A Parent’s Guide to After-School Jobs

For many teenagers, having a job is both a rite of passage and their first venture into the “real world.” What do parents need to know about after-school jobs for teens?

The U.S. Department of Labor website, Youth Rules!, has a great many resources for teens who are either looking for a job or are currently employed.

Does your teen want to get a job? Here are some guidelines:

Minimum age for working

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the minimum age for most non-agricultural work is 14 years, although there are some exceptions such as working in entertainment or in a non-hazardous family business.

Also, most states have their own child labor laws. With your teen, research the laws in your own state on the Youth rules! website before he or she applies for a job and fills out an employment application.

Limit on working hours

If your teen is 14 or 15 years old, the FLSA limits your child to the following hours:

• Non-school hours
• School days – 3 hours on a school day
• School week – 18 hours in a school week
• Non-school day – 8 hours
• Non-school week – 40 hours
• Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. except from June 1 through Labor Day, during which evening hours are extended to 9:00 p.m. during this summertime period

If your teen is 16 years old or older, there are no limitations.

Popular jobs for teenagers

Here’s a list of 15 popular kinds of after-school jobs for teens:

• Animal-shelter worker
• Arts and crafts production and sales
• Babysitting
• Car-wash attendant
• Document and photograph archival services
• Grocery store employee
• Landscaping/lawn care
• Pizza delivery
• Packing and moving services
• Personal assistant services
• Restaurant wait staff
• Retail job
• Tutor
• Warehouse and distribution job
• Web designer