Summer Jobs and Internships for Teens

As the third trimester starts, you may be thinking about what to do during summer break. Maybe you’re looking for a job to make money, an internship to build your knowledge and resume for college and future jobs, or maybe you’re just looking for a place to volunteer. Volunteering is great for college applications, and something that most colleges look for. Finding a job as a teen is hard, but hopefully this article will help you navigate the market.

Some paid jobs that are great for teens with minimum age listed are: retail associate (typically hire as early as 15/16 years old), cashier (16), fast food worker (14-16), baby sitting (any age), barista (14-16), yard worker (any age), dog walker (any age), front desk receptionist (18), lifeguard(15), tutor (any age), camp counselor (17), server (16), delivery person (18), pet/ house sitter (any age), car wash employee (14), daycare worker (18), concession stand worker (16), library assistant (16), web designer (most ages). Many of these jobs can be self-employed and work with families that you know, such as babysitting, yard work, dog walking, pet/ house sitting, and tutoring.

If you are into fashion, a retail associate or cashier at a clothing store may be a perfect fit for a summer job. Retail associates often have flexible hours, get a discount on purchases, and an average wage of $14 an hour, and can be hired as young as 15/16. Some clothing stores that hire teens are, banana republic, Nordstrom, American Eagle Outfitters, GAP, Hollister, Nike, Urban Outfitters, J Crew, Footlocker.

If you are looking to build your resume, add to college applications, or to better learn about a field, an internship may be a perfect fit for you. Some amazing internships in the Seattle area are, front desk receptionist, internships at high schools (in most departments), Seattle public health, research labs, banks, childcare, software engineering and event coordinator. So many internships can be online as well as in person, so in the times of COVID, those are perfect.

If you’re in grades 10-12, and are interested in learning about reproductive rights and justice, and maybe want to go into that field for work, Uterish has a perfect internship for you! Led by former Northwest School students, Uterish is a non-profit organization that has a blog, newsletter, and a shop for clothing items that help spread awareness about the movement. There are many options for this internship, depending on what your interests are. You could help with maintenance on their website, work on their newsletter, or help with their social media accounts. Uterish offers one unpaid internship position for Northwest students to learn about the activism field through writing. Applications are due by May 1st, apply through this link!

Click here to learn more about Uterish: https://www.uterish.com/about-us

Finding a job is hard, but there are ways to make it easier. If you are looking for a summer job, try keeping your eye out for flyers expressing interest in employees. Another way you can find a job is searching on job finder websites. Some of these include Indeed, Monster, LinkedIn, Ziprecruiter, and Glassdoor.

Some popular places in the food industry that hire teens are: