How to make money as a teenager without a job

If you’re a teenager and you want to make some cash, we’ve got the best ways to bring in extra money even without a job!

Yes, it’s totally possible for teenagers to make money without a job, and we’ll guide you through doing so right here.

How can I earn money as a teenager?

There are various ways teenagers can earn money.

If you take out the traditional jobs teenagers tend to have, paper routes and working in restaurants etc.. you’re left with a few, and in some cases highly lucrative options. What are they?

Best ways to make money as a teenager without a job

So here they are in more detail!

Selling crafts on Etsy

Selling crafts on Etsy is a great way to get yourself online and selling. There are so many things people successfully sell on Etsy, if you’re at all into crafting, you’ll be able to find your ‘thing’ on Etsy.

Depending on your age, some younger teens might need their parents to set the account up for them and oversee it all, but it’s super easy to do and once you’re up and running, it’s easy to add new items and see what’s selling best.

For a full article on selling on Etsy, have a read of this post.

Selling old clothes online

Many of us have loads of old clothes we no longer wear. That doesn’t mean no one else would though and luckily, it’s an amazing way to make some extra money online!

There are a few big online market places you can sell your clothes, eBay being the best known of them. Make sure the clothes are in a good, clean and saleable condition and that the description you write for each item is clear and honest.

Photos also play a big part in selling clothes online. Ironed clothes well photographed can make a massive difference to the price your clothes will get, so it’s worth spending a little extra time getting the photography as good as you can.

Make money by gaming

Gaming is a $90 billion industry (source) and there are ways the everyday gamer can make some extra money whilst they play the games they’re good at.

YouTube and Twitch among others are places gamers can go to start their gaming for money careers!

If you’re great at a particular game, people are happy to part with their cash in a number of ways, whether that watching you play on YouTube, learning how to complete a part of the game they might be stuck on or seeing how you’ve got as far as you have.

While not every gamer can make their million playing video games, lots and lots of teens make a decent side hustle income by gaming.

The post below is a comprehensive guide to getting started gaming for money.

Also see: How to make money by gaming

Taking surveys for cash

There are many many sites online you can join for free that allow you to take surveys and earn cash for doing so.

It’s not huge amounts of money, so it’s not going to making you rich anytime soon, but it is a good way of bringing in a little extra cash, and best when combined with another way of making some money.

When you join these sites, they’ll often ask you for your details so they can tailor the surveys they offer you to your interests.

The more information you give them about yourself, the more surveys they’ll offer you (simply because you’ll hit more of their compatibility markers) so without giving away any compromising information, the more you give the better.

Most survey companies are global so you can be based anywhere to join. If they need you to be in a particular country, they’ll either have a country specific site they’ll direct you to or offer surveys suitable for your country.

There is a list here of the better paid survey sites around.

Sell your skills on Fiverr

Fiverr is one of a number of sites who’ve made it possible for people all over the world to sell their skills to a worldwide audience.

You can easily make yourself a profile on Fiverr and set yourself up for free. Fiverr use a ratings and reviews system like most online selling places, so the more positive reviews you get, the more work you’ll get.

What services might you sell on Fiverr? Graphic design, coding, voice overs, content ewriting, illustrations, translations, the list is almost endless and there’s bound to be something you can offer.

While selling services on Fiverr is not fast for most people, it’s possible to get a trickle of work straight away and start earning some money. Lots of people who started out on Fiverr to make some side hustle money have ended up turning it into a full time gig 🙂

Pet sitting

Pet sitting for friends and neighbours is a good way for teens to earn some money while spending some quality time with the animals!

Many of us don’t want our beloved pets in kennels while we’re away and would much prefer someone familiar to look after them in their own homes, and this is something lots of teenagers love doing and the extra cash is a bonus!

Ask friends and neighbours if they’d be interested in your pet sitting services and they might then know other people who’d offer you some work.

House sitting

As with pet sitting, people who’re going away often want someone to be in their house while they’re not there to water the plants, close the curtains at night and pick up the mail.

You may only have to go in a couple of times a day to keep the house safe and looking lived in, or if they have pets as well, you could double up your pet sitting and house sitting services and earn a bit extra!

Website testing

People who own websites often spend so much time working on them, it’s really hard for them to be able to know if their sites work well for users (you and I!).

There are a number of companies that recruit people from all walks of life and all ages (teens included!) to use their sites and given them feedback. Known as user testing, you’ll often be given a task to complete and they’ll record your screen while you complete the task so they can see which parts you found easy to use and which need some tweaking.

User testing companies will offer you work based on your location and interests, so once you register with the Website testing agency, they’ll let you know when a suitable test comes up. They can be well paid too, often paying $30-$50 per job, which usually take less than an hour.

It’s not generally regular work though, and best seen as one income stream among others.

Tutoring kids

Kids love learning from older kids, so if you know younger kids whose parents are looking for a tutor, this could be a great way to make some extra cash while helping out others.

You could ask parents friends if they’re looking for tutors for their younger kids, or ask around your school.

There are often adverts for tutors in local papers and online jobs boards, so if you’re a wizz at languages or great an Math, this could be a good side hustle for you.

Print-on-demand designing

Print on demand is huge and there’s no reason teens can’t get in on the act. Merch by Amazon offer an easy way to get started with no upfront costs.

You simply upload your designs and promote them on the Merch platform, then when one is sold, Amazon print and ship it, taking a percentage of the profit and sending you the rest.

It can take a while to build up your presence online and get a good stream of traffic looking at your designs, but know what’s selling and plan designs around big holiday seasons and life events and you’ll soon get your designs noticed.

What’s the highest paying job for a teenager?

What the highest paying job for a teenager is really depends on how much effort they out into what they’re doing!

There are a few stories that make the rounds about teens earning 6 figure sums, even getting into the millions through things like gaming, but these stories, while inspirational, are few and far between.

Gaming is a good way to make extra cash for the dedicated teenager (just think extra cash and if it makes you a millionaire then great :)), Fiverr is a great way to get regular work if you’ve got a skill that’s in demand (and there are thousands…).

Selling anything online can be potentially a seriously highly paid past-time for a teenager. The whole world can buy your goods, so if you market it right and find a product that sells, this could be a goldmine.

How to make money doing nothing at all

Fancy doing nothing at all?

In that case, you need to get a passive income stream going! Passive income is simply the name given to income that you earn, without you needing to actually ‘do’ anything.

How can you do this? Well the first thing to say is that passive income almost never comes without some initial hard work.

Think of how an author makes money. They work super hard writing a book, and then once they’ve done that and it’s out there, they make money every time one gets sold. So they’ve worked hard to start with and then reap the results.

It’s completely possible to do…but be prepared to out the work in first!

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