Our Youth Economy Report shows that Generation Z has become Generation Aspiration. GoHenry teens earned a total of £148 million last year, which represents a 9% increase in earnings per child since 2020, with over a third of teens (34%) having a part-time job of some description. If your child is eager to make some money and you want to help them, here are the best side hustles for teens.
Related; How to make money as a teenager
The Best Side Hustles for Teens
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Sell crafts online
Is your teen crafty? Even if they aren't, they can still sell items online. Get them to need to look on Etsy and see what sells. Think jewellery, digital prints, photographs and more. Before opting for an idea, make sure your teen researches what's easy to make and how much they could sell it for.
Related: How to sell on Etsy as a kid
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Babysitting
Babysitting is the bastion of teen side hustles and can be pretty profitable, depending on where you live. Bear in mind that teen babysitting is usually done when kids are asleep. If it's care during the day, your teen should charge more for the childcare.
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Gardening
While most teens aren't equipped to do the planting, digging and heavy garden work, they can offer their services on a seasonal basis. In summer, water plants and lawns and, in autumn, sweeping leaves and driveways.
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Flipping items
Flipping items like furniture can be a good side hustle, and while some items require a bit of work to resell, others don't. Get your teen to play to their strengths. If they have a lot of old tech devices like phones, tablets, and other electronics, they can make good money from reselling. The same goes for books, shoes, old board games and novelty toys.
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Selling preloved clothes
There are many ways for teens to make money online; our research shows that a quarter of kids and teens (25%) are now earning from selling things on online marketplaces such as Etsy, eBay, Depop and Vinted. The best tips for selling preloved clothes are to sell at a reasonable price. Benchmark prices by looking at the price other sellers opt for on Vinted and other platforms.
Related: Ways teens can make money online
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Mowing lawns
Mowing lawns is a profitable side hustle for teens as they don't need their own equipment, and from late spring to mid-September (basically the whole of summer), it's a weekly job. Give them tips on tidy mowing, raking surplus grass and trimming borders before they start.
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Gaming
Our research also shows that nearly one in five (18%) kids earn money from gaming, with 12-year-olds making the most, taking home, on average, £8.24 a month. While you may not want to encourage more screen time, you can suggest ways they can monetise their gaming, such as in-game currencies. Roblox allows users to create their own gaming worlds for other players. Within this, there is scope to develop games that collect Robux.
For example, their game could require players to pay for an item to progress or include a "donate" button for users to contribute if they feel they've enjoyed the experience. They can then "cash out" back into real-world currency.
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Car boot sales
Car boot sales can be a great way to get rid of old stuff quickly and for your teen to earn extra money (though you will have to help). Popular items include clothes, accessories, kid's toys, baby goods, shoes, furniture, ornaments, photo frames, jewellery, books, and DVDs. Once your teen has sold their clutter, you can suggest they collect items from friends and family to sell.
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Selling cakes
Your teen doesn't have to be at Bake Off level to sell cakes as a side hustle. From easy traybakes to brownies, cupcakes and more, baking is a reasonably profitable side hustle as long as your teen is willing to do the work.
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Sell photography
There are dozens of stock photo sites where teens can upload images for sale. Some get a lot of traffic, and others don't. All of them have pros and cons, so make sure your teen does their research on commission before uploading images.
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Washing cars
There's good money to be had in washing cars if your teen is willing to do extra parts such as clearing the inside of cars and waxing and shining cars. Suggest they use earnings to invest in their own equipment (around £20 on Amazon) to look more professional when touting for work.
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Paid surveys
Shop your favourite stores, answer surveys and play games on Swagbucks for gift cards. The minimum age requirement to join Swagbucks is 13 years, and most teenagers use Swagbucks as a way to earn free gift cards to spend elsewhere.
