15 Best Online Jobs for Teens (How to Make Money From Home)
Online jobs are in demand today more than ever. As the author of a work-from-home blog, I recently went in search of online jobs for teens and high school students.
What I discovered is that finding legitimate online jobs for teens under 18 isn’t easy! Most gig work requires applicants to be 18 years of age and up. And a few of the most widely touted opportunities, like apps that pay you to review songs, pay so low they’re a joke.
Also, most online jobs pay via PayPal, and according to PayPal’s user agreement, you can’t have a PayPal account if you’re under the age of 18. This goes whether you live in the U.S., Canada, the UK, or pretty much anywhere else. So even if a companry is open to hiring teens, if they pay via PayPal, you’re out of luck – super frustrating!
Note: PayPal used to have something called student accounts for users ages 13 and up, but these were discontinued way back in 2016.
Fortunately, if you scout around, you’ll find some companies that do offer alternative payment methods like checks, direct bank transfers, or gift cards. Most of these jobs don’t pay a ton, but they’re easy to get started with, so I’ve listed them here. While most of them can be done completely online, others connect you with clients that you arrange to meet in person.
Here are some of the opportunities we’ll cover:
- Taking paid surveys online
- Participating in focus groups in your area
- Browsing the web or watching videos for money
- Playing games on your mobile phone
- Looking after people’s pets
- Babysitting
- Housekeeping
- Tutoring
- User testing websites and apps
- Selling custom T-shirts and other items online
- Selling your artwork or crafts online
- Becoming an Instagram influencer
- Starting a YouTube channel
I’ve also included some other ways for teens to make money online that are better than low-paying gig work.
While you’re here, you might also be interested in checking out my post about making money with ChatGPT.
Let’s jump in!
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure for more info.
How to make money online as a teenager: 12 ways to get started
The following companies and websites are known to offer online jobs for teens ranging from age 12-17 and older. Some of them offer a fast and easy way to make some extra cash online, while others take time to see results.
Age requirement: Must be 13 years or older and reside in the United States (except California), Canada, or Australia; members who live in California must be 16 years or older
Job description: Survey Junkie is one of the most popular legitimate paid survey opportunities. To start earning money, all you need to do is sign up and create a profile, and the company will match you with paid surveys. You can also earn money by participating in focus groups, referring friends, and browsing the web (your browsing data remains anonymous).
Payment info: Survey Junkie offers the option of cashing out with PayPal, but you can also redeem your points for gift cards, including Visa, Walmart, Amazon, and others. Direct bank transfers via Dwolla are available if you live in the United States. You can cash out once you’ve collected 500 points, or the equivalent of $5.
Age requirements: 16 years old and up (must be from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, or Australia)
Job description: Survey Club is a market research company that businesses use to survey consumers about their products and services. As a Survey Club member, you get paid to complete online surveys and participate in focus groups in your area. Survey Club is free to join. When you sign up, you’ll be prompted to give some information about yourself, and Survey Club will match you with companies that are seeking the demographic you provided. Then you can log into your account and choose from available paid surveys. If you live in the U.S., you can expect to receive several surveys per week, and sometimes several per day.
Payment info: Survey Club pays out via PayPal, check, or Amazon gift cards. You can cash out once you reach the $25 payment threshold. Compensation varies based on the company and the length of the survey. As a rule, online surveys don’t pay much – typically $0.50-$1 per survey – but if you choose to participate in local focus groups, you can earn $50-$200 per hour.
Note: When you sign up for Survey Club, you also agree to opt in to their partners’ email lists, so make sure to use a throwaway email address or your personal inbox will fill up quickly. This is common with online survey companies.
Age requirement: 13 years old and up
Job description: Swagbucks is a popular cashback and rewards app that awards you points for shopping at your favorite online stores, watching videos, playing games, browsing the web, and answering surveys.
Payment info: Swagbucks offers the option of redeeming your points for PayPal gift cards. However, you can also redeem points for Visa gift cards as well as gift cards for your favorite stores, including Walmart, Target, eBay, Sephora, Starbucks, Best Buy, and others.
Age requirement: 13 years old and up
Job description: Mistplay is a mobile app that pays you to play video games. (Say what!) The longer you play, the more units you earn. You can also play against your friends and meet new friends on the app.
Payment info: You can redeem units for gift cards, including Visa, Amazon, Google Play, PlayStation Store, and others.
