Are you a young teenager searching for a job or a parent ready for your teen to start making some money?
While some businesses won’t hire anyone under 16 years of age, many companies are happy to employ teens at 14 or 15 years old. Most jobs will be entry-level and customer service-focused, but you’ll pick up valuable skills and experience that will come in handy throughout your lifetime.
To help you think of job ideas, I’ve compiled the following list of jobs for 15-year-olds. Find out which companies are willing to hire kids as young as 15. Some of the names listed here might surprise you!
I’ve also added some online jobs you can do on your own. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Best Restaurant Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
- 1. Arby’s
- 2. Chick-fil-A
- 3. Ben & Jerry’s
- 4. Dairy Queen
- 5. Baskin-Robbins
- 6. Culver’s
- 7. Taco Bell
- 8. KFC
- 9. Pizza Hut
- 10. McDonald’s
- Best Grocery Store Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
- Best Retail Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
- Best Online Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
- Best Entrepreneurial Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
- 26. T-Shirt Designer
- 27. Virtual Assistant
- 28. Social Media Manager
- 29. Social Media Influencer
- 30. Tutor
- 31. Lawn Care Service Provider
- 32. Nanny
- 33. Dog Walker
- 34. House Cleaner
- What Are the Labor Laws for 15-Year-Olds?
- Final Thoughts
Best Restaurant Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
While some restaurants have a minimum hiring age of 16 or older, the following restaurants are happy to hire 15-year-olds. However, note that individual locations may vary on their minimum hiring age rules. Check with a location near you for more information.
1. Arby’s
Arby’s was founded in 1964 and boasts over 3,400 locations. The restaurant chain, well known for its roast beef sandwiches, hires Arby’s Team Members as young as 14.
Team Members are responsible for taking orders from customers, preparing food, filling orders, and cleaning the store. Benefits for employees include a free Arby’s T-shirt, an employee referral bonus program, and health/401k benefits for those who qualify.
2. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is a popular restaurant chain founded in 1946 and has grown to more than 2,800 locations.
Job responsibilities for Chick-fil-A include cashiering, cleaning, some food prep, and other responsibilities.
Chick-fil-A has a scholarship program for eligible employees, and you can get a tuition discount at over 100 colleges and universities across the United States when you work at Chick-fil-A.
Note: All Chick-fil-A stores are closed on Sundays, so you’ll always get at least one weekend day off when you work here.
3. Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was founded in 1978, and the company has over 600 retail locations. When you work at a Ben & Jerry’s store location, you primarily scoop ice cream and serve it to eager customers.
Other job responsibilities could include store cleaning and restocking.
And here’s a cool fact – Ben & Jerry’s looks to their employees for help coming up with names for new ice cream flavors.
4. Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen’s first location was opened in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. Today, the company has over 4,000 locations in the U.S. and over 6,000 locations worldwide.
As a 15-year-old working at Dairy Queen, you’ll be responsible for making sandwiches and ice cream treats, working as a cashier, and helping keep the store clean.
Visit your local DQ location to learn more about the benefits of working at Dairy Queen.
5. Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins is yet another ice cream store that hires 15-year-olds. The first Baskin Robbins store opened in 1945.
As of this writing, the corporation has over 2,400 locations in the U.S. and 7,700 locations worldwide.
As with other jobs at ice cream shops, you’ll fill orders for ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, restock supplies and keep the store looking neat and clean.
Head into a Baskin-Robbins store location near you for information about job openings.
6. Culver’s
Culver’s is a fast food restaurant specializing in burgers. This privately-held chain was founded in 1984 and currently has nearly 900 locations, mainly in the Midwest.
Entry-level jobs at Culver’s tend to be for front-of-house team members who specialize in caring for customers and keeping the store clean.
Some back-of-house jobs may be available as well. These positions mainly consist of kitchen help, and Culver’s promises a flexible schedule and career development opportunities.
7. Taco Bell
Taco Bell, founded in 1962, has over 7,000 locations. Jobs at Taco Bell include Team Members responsible for helping customers, filling orders, and keeping the store clean.
Taco Bell promises a supportive work environment, flexible hours, and career growth opportunities.
8. KFC
KFC has been around since 1930 and has over 22,000 locations worldwide. As a KFC employee, you’ll be responsible for taking and filling customer orders and keeping the store clean.
Career coaching and a supportive environment are just two benefits KFC offers its employees.
9. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 and now has over 18,000 locations worldwide. You can find work in different areas of the restaurant, serving customers, preparing food, and keeping the store clean.
Pizza Hut employees receive tuition discounts at Excelsior College as well.
10. McDonald’s
McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain, with approximately 40,000 locations around the globe.
McDonald’s strives to provide employees with educational opportunities and career growth in a fun, supportive environment.
McDonald’s is known to instill critical operational and customer service skills in its employees, so it can be good for young people to have McDonald’s on their resumes.
Best Grocery Store Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
Grocery stores can be great places for teenagers to work. Most grocery stores are large operations, so job opportunities exist in several departments.
If you want to be a cashier, apply to work on the frontline. If you think you’d enjoy stocking shelves, there’s the grocery department. But you can also work as a produce clerk or in the bakery, deli, or meat department.
In addition, grocery stores are open extended hours, offering schedule flexibility for busy students. As long as you have the drive and energy, a grocery store job should enable you to juggle school and extracurricular activities with your job.
Here are several large grocery chains to consider applying to.
11. Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee has nearly 300 locations in the Midwest and southern United States. You can work as a cashier or in other positions and receive paid time off and an employee discount.
