Hello, Kathy Here!

The summer is here, finally! For weeks now, my teens were electric, anxiously readying for endless fun in the sun. Now that the final school bell has rung, my days are filled with trying to get ten minutes of quality time and a family dinner in here and there! One thing for certain, all this fun time gets expensive the older they get. So in my ten minutes of quality time, we discussed a balance of who will pay for the fun. The result? Half parents, half teens.

Now personally, I understand the need for kids to have a summer break before they head off for college or a career, (since there will be very few breaks in life until retirement). However, the reality is life costs money, its good to understand that now. So we’ve created a ‘pay for play’ model that helps them make money without having a full-time obligation.

Here are some great tips on small and part time jobs for teens and tweens:

• Pet sitting – this is vacation season, the need for pet sitters is at an all time high.
• Tutoring – summer is the time when tutoring is on the rise for math, science, writing and more.
• Lifeguard – requires certification but certainly puts teens at the top of the ‘cool’ scale!
• Camp counselors – camps come in all forms, your teen’s athletic, artistic or academic skills will be put to great use.
• Lawn care – a longtime tradition to make extra money.
• Arts & Crafts – handmade jewelry and accessories are very popular and it doesn’t even feel like work.
• Computer training – help seniors learn the ins and outs of the internet, E-mail and more.
• Web site & blog design – teens today are very computer savvy. They can put their technical and creative skills to great use for small businesses and individuals.
• Delivery – if they have a car, they can put it to good use for a few hours a week delivering pizza, flowers, newspapers and more.
• Caddy – the perfect time to learn or to perfect their game as you assist others.
• Music lessons – whether your teen plays an instrument or sings, they can put their skills to good use by sharing their knowledge and talent with others.
• Baby sitting – always a great way to make money as you help parents get a night out.
• Blogging – they can create and author their own blog to share unique knowledge, insights and skills with others, as they make money on advertising sold.

Believe it or not, there are many, many jobs you can find or create. Teens have more choices than just working at a fast food chain, especially if they want to explore their inner-entrepreneur side.

So the final question, what should they do with all that money? Skip the piggy bank, encourage them to save some of the money and open up a U22 account! It’s perfectly designed for 12-22 year olds.