream shop, or local restaurants. Others are tutors or babysitters. How many in the private school Manhattan set need to work? While ours is a comfortable suburb, many kids are expected to earn an allowance and pay their own ways when it comes to buying clothes and "stuff" they really don't need.

Dweaver

October 21, 2008 11:36 AM

I think that the Government should have more jobs for teens aged at 14 years. They should do this so teens can stay off the street and learn something in life.

neraj

December 14, 2008 06:54 AM

i want a job which can be done in home itself

antonio key

January 6, 2009 09:51 AM

I need a job

ELIZABETH

January 6, 2009 07:13 PM

I AM A TEEN AND IM 15 YEARS OLD LOOKING FOR A JOB.

Jaleesa

January 7, 2009 02:25 PM

I am 17 years old responsible and i need a job!

michellee

January 9, 2009 02:37 PM

iam 17 have work experience in a need a job

theresa henry

January 17, 2009 03:47 PM

I am 17 years old still in high school and i am looking for a part time job that i can enjoy and be paid good money to provide for me.

Shila

January 24, 2009 06:48 PM

i really need a job

shavone-watson armstrong

January 26, 2009 09:54 AM

I am 17 years old and i really need a job. i go to school at east hartford high.I love baby-sitting. but i have not yet found a job. I also have experince with customer service.

Elizabeth A.

February 1, 2009 11:46 AM

Im 15 years old and looking for a job too.I maybe young but i am very resposible, very outgoing, and friendly. Im looking for a job where i can meet and help people like a clothing store or something

Aubree Patronick

February 11, 2009 03:16 PM

Hello my name is Aubree patronick i really need a job to make some money and prove to my family and friends i do have what it takes i also work in the summer only for a week at the pocono downs race track i sell all kinds of supplies so i have some experience in working i also have done babysitting
Thank-you so much please get back to me
Aubree Patronick

rosanna

February 12, 2009 08:43 PM

heyy...
my name its rosanna i am 14 years old and i al looking for a job...i hope there i some positions available because i relly want to have work experience and have a fun time in the after school hours.... thnxs :-)

steph

February 14, 2009 01:59 PM

i am 13, know a lot about fashion and make clothes.
I know i am young but i know what i want to do and i really want to start young to have the best chance of a good career in fashion!
please help !
:-)

cassandra ramos

February 24, 2009 02:58 PM

hey my name is Cassandra and I'm 14 yrs old I'm looking for a job that includes kids it can be anything like baby sitting or tutoring!

Brittney

February 25, 2009 10:24 PM

My name is Brittney , i am 17 and ten months looking for a partime job that will become fulltime come june that pays well/1

natalie

March 3, 2009 06:50 PM

Hello ! (: my name is nataliee ! [without the second e but i likee itt :] kay, so i am only twelve.[7th grade] but when I am older I could really, i mean really could use a job ! (: and i am responsable and defenately creative. and fun to be around ! :]] sooo yeahhhhh !

jeancarlo

March 22, 2009 09:28 PM

hello..
let me introduce my self my name is jeancarlo i am 15 about to be 16 in may 3o i am looking for a job and i could buy my own stuff and wont have to ask my parents and i also want to help them out

thomas

April 1, 2009 02:38 PM

i'm looking for i job so i can buy stuff for my dad thats off work

TATIANA

April 12, 2009 07:33 PM

just looking 4 a job 2 buy things i need and want

krystal dukes

May 7, 2009 02:20 PM

hey im looking for a job so i can supply for myself

Bryan v

May 13, 2009 01:12 AM

Hi my name is bryan I'm 15 I live in illnois I have a four month old daughter and need a job Im going 2 be 16 really really need a job

polina

July 10, 2009 04:11 PM

yeah i live in new jersey and everyone is looking for jobs. i go to the largest high school in the country! which means that i, a freshman am not going to get a job over the seniors. not only is there serious competition, but not a lot of job offers are given. my friends and i sit at home the whole summer doing absolutely nothing, when we could be out there working and getting some sort of money. unless you know someone with a buisness who'll offer you a job or with great power, youll be stuck at home, with no money.

shailendra tripathi

September 2, 2009 09:26 AM


Im 25 years old and looking for a job too.I maybe young but i am very resposible, very outgoing, and friendly. Im looking for a job where i can meet and help people like a clothing store or something

rasheeda

September 3, 2009 03:59 PM

my name is rasheeda woodberry im 15 years old and i really need a job. im very god with other people and kids. im also very good in math,social studies and english.

shanna brummer

September 7, 2009 09:26 PM

hello im shanna and im 14 and i really need a job fast pleSE HELP ME =[

Jonea Dampier

September 10, 2009 02:15 PM

I'm Jonea & I'm currently in need of a job at the moment. I'm willing to take whatever job I can right now. Please contact me if needed.

Hire Teen

October 29, 2009 12:57 PM

The situation is still the same in the end of 2009.

Teenagers, especially under 20 have got problems getting for jobs since adults, who have lost their jobs after the companies laid them off, took part time jobs which are usually done by teenagers.

We do hope that next year the government would be more serious to take care of this youth employment problem.

Hire Teen
www.hireteen.com

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In this blog, BusinessWeek’s Lauren Young, Cathy Arnst, Diane Brady, Karyn McCormack, Anne Newman, Mauro Vaisman, Lourdes L. Valeriano, and Joy Katz, Mark Hyman, along with freelance writer Savita Iyer-Ahrestani, lead a broad discussion of the issues and day-to-day concerns of working parents, offering up interviews with work/life experts, examinations of relevant research, and their personal accounts of bouncing between separate, sometimes conflicting worlds.

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