Don't Break the Bank: A Student's Guide to Managing Money (10 page)

Twitter
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and Facebook
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You use social networks like Twitter and Facebook for just about everything else, so why not take advantage of this resource to help find a job? Let your friends know you’re looking for work or ask if they know anyone who is hiring. (Be sure to return the favor and pass along any leads that may be of interest to your friends.)

Word of Mouth

Don’t overlook the network of offline contacts you may have available—family and friends, people your parents may know, people from church or any clubs you belong to, and teachers/professors. All of these people are potential sources of jobs—and they will likely be impressed by your ambition to try to find a job.

Common Jobs for Teens

Babysitting

Expert advice:

DO get a job as soon as you turn 16. You don’t need to commit to a 40-hour work week of manual labor, but why not spend a few hours a week doing something you enjoy doing—and get paid for it? Love reading? Apply at the local bookstore or library. Can’t get by without your daily dose of caffeine? Be a barista and start slinging drinks! The best part: Most jobs offer a discount so you’ll save on what you’re already buying.

      
~ Jackie Warrick, President & Chief Savings Officer at CouponCabin.com

Babysitting is one of the most common ways for teens to earn extra money. The good news is that it’s fairly easy to find this type of job. Pretty much every parent with little kids needs a babysitter at some point. If you mention to everyone you know that you’re available to babysit, you’ll probably quickly find yourself with potential jobs.

There are some things you need to consider before seeking a babysitting job, though. First, obviously, you really need to like kids. You must have patience and be able to stay cool under stress. And you’ll need a lot of energy! If you are creative and can come up with fun activities to do with kids, that will be a big help.

You also want to be very careful about choosing the people you’ll babysit for. You don’t want to just go into a stranger’s home. The best bet is to stick with people your parents or other relatives already know. Otherwise, make sure your parents meet them first.

You also want to make sure you are prepared to handle an emergency. Make sure you become familiar with the home, so you know how to get the kids out quickly in case of fire or other emergency. Get the parents’ cell phone numbers and a list of emergency contacts. Be sure to find out if the kids have allergies, medical conditions, or anything else you need to know. It’s also a very good idea to take a first aid and CPR course, or even a “babysitting certification” course. Many hospitals offer these, or you can check with your local Red Cross.

Do’s and Dont’s of Being a Good Babysitter

• Do plan to arrive early. This gives you enough time to set your stuff down and get the rundown from parents before they leave at their appointed hour. A little bit of initiative goes a long way in the babysitting world.

• Do bring your own supplies, like books, paper, crayons, string, cards, and scissors, so that you don’t have to ask the parents for anything. This way, you are armed with a few hours’ worth of entertainment that can help you get off to a good start. If you give the kids some of your own supplies, it makes them feel that much more special.

• Do look out for the kids’ safety. The city needs more heroes like The Babysitter.

• Do keep in contact with the parents. You’ll have a half-dozen ways to communicate with them anyway, between Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail.

• Enjoy some family-friendly activities. Your friends aren’t here to judge you for watching Bambi.

• Be friendly and patient with the kids. You’ll finally get the younger siblings you never had! Unless you already do have some, of course!

• Do pay attention to the use of technology in the home. Do the kids have cell phones? Are they on the computer? If none of these apply, then DO NOT spend the whole time texting your friends because then the kids will only remember the fancy, enticingly digital things you did (texting, and so on) that they are not accustomed to seeing. (And besides, you shouldn’t be distracted from paying attention to the kids.) By the same token, if the kids are allowed to be gadgetronic, give them that leeway but also try to encourage some old-school, wholesome, hands-on fun.

• Don’t allow the kids to watch anything violent, graphic, or otherwise disturbing. And you shouldn’t be watching anything along those lines either while you’re in the house, because the kids may be watching from the background. In other words, no Friday the 13
^th
marathons.

• Don’t invite your friends or boyfriend or girlfriend to hang out with you for the night. Remember, you are working, not hanging out.

• Don’t throw a raging party that will make spacemen file a noise complaint because they can hear it from Neptune.

• Don’t use drugs or alcohol while on duty. (This should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway.)

• Do have a set rate that you charge, so that you can quote if the parents ask. The rate will probably depend on the typical going rate in your area. If the parents simply pay you at the end of the night, take that amount and gauge whether the experience was worthwhile (monetarily and otherwise). It doesn’t happen all the time, but some babysitters can be taken advantage of if they’re not confident and savvy at the outset.

• Do be gracious and respectful of people’s homes and things.

• Do feel free to do things like straighten up a room full of toys and do the dishes—don’t go overboard though, because this can sometimes feel like an invasion of privacy for some people.

Mowing Lawns

      
Tip:
Gauge how your client likes his or her lawn done by taking a look at flower beds, state of the house, state of the car—if all of these things are highly manicured, then be sure to do an especially attentive job; it will be appreciated. (Although that doesn’t mean you can slack off otherwise.) Also, if you do not do a job up to your clients’ standards, then that is the only thing they will notice and remember about you.

Yard work may seem like a simple way to make money, but it can be harder than it seems. It’s a good idea to practice on your own yard first to make sure you know exactly what’s involved.

Mowing lawns and doing other types of yard work is physical labor. You will need lots of energy and must enjoy working outdoors (and can’t mind getting dirty). On the plus side, you get to be outside on nice days, and you will probably get a good workout. When looking for potential customers, try people in your neighborhood. Good candidates are those who work a lot and don’t have much time to spend on their yards. Also, the elderly often need help with these types of chores because they may be physically unable to do it on their own.

You will need to decide whether you will be using your own machine or not and what that means in terms of your clients’ locations. If you are using your own machine, bear in mind that you’ll have to carry or move it yourself and buy your own gas. If this is the case, be sure to factor that into your bill. If you’re going to use your client’s machine (which has its pros and cons—you may not be familiar with the machine, but at least you won’t have to schlep it), then you should probably charge a lower rate.

Running Errands

Some people need help running errands, such as the elderly or those who have medical problems that make it difficult for them to leave the house. However, clients may also be busy people who work a lot or mothers with small children at home who don’t want the hassle of finding a babysitter or dragging the kids out of the house.

One big consideration involved with running errands is transportation. If you don’t have a car and a client wants you to pick up a bunch of groceries, you may have a problem. If you have a vehicle and will be using it to do these errands, make sure to factor the cost of gas and any other expenses into your fee.

Regardless of the mode of transportation, be efficient but not to the point of craziness: there’s no reason to run from place to place and risk breaking things and being sloppy. Be aware that you’re on the clock, but you also need to be careful.

If running errands becomes a by-product of lawn and housework gigs, then be sure to charge by the hour, rather than per job. This says to the client that you are flexible in terms of responsibilities, but you have your act together and want to get paid a fair rate for the work you do.

Pet-sitting: Who Let the Dogs Out?

This can be a great part-time job, but it may not pay a ton of money. But it is a fantastic opportunity to prove how responsible you are—and DO NOT take a pet-sitting job if you are not responsible because there are lives at stake, LITERALLY. If you do show that you are capable and can become friends with the animals in question, then you can quickly become priceless to the pet owners. Knowing that there is someone trustworthy and available makes going away that much easier for pet owners.

      
Tip:
See if there’s anything else the clients might want you to do while they’re gone—does the mail need to be collected, trash taken out, garden watered? All of these extras will make you the model sitter and the first person they’ll call whenever they might need help.

People are very specific about their pets, so if some sort of instruction sheet is left, adhere to it. If the pet owners do not provide written instructions, it’s probably a good idea to bring a pen and notebook along the first time you meet with them to make sure you retain all the relevant information (and also to demonstrate that you’re taking the job seriously). Before your first official day on the job, see if you can set up a brief meeting time at their house, so that your clients can walk you through where everything is and show you what they need you to do for their pet(s). This is also a good opportunity to talk about payment. You will want to consider how much time and work is involved when considering a rate. Dogs need to be walked several times a day, which can take time and energy. So you may want to charge by the day or based on how many times you need to walk the dog. Fish are easy and don’t take too much time, so maybe a lump sum for the entire length of time the owner is gone is a better way to handle a job like that.

Restaurant Jobs: The Best Kind of Tips

Restaurants can offer a variety of jobs that can often be good choices for teens. Restaurants love a worker with experience, but also someone who is ready and willing to learn new things.

Being a server will—more often than not—generate the most amount of income because you have a set hourly rate plus whatever tips are earned. Different restaurants handle tips differently, so it’s good to know the possible scenarios beforehand. Some allow servers to keep everything they earn and take it home at the end of the night, but in this situation the server often earns a lower wage rate because it’s expected that he or she will supplement the missing wages with tips. Other restaurants “pool tips,” which means that all of the tips that everyone earns get combined into a lump amount that then gets disbursed evenly among everyone in the restaurant. (In other words, all tips combine to make one big pizza and everyone gets a slice.) This situation is better for people who are not servers, and it often creates a sense of camaraderie among the staff because there is a level playing field. But it can also cause resentment among servers who may not be eager to share their tips.

Dishwashing is a job that is necessary at every restaurant and a great way to show that you aren’t lazy. Though it’s not the most glamorous of jobs, it’s probably the least demanding in terms of time commitment and therefore ideal for someone trying to earn money while in school or working another job. However, it can be physically demanding, and you may need to work at a very fast pace.