Age requirement: 13 years old and up
Job description: PetSitter.com is a site that matches pet owners with pet sitters in their area. In addition to pet sitting jobs, there are also pet boarding, pet grooming, dog walking, and dog training jobs posted on the site. You can either apply directly to job listings, or you can set up a profile on the website and pet owners can contact you. PetSitter.com has a free basic plan, but to use all the features on the site, you’ll need to purchase a subscription.
Payment info: The client pays you directly, off the website (PetSitter.com doesn’t take a cut or facilitate payments). Typical rates range from $15-$25 an hour.
Note: With unmoderated online services like this, there’s always a risk of encountering scammers on the site. PetSitter.com has provided some tips for avoiding common Internet scams here. Also, see my own tips for avoiding scams below.
Age requirement: 18 years old, but if you’re 14 to 17 years old, your legal guardian can open an account and apply to jobs for you
Job description: Care.com is an online platform that connects care seekers and caregivers. Available job categories include babysitting, housekeeping, pet care, tutoring, senior care, and special needs care. When you sign up, you can choose either a free basic membership or a premium membership subscription plan, which costs $20 per month. The basic membership lets you browse and apply to jobs by submitting your Care.com profile. The paid membership lets you add personal messages to your applications, and you’ll also get a featured profile that appears higher in search results. Once you set up your profile, you can browse and apply to jobs, or care seekers can contact you via your profile.
Payment info: As a caregiver, you can list your pay rate range on your Care.com profile. To receive payments, you’ll need to set up online payments via the Care.com Payment Center. A debit card number is required so Care.com can send payments to your bank account. When a family books you to provide care, they pay by credit card through Care.com’s payment processor, Stripe. When the job is completed, Care.com processes the payment to your bank account. You won’t be charged any fees for receiving payments.
Age requirement: All ages welcome – testers under the age of 18 must have their parent or guardian complete and sign a consent form
Job description: Testbirds is a Germany-based user testing company that pays people to test apps and websites and find bugs in software. As a tester for Testbirds, you’ll be invited to take tests via email, and you can choose whether you want to accept a test. You can use either a desktop computer or your mobile phone to do the tests. To apply, you’ll need to complete an introductory test.
Payment info: Pay rates vary depending on the complexity of the test. Regular usability tests pay around €20 (euros) or 15 pounds, plus additional payment for every defect you find in the software. Bug tests pay for every unique bug you find, usually ranging from €1-€5 depending on the bug severity. If you work at a normal speed, you can earn €10 or more per hour. Testbirds offers all testers the option to be paid via PayPal, or if you live in a country that’s part of the Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA), you can receive payments directly to your bank account via IBAN/SWIFT. Payday is twice per month, with a minimum cashout threshold of €6.
Age requirement: 13 years old and up
Job description: CafePress is an online retailer of customized gifts and novelty items, such as T-shirts, facemasks, stickers, posters, coffee mugs, stationery, accessories, and more. As a seller on CafePress, your job is to create catchy or funny slogans or images for CafePress merchandise, and you’re paid royalties for sales of those items.
Payment info: CafePress sells items for a base price, and you add your markup on top of that. You can choose to receive payments by PayPal or check. The minimum cashout threshold for a check is $100. You can get performance bonuses and an additional cut of sales if you choose to list your products in the CafePress Marketplace.
Age requirement: 13 years old and up
Job description: Zazzle is a site similar to CafePress that sells made-to-order gifts and novelty items. As a designer on Zazzle, you choose the inventory you want to customize and then upload your slogan or design.
Payment info: Payment is twice a month by check. You can learn about Zazzle’s royalty percentages here. Zazzle charges designers a shipping services fee.
Age requirement: 18 years and up, but minors ages 13 years old and up can sell on Etsy if they follow the site’s Minors Policy – among other requirements, all billing information must belong to your parent or legal guardian
Job description: If you’re creative or entrepreneurial, opening an Etsy shop can be one of the best online jobs for teens. Etsy is an online marketplace for people who want to buy or sell handmade or vintage items – for example, clothing, jewelry, organic cosmetics, stationery, home decor, and artwork. If you set up shop on Etsy, keep in mind you’ll be running a real e-commerce business, which means investing a lot of time into creating or sourcing items to sell, fulfilling and shipping orders, and marketing your business.