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Social media influencing
12% of 7-year-olds are already making money from social media, topping up their pocket money payments with £5.14 to £6.21 from a side hustle of kid-influencing each month. If your teens are interested in this, get them to contact local cafes and businesses to see if they want or need help.
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Plant sitter
Indoor plants are a huge decor trend right now, so your teen can't go wrong offering plant sitter services to those going on holiday. Aside from watering and caring for plants, ensure they get clear instructions on how the owner wants them cared for so they don't wilt in their care.
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Chores
There are some teen chores that your child could make into a side hustle and help you at the same time. They could do daily reading or homework with a younger sibling, be in charge of everything pet-related, and even order the online shop or go shopping for you.
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Teach tech
Teens know how to use tech and use it well. If your teen is great at short-form videos for Reels and TikTok or adept at creating social media posts, they can offer to teach local business owners how to do it. If they are great at Photoshop, Figma, in-design or PowerPoint, they can also provide tutorials to others at an hourly rate.
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Tutor
If your child excels at a particular subject, instrument or sport, they could offer tutoring skills to younger kids as a side hustle. Be sure to oversee their offerings and ensure they provide value for money and a good range of lessons.
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Vlogging
If your teen likes videos, they can launch a YouTube or TikTok vlog. This can be a great way to share their thoughts and experiences with the world, and they can also make money through advertising, sponsorships, or selling products or services (always check age restrictions and platform rules before starting).
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Do odd jobs
Your teen may be amazed at what they can get paid for odd jobs from neighbours, friends and family. For example, garages and sheds that need to be cleared out or tidied to help with birthday parties and general odd jobs.
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Get a part-time job
This is a good side hustle for those aged 16+, and ideas range from retail work to cafe work, help in play centres and even jobs in kennels or events waitressing work. Get your teen to search online and ask locally for what's available.
What should a teen do with money from their side hustle?
There are many things a teen can do with money from their side hustle. This could include saving for a car or a big ticket item such as a new phone, but whatever they choose to do, talk to them about money management first.
Help teens understand the difference between wants and needs and the importance of budgeting. They may have extra money, but a budget is a plan for how they will spend their money.
Explain that a budget can help them track their income and expenses and ensure they're not spending more than they earn. This is where GoHenry can help, as a side hustle or part-time job means teens need an account where they can receive salary payments.
The GoHenry teen debit card comes with an account number and sort code so that a salary can be paid to your teen via a bank transfer or BACS. Other benefits include being able to set up saving pots and learning more about money skills via in-app Money Missions, as well as being able to make payments with digital wallets and contactless debit cards.
Related: How to save money as a teen
How to start a side hustle as a teen
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Think of an idea.
If your teen is stuck, brainstorm some ideas around their interests and the services they use.
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Do some market research for users and competitors.
Before they set up, make sure there is a market for their idea/product/service. This means looking at competitors and also talking to people who may be a customer.
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Create a business plan.
A business plan should include the following sections:
1. a brief overview of the business idea. Include details about the business, including products or services and target market.
2. Strategies for reaching and acquiring customers.
3. An estimate of revenue, expenses, and profits.
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Set up your their hustle.
This includes practical things like setting up a website and social media accounts and getting the necessary items to set up the business.
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Market their side hustle.
Let people know about their business and what they offer by word of mouth, social media or leaflets.
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Be patient.
It takes time to build a successful side hustle. Remind them to keep going even if they don't see results immediately.
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Be organised.
Keep track of your finances, expenses, and time commitments.
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Be willing to rethink the idea.
Reassess what's going wrong and how they can improve their offering. They may have overestimated the need for their side hustle, the price point may be incorrect, their marketing may need a boost, or their customer service might need to improve.
How can GoHenry help?
When your teen starts making money, a GoHenry account can be invaluable. With a GoHenry teen debit card, your child can access their hard-earned money to make purchases online and in-store. You can also set up regular payments to top up their account, and there's the added peace of mind of parental controls as your child begins to understand the value of money and the power of savings.
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