Are you saving up for a car? Is there a new smartphone that you really want? Do you need money to go out with your friends on the weekends?
In this article you will learn:
- The best jobs for 18-year-olds.
- Which companies hire 18-year-olds.
- What to do before filling out a job application.
Most of these jobs require little to no experience to accommodate younger employees with no work experience. Here is a list of the 15 best jobs for 18-year-olds hiring in 2020:
Article or Book Writer
If you have good grades in grammar and spelling, writing gigs are good paying jobs for 18 year olds. It takes patience and great research skills as well.
You can look for writing clients online or in a local paper. Another writing route is to write your own story. Sell it to a publisher or publish it yourself.
Writing is one of the best summer jobs for 18 year olds. Spend several hours a day researching in a library, online, or conducting interviews.
Spend the rest of the day writing. By then of summer you will have a completed work or two.
Bottom Line: pay varies according to the publisher and can depend on the writer’s skill level. It ranges from a penny per word to $20 per 500 words.
Tutor
One of the best jobs for 18 year olds with no experience is tutoring. One thing that student have plenty of experience in is going to class.
Any class you get good grades in is a great class to tutor. Start by speaking to your school counselor about where to sign up as a tutor.
Working as a tutor makes you money, but it also is a way to help other students in a way that only another student can.
Help others with homework they don’t understand, prepare for tests, and catch up on classwork.
According to Payscale.com, a tutor can make at least $10 per hour for basic classwork. If you specialize in a harder class such as chemistry or anatomy, the hourly pay can be higher. Tutoring college prep or college-level classes can pay even more.
House Sitter
People need to leave town for all sorts of reasons. Vacation, work, and family emergencies can all take someone from home for a while.
When this happens, they need someone to stay in their home while they are gone.
House sitters water plants, check mail, take care of pets and make sure the house is protected while the owner is away.
The tasks are simple but require a high level of maturity, trustworthiness, and responsibility.
House sitting jobs are most often found by word of mouth of friends and family. People want someone they know and trust staying in their home.
Keep your ear out for house sitting opportunities and let the homeowners know you are up to the task.
Bottom Line: the pay scale for house sitting depends on whether you are staying the night. Overnight house sitting can pay as much as $50 per night. Sitting only during the day can pay $10 - $20 per day.
Lifeguard
Full time jobs for 18 year olds that they really love aren’t easy to find. Lifeguarding is a job most teens love. It is fun but requires skill and extra training.
Requirements to be a lifeguard include being an expert swimmer, being very responsible, and having taken CPR and lifesaving technique training.
Lifeguard jobs are typically available at public pools, lakes, and beaches. Sometimes apartment complexes will also hire a lifeguard.
Anywhere there is a public swimming area, there may be a lifeguard opportunity.
Bottom Line: teen lifeguards typically start at minimum wage and earn more with experience and additional training. Older, more experienced lifeguards can make approximately $40 per hour.
Music Teacher
Many teens have been playing an instrument since grade school. Years of practice and learning in music can make you a great teacher.
Music schools and studios sometimes hire teenagers to teach lessons. This is also a good way to start your own small business.
Make flyers or put an ad in the paper advertising your services as a music teacher to get your first clients.
Music teachers with no previous work experience in the field usually start at minimum wage and work their way up.
Bottom Line: if you intend to start your own business the standard rate is approximately $12 to $15 per lesson. Longer and more detailed lessons are more expensive.
Newspaper Delivery
One of the most common part time jobs for 18 year olds is delivering newspapers. Delivery persons are responsible for picking up the newspapers early in the morning and delivering them to subscribers. Other papers are delivered to every door in a specific area.
This job can be done on foot or by bicycle if you have no car. There is little to no supervision so you must be a self-starter and responsible.
Depending on the employer, newspaper deliverers are paid in a few different ways. Some are paid a regular wage starting at minimum wage.
Others are paid a salary and some also make a commission. Newspaper deliverers also make tips.
Farm Hand
Good paying jobs for 18 year olds can be hard to find in rural areas. One of the best ways to make good money in the country is to be a farmhand.
You will be doing everything from taking care of farm animals to planting and harvesting food.
Farm work is a very physical job. It takes a lot of perseverance and strength. Working as a farmhand will not only earn you a living but improve your physical health as well.
Pay for farm work is most often done by the day. Farmworkers can expect a starting wage of $50 to $100 per day depending on the type of work.
For instance, a full day of hauling hay would pay more than a day of shelling peas or husking corn.
Web Page Designer
All sorts of people need a website. They are used to promote and run businesses, socialize, keep families together, and even just for fun. Not everyone knows how to design a website, however.
That is where you come in. All it takes is creativity and knowledge of website building software.
If you have what it takes, this is one of the high paying jobs for 18 year olds. Website building requires skill, knowledge, and patience.