Payment info: As a seller, you can choose to be paid by PayPal, check, or Etsy Payments, which sends direct deposits to your bank account. Per the Etsy Minors Policy, if you use Etsy Payments, your parent or legal guardian must register using their information. You should also be aware that Etsy charges a five percent transaction fee of the price for each of your listed items, as well as payment processing fees if you use Etsy Payments. (You can see all the fees associated with using Etsy here.)
Age requirement: 13 years old and up – accounts representing someone 12 years old or under must clearly state in the bio that the account is managed by a parent or manager (learn more)
Job description: As an Instagram influencer, you’ll need to create a strong personal brand and build up your follower count and engagement rate. Then you can sell sponsored posts to companies and brands.
Payment info: You’ll negotiate rates for sponsored posts directly with the companies and brands you’re working with.
P.S. If you’re interested in earning money as an influencer but you’re a huge introvert, make sure to check out my section below on starting a blog, which is, in my opinion, one of the best online jobs for teens!
Age requirement: 13 years old and up (users between the ages of 13 and 17 can only open accounts with parental permission)
Job description: When you’re coming up with ideas for a YouTube channel, don’t think you have to start one of those super-annoying pranks channels to be successful. Tutorials and product reviews are highly popular on YouTube, and you have endless topics to choose from – makeup and hair, fitness, crafts, home improvement, photography, gaming, cooking, and so on. Whatever you’re knowledgeable about, there’s likely a demand for it!
Payment info: The standard way of making money on YouTube is through advertising revenue, which means the more views and subscribers you get, the more you can earn. Average pay per 1,000 views is $18. Google keeps 45 percent of this, leaving you with an average of $9.90 per 1,000 views. Besides ads, there are a few other ways to make money with YouTube, such as selling merchandise. You can choose from several forms of payment, including electronic funds transfer (EFT), SEPA, wire transfer, etc. You must meet the minimum payment threshold of $100 to cash out.
Online jobs for 13-year-olds
As a quick reference, here are the jobs above that hire teenagers ages 13 years old and up.
- Survey Junkie
- Swagbucks
- Mistplay
- PetSitter.com
- Testbirds
- CafePress
- Zazzle
- Etsy
- YouTube
Online jobs for 16-year-olds
As a quick reference, here are the jobs above that hire teenagers ages 16 years old and up.
- Survey Junkie
- Survey Club
- Swagbucks
- Mistplay
- PetSitter.com
- Care.com
- Testbirds
- CafePress
- Zazzle
- Etsy
- YouTube
The best ways for teens to make money online
As I previously noted, many of the jobs above don’t pay great, or they pay in gift cards. That’s just the way it goes with most online gig work.
If you’re feeling discouraged about the lack of online jobs for teens, don’t despair just yet! There are better ways to make money online as a teen. They may not get you results as fast as some of the opportunities above, but they pay much better in the long term.
Here are three of them.
#1. Start a money-making blog.
One of the most fun ways to earn money online is to start a blog and monetize it. For example, I sell audio transcription services on this site, but I also make some passive income every month by affiliate marketing – that is, I recommend some of my favorite products on this blog, and I earn a commission when someone purchases one of those products through my affiliate link.
The most popular affiliate program for new bloggers is Amazon Associates because of all the products you can promote, but there are tons of others affiliate programs as well. Many affiliate programs give you the option of accepting payments via direct deposit or check instead of PayPal.
Besides affiliate marketing, here are a few more ways you can earn money with your blog:
- Sign up for an ad network like Google AdSense. As your traffic grows, you’ll qualify for better ad networks, such as Mediavine or AdThrive.
- Offer consulting or creative services, such as writing or graphic design.
- Create and sell your own digital products. For example, if you blog about DIY fashion, you could create a course on how to make a crochet dress and include some of your patterns.
- Publish sponsored posts. This is something you might choose to do once your blog becomes more established and companies start reaching out to you to help promote their products.
You can start a blog about anything: cooking, crafts, video games, book reviews, music, fashion, makeup, travel, writing – the possibilities are endless.
Writing content is hard work, but it’s rewarding too. For people who are shy or introverted, blogging offers a low-key alternative to being an Instagram or Tiktok influencer. And the more you put into your blog, the more it will grow month after month. (To learn how to drive traffic to your blog using Pinterest, check out these Pinterest courses for bloggers.)
Starting a blog is my top-recommended online job for teens. If you’re interested in learning more about how to start a money-making blog, I recommend the following free courses:
- Start a Money-Making Blog. This free course was created by blogging growth strategist Ana Skyes. Ana has a successful blog of her own, and she creates lots of helpful resources for bloggers who are starting out on their journey. In this course, you’ll learn how to come up with a smart blogging strategy, write amazing blog posts, and generate passive income with your blog.
