YaelAldrich Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 My second son is turning 12 soon and I am encouraging him to find a job to earn money, see what employment is like and to take on more responsibility. His older brother walked dogs in the past but I am not sure this one would enjoy that so much. We live in Boston so no farm-style jobs. He is available most daytime hours (he has a tutor in the afternoon for an hour everyday). He isn't the kind of kid who likes child minding and he is kind of fastidious. He isn't much of a baker/chef at this point, although he can cook. I'm interested in suggestions for his employment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Mowing lawns, shovelling walls, weeding, walking younger kids home from school... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 What does he like and what is he good at? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) "see what employment is like"??? Child labor laws prohibit him from having an actual job at least for another two years. Edited December 20, 2015 by regentrude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) "see what employment is like"??? Child labor laws prohibit him from having an actual job at least for another two years. Not a "real" job, just something that would be at most an hour on weekdays. Edited December 21, 2015 by YaelAldrich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 What does he like and what is he good at? Hmmm. Well, he hates to make effort for almost everything. :( But he likes to build Lego, he can clean once he knows what to do (and is watched like a hawk for a while to make sure he does the job right), he likes to read and play guitar (but isn't good enough to teach anyone at this point). That's why I am stumped. Snow hasn't fallen here yet. The leaves are mostly gone. Maybe that will be an option once the snow starts to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 My boys deliver our local paper two days per week. They started at age 10 and have earned a bit of money and learned lots of lessons on perserverance, commitment and pride in their work. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 My boys deliver our local paper two days per week. They started at age 10 and have earned a bit of money and learned lots of lessons on perserverance, commitment and pride in their work. They still let children do such things - here I only see adults doing that job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Hmmm. Well, he hates to make effort for almost everything. :( But he likes to build Lego, he can clean once he knows what to do (and is watched like a hawk for a while to make sure he does the job right), he likes to read and play guitar (but isn't good enough to teach anyone at this point). That's why I am stumped. Snow hasn't fallen here yet. The leaves are mostly gone. Maybe that will be an option once the snow starts to fly. Maybe he is not ready for outside paid work yet. Could he read to people (perhaps not for pay) who have trouble reading? Perhaps at a senior home or some such? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I would look for volunteer opportunities first. Both because a record of solid volunteer work will serve him well in the future in looking for paid employment and because the opportunities for a 12-year-old volunteer are far better than for a 12-year-old worker. The latter is basically limited to babysitting unless your 12-year-old is a budding entrepreneur. Someone already suggested reading to the elderly or disabled. He could also consider volunteering at the library, senior center, etc. He will gain many of the benefits he would from a job -- responsibility, working with others, working under a supervisor, etc. -- just without pay. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I'm not sure he sounds ready for a job yet. Which I don't mean as an insult at all - ime, most 12-yr-olds are not. Supervised volunteer work might be a good start if you can make that commitment. In my area, there's very little for younger volunteers to do on their own, anyway. I know it varies, but around here, there would be no library, senior center, etc, on your own at that age. Maybe a shift at the local food bank, either with a homeschool group or as a family? Our local parks and preserves have regular cleanup and gardening days (and you can sign up for a day at a time). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 They still let children do such things - here I only see adults doing that job. Here it is also an adult job. And so is babysitting by and large. Plus people are reluctant to have a young child "working" at something like shoveling snow lest there be an injury and liability. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 One of DS's friends is a fish sitter. He only does houses near him or has people bring their fish to his house. Think like small tanks for bettas, etc. He makes a little money doing it and enjoys it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Ds is almost this age and has had a few gigs as a mother's helper. He loves little kids and took the Red Cross class and is trying to get more. Ideally next year I'd like to find him a young preschooler to be the mother's helper for regularly. Every once in awhile I see a parent asking for a homeschooled kid to do this - on our local listserv someone asked specifically for a homeschooled boy to run an energetic 3 yo around in a big backyard for a few hours a week - the family was hoping to homeschool eventually and thought this would be a nice way to meet people and get introduced around and also keep their kid busy. It would have been perfect if it wasn't at the total other end of our listserv's area. I think snow shoveling is the best thing for this age. And dog walking. I don't think 12 yo is too young for this sort of a "job." I wish there were more opportunities for kids to do this stuff. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 (edited) My 14 year-old volunteers one morning a week at a pit bull rescue. They have other breeds, too - but 90% of them are pits. She cleans the cages, refills their water, runs the dogs, takes the dogs on the agility course... She started when she was 13 and had to practically beg them to let her "work" there. She probably emailed 50 places before she found this one who would even give her a chance. Anyway, a year later and I've spoken to the director and she raves about my daughter. They gave her a staff shirt and an award. They told her to sign up for that congressional service award or whatever it's called. She has NEVER missed a day. In fact, she plans to go in on Christmas day. She gets to mingle with all kinds of interesting people - vets, vet techs, etc and ask them about their jobs. My point is...she was able to find somewhere that would let her help out and it's been an absolutely incredible experience for her. It turns out that she is a great worker. I'm trying to find an opportunity like that for my son this summer - he'll be 13. It's hard to find a place that will give them a chance. Edited December 23, 2015 by Evanthe 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Mine volunteers at our library bookstore. BUT, he's a very hard worker, doesn't need supervision and is very comfortable taking on any amount of responsibility. He makes good decisions and isn't afraid to ask for help or clarification. It's been an tremendous opportunity for him. The other volunteers and board members treat him as they would an adult and he gets lots of responsibility. He independently runs the cash register, helps people find what they are looking for, stocks and is the resident YA expert. :) I agree with others that the position needs to be a good fit. Is he asking to work/volunteer, or something you are interested for him? I do think that makes a difference, especially at such a young age. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 It sounds like he may not be ready for outside work yet. Or is this something he really wants to do? Perhaps you can begin with home projects. (Not chores, but special ones that you would pay him for if he did a good job.) Or volunteer work as others have mentioned. If you could find just the right fit for him, then the responsibility part would come more easily. Are there non-profit groups in your area that he might be interested in volunteering with? Sometimes those can even morph into paid part-time jobs if he is with them long enough and is a good worker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 They still let children do such things - here I only see adults doing that job. Yes. Kids have to be 10 years old, but can have their siblings help out too. It is our local paper so it is delivered twice a week in the afternoon. Our paper is having trouble finding kids to do the job, so they do contract out to adults too. We love it as a first job! And the Christmas tips are fun :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Yes. Kids have to be 10 years old, but can have their siblings help out too. It is our local paper so it is delivered twice a week in the afternoon. Our paper is having trouble finding kids to do the job, so they do contract out to adults too. We love it as a first job! And the Christmas tips are fun :) I think this is highly dependent on how wealthy your community is - if the adults don't need extra jobs, it is easier for teens/kids to get jobs. Where I live, there are so many unemployed/underemployed adults that most of my friends have adults (not teens) babysit. Emily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 My 11-year-old volunteers at a preschool once a week for several hours. She loves it, and the kids and teachers love her. It's been an amazing experience for her. She is taking a babysitting class next week because many of the parents have asked if she was interested in being a mother's helper, and I wanted her to have a certification. So, that's a good example of how volunteering leads to other opportunities. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvdm Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 My sons taught themselves a variety of computer skills and made a lot of money that way. The sort of things they did to make money: * fixed people's computers * built websites / made alterations to websites (at the start my one son was 10 or 11 and his first ones he charged very little and they were pretty simple. By the time he was a senior he was getting $1000 per website) * photo editing * graphic design There are lots of sites you can go to to look for work and you can always register on them if you feel he is too young and then contract out the work to him. Of course, this will depend on whether he can get good at a couple of online tasks. But if he can do that, this is the perfect way to work as much as you want, when you want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Mowing lawns, shovelling walls, weeding, walking younger kids home from school... urban environments don't tend to have much in the way of lawns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I think this is highly dependent on how wealthy your community is - if the adults don't need extra jobs, it is easier for teens/kids to get jobs. Where I live, there are so many unemployed/underemployed adults that most of my friends have adults (not teens) babysit. Emily I think you are right about this... we live in a very affluent area. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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