Web page designers can make a lot of money. The low end of the pay scale is approximately $62,000 a year. Pay is decided by the complexity of the website.
Logo Designer
Another one of the jobs for 18 year olds that pay well is logo designing. If you have always loved to draw and create this is the job for you.
Use your creative skills as an artist to design logos for people businesses, charities, and social clubs.
Teen logo designers find their own clients through advertising their services but also by starting within their own circle.
Ask your school, church, and family if they could use a logo for their endeavors. Once you have your first client completed it is much easier to find more.
New logo designers typically make from $10 to $15 per hour. You may also charge by the project.
Decide how much time and effort will go into the project before giving your prospective client a bid.
Cashier
Jobs for older teens aren’t as hard to find as you may think. If you have been searching online for “jobs for 18 year olds near me”, cashier jobs will be first on the list of results. Every town has a store or two and they all need cashiers.
Cashiers run the cash register and check out the customer's purchases. They often bag them as well. This job requires a pleasant disposition and the ability to count money.
Cashier pay starts at minimum wage. Depending on the employer, there can be raises and bonuses as well. Cashiers often get opportunities to work more hours if available.
Social Media Influencer
If you have a large social media following you can make a substantial living from it. Businesses will pay you to post about their products and services.
The things you post about must be of interest to your followers to make the most money.
You must have thousands of social media followers before most companies will consider you an influence.
They should also interact with you regularly. This shows prospective clients that your followers trust your advice.
Teen social media influencers start out on the low end of the pay scale. The first forms of payment are most often sample products and other goods.
Once a firm relationship is built with a company you will begin to earn more and garner new clients.
Groundskeeper
One of the best jobs for teens all year round is groundskeeper. Groundskeepers keep a particular place clean and attractive on the outside.
They maintain sports fields, school grounds, parks, and other institutions.
You must have experience with mowing grass and tending to the landscape. This job requires stooping, bending, lifting and a lot of walking.
You must be physically fit and have a love for the outdoors to enjoy being a groundskeeper.
Most groundskeepers are hired on at approximately $12 per hour with scheduled raises. The more experience you have with landscaping the more valuable you will be to your employer.
Make sure to list all of your skills when applying, even if they are just from your own family yard work.
Receptionist
High school students often overlook office jobs because they are intimidating. Fortunately, receptionist jobs for 18 year olds do not take any special training or higher education. If you can answer the phone and do simple tasks this is the job for you.
Receptionists are the front desk of an establishment. They direct calls, answer questions and take care of incoming and outgoing mail.
There could be more or fewer duties depending upon the employer. This differs from a secretary position which requires more education.
Receptionists start at minimum wage. Starting pay will be higher if you have any particularly beneficial skills such as payroll or answering multiple phone lines.
Pet Sitter
Many jobs for 18 year olds are things they can do themselves. Pet sitting is an easy job to start on your own.
Start by asking pet owners in your own neighborhood if they need your services. Once you have gained a few clients, word of mouth will help you get more.
Pet sitters take pets for a walk and keep them entertained and safe while the owner is busy. It could be for an hour, a day, or longer.
Charge for your services according to the time you put I and any expenditures you have to make. Basic pet sitting services start at approximately $10 per hour.
Patient Escort
There is a misconception that hospital jobs are only for people with college degrees. There are many jobs for 18 year olds in a hospital.
Patient Escorts take patients wherever they need to be in the hospital, take care of their small needs, and answer questions.
If you can follow verbal and written instruction and enjoy a hospital setting, you may enjoy this job.
Starting pay is approximately $12 - $13 per hour. Some hospitals require a high school diploma or GED.
What Companies Hire 18 Year Olds?
- Rite Aide – Stock shelves, attend to customers and run the cash register.
- PetSmart – Product placement, answer pet questions, tend to pets, clean.
- Piggly Wiggly – Cashier duties, customer relations, stock shelves.
- Love’s Truck Stops – Maintain outdoor area, stock coolers, and shelves, janitorial
tasks, cashier duties. - Buc-ee’s- Prepare food, stock shelves, cashier duties, outdoor maintenance.
- The Vitamin Shoppe – Customer relations, cashier duties, product placement,
inventory. - Krystal – Prepare food, customer relations, cashier duties, clean.
- Amita Health – Sell products, inventory, cashier duties.
- Maurices – Product placement, cashier duties, customer relations.
- Fudruckers- Food prep, customer relations, cashier duties, cleaning.
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
- You will need all your personal documentation such as a social security card, state I.D., and birth certificate to apply for a job.
- If you don’t have your high school diploma yet, make sure it isn't required for the job.
- Make sure you have reliable transportation for any job you are considering.
- Some jobs may charge you for your uniform or other equipment.
- You may be required to pass a test or earn a certification to apply for some jobs.