- Pinterest Primer. Though it may surprise you, many top bloggers use Pinterest to drive tons of traffic to their blog (or even to sell affiliate products without a website). In this free Pinterest course by McKinzie Bean, author of the blog Moms Make Cents, you’ll learn how to get set up on Pinterest, create viral pins, and generate traffic to your blog or affiliate offers.
#2. Start your own online business or freelance career.
Another alternative to getting an online job for teens is to start and manage your own online business. That way, you can call the shots on how much you earn and the method you use to accept payments. For instance, you could take checks and bank transfers from your clients. There are even teen-friendly alternatives to PayPal, such as Google Pay.
One example of a business you could start is a virtual assistant business. VAs offer any service that can be done virtually, like transcription, social media marketing, or graphic design. As a virtual assistant, you can be a jack of all trades or specialize in just a couple of services.
Besides the obvious ones like freelance writing or web design, here are a few ideas of some specific online products and services you could offer:
- Pinterest management services
- Stock photos or social media graphics for bloggers and businesses
- Professional resume writing and design
- AI editing services (there are lots of other ways you can make money with AI now too)
For more inspiration, Gina Horkey of the Horkey Handbook blog has created an awesome list of 275+ services you can offer as a virtual assistant.
There are plenty of quality courses and training programs online to help you launch your freelance or virtual assistant business the right way, like Udemy and Freelance University. (Or check out my list of free virtual assistant training courses!)
#3. Offer ESL or other tutoring services at home or online.
If there’s a subject you excel in, you can offer tutoring services to other students, either from home or online.
You could also consider becoming an ESL tutor. Many newcomers to the United States and Canada are looking for extra help learning how to speak English fluently. The best way to learn a new language is to spend time chatting with other people who speak that language.
I know a student who offered ESL tutoring lessons from home and made good money doing it. She advertised her services on a free classifieds website like Craigslist (or Kijiji, for Canadians).
If you decide to tutor from your home, weigh the risks and take all necessary safety precautions, including having your parent or guardian at home with you while you tutor. Or, consider offering tutoring services online via Zoom instead.
Other places to find online jobs for teens
Despite the fact that it can be frustrating to find legitimate online job opportunities for teens, I hope this post has given you some ideas to use as a springboard for launching your work-from-home career.
In case you want to dig a little deeper, here are my top-recommended sources for finding online jobs:
- FlexJobs. A huge job database offering hand-screened flexible and remote jobs from top employers like Amazon, Apple, and Salesforce.
- LinkedIn. To browse online jobs on LinkedIn, you’ll need to set up a free profile first. Then you can set up job alerts that match your desired criteria.
- Remote.co. This free job board lists all kind of remote gigs. Employers pay a fee to post jobs, so the listings tend to be high quality.
Tips for avoiding work-from-home scams
Here are my top tips for avoiding work-from-home scams and protecting yourself when hunting for a job online:
- Never pay for an online job. Real jobs pay you – not the other way around! Legitimate companies will not charge you a fee to work or test for them. That said, with many online jobs you may need to take an unpaid skills test. This is common with transcription, writing, proofreading, and user testing jobs, for example.
- Don’t respond to ads on sites like Craigslist with your personal information.
- Don’t do any freelance work for unknown individuals unless they agree to pay you up front. Also, beware of new buyers who use free email addresses instead of a company email address. While a free email address isn’t always an indicator of a scam, scammers almost always use free email accounts rather than a @companyname.com email address.
- Be wary of work-from-home job boards that hide their job listings behind a paywall. (There are some legit job boards and subscription sites that let you view all their jobs for free, like FlexJobs and Remote.co.)
- Always research a company online before working for them. Sites like Trustpilot, Indeed, and Glassdoor can be good indicators of whether a company is a good or bad player.
- If a company you’ve just begun to work for delays payment, don’t let them keep stringing you along – stop working for them until they pay up.
- If a work-from-home offer is setting off red flags, trust your gut.
Other online job resources
If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested in a few of my others:
- Online jobs that pay daily
- Online jobs that pay weekly
- 75+ online transcription jobs
- Best online proofreading jobs
- The best part-time online jobs
And if you know of a good online job for teens, or if you’re a company that hires teens for remote work, share the wealth – leave a comment!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog, and all the best in your online job search!