12. Winn Dixie
Winn-Dixie has over 500 stores in the southern U.S. You can work here as a cashier, stock person, or in other roles. Paid time off and career growth opportunities are included when you work at Winn-Dixie.
13. Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle has nearly 500 locations in the eastern United States. This is a family-owned business that strives to provide a supportive environment to employees. Giant Eagle brands include Market District, GetGo Cafe + Market, and Giant Eagle Pharmacy.
14. Kroger
With over 2,800 locations in 35 states, Kroger might be the grocery store chain closest to you. They offer flexible hours, growth opportunities, and tuition reimbursement.
15. Publix
Publix has over 1,300 locations in the southeastern United States. As a store employee, you’ll be working for a company listed on Fortune Magazine’s 100 best places to work for the last 25 years.
16. Fareway
Fareway is a grocery store chain with over 130 locations in the Midwest. This family-owned business closes all stores on Sundays and provides advancement opportunities for eager employees.
17. Safeway
Safeway has over 900 store locations in 17 states. Grocery store employees are offered competitive pay while working in an inclusive, diverse culture.
18. Wegmans
Wegmans has over 100 locations in the eastern U.S. Along with being on Fortune’s list of the 100 best companies to work for since 1998, Wegman’s offers a family-like atmosphere and advancement opportunities.
Best Retail Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
Retail jobs can be great opportunities for 15-year-olds. You can learn what it’s like to provide great customer service and get some awesome benefits. Much like grocery stores, many retail stores are open long hours, allowing for schedule flexibility for employees. As an employee, you may get discounts on merchandise.
19. AMC Theaters
AMC Theaters has nearly 1,000 locations throughout the U.S. If you love movies and think you’d enjoy working in a busy environment taking tickets, servicing concessions, and getting free movies and popcorn, this could be the job for you.
20. Rita’s Italian Ice
Rita’s Italian Ice has over 500 locations in 31 states, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic. Work serving Italian ice, ice cream, and more at Rita’s and get great benefits such as tuition reimbursement.
21. Six Flags
If you like amusement parks, a Six Flags theme park could be a great place to work. There are 27 Six Flags across the U.S., not to mention hundreds of other theme parks.
Attractive pay rates, flexible hours, and advancement opportunities are available.
22. The Hershey Company
If you live close to a Hershey chocolate factory or retail store, the Hershey Company offers a variety of jobs for 15-year-olds. If you like chocolate and having fun, this could be your place.
Hershey offers a positive work environment and a host of benefits.
Best Online Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
It’s never easier to make money online, regardless of age. If you’d prefer to work from home and set your own hours, there is no shortage of apps and gig economy jobs you can sign up for as a 15-year-old.
23. Take Surveys
Survey sites such as Survey Junkie will pay you for sharing your opinion. Although you won’t make a lot of cash taking surveys, you can do it in your spare time.
Many surveys are short and will take you less than 20 minutes to complete. To increase your earnings from paid surveys, sign up for multiple sites and use them simultaneously.
24. GPT Sites
Get-paid-to sites such as Swagbucks let you earn points for completing various tasks. You can earn points for watching videos, taking surveys, browsing the net, and more.
Use your points to get PayPal cash or gift cards to your favorite stores.
Learn more in our Swagbucks review.
25. Music Reviewer
If you like music, consider signing up with Slice the Pie. Slice the Pie is a different survey site; you can get paid to review music tracks, clothing, and other items.
Hint: The more detailed reviews you leave, the better your chance of increasing your income with Slice the Pie.
Best Entrepreneurial Jobs for 15-Year-Olds
Are you a 15-year-old that wants a job but has that entrepreneurial spirit? The following ideas offer more income potential than survey sites and GPT apps, and some allow you to scale your income. The sky’s the limit as an entrepreneur.
26. T-Shirt Designer
Designing and selling t-shirts is easier than you think. When you open an account on a site such as Redbubble or CafePress, upload your t-shirt design, and you’re ready to go.
From there, the site will advertise, print the shirts, mail them out and handle customer service. Then they’ll send you a check for your portion of the sales.
Hint: You’ll get more sales if you advertise your designs on your social media channels. You may even want to start your own blog to share your designs.
27. Virtual Assistant
A Virtual Assistant is an organized person who helps people and business owners with various tasks. For instance, you might help customers with the following:
- Managing their blog or social media accounts
- Scheduling meetings
- Booking travel arrangements
- Helping customers
- Making appointments
- Making phone calls
Or other tasks. Virtual Assistant jobs can be found at online sites such as Indeed or FlexJobs.
28. Social Media Manager
A Social Media Manager is akin to a Virtual Assistant, but they focus solely on growing a person or business’s social media accounts.
This could be a good job for you if you are great at engaging with people on social media. As with Virtual Assistant jobs, check online job marketplaces or with local businesses in your area who might need help managing their Facebook Page or Instagram account.
29. Social Media Influencer
If you want to take your social media skills a bit further, why not start a business as a social media influencer?
You’ll need valuable information to share with the public: advice on fashion, schoolwork, friendship? You decide.
You can earn money from affiliate links and sponsors, but you will need a significant audience to make decent money.
30. Tutor
Are you gifted in one or more subjects at school? How about reaching out to parents of elementary-aged kids who need help with reading, math, or other subjects?
Advertise your services by posting on social media or delivering flyers to neighbors with younger children.
31. Lawn Care Service Provider
If you like mowing lawns (or shoveling snow in the winter), you could start a lawn care service. Take lawn care or shoveling tasks off people’s hands and earn cash.
Ask your parents if you can borrow their lawnmower to start or save up and buy your own. Often, your clients will let you use their equipment.
32. Nanny
Do you like caring for children? How about starting a service as a babysitter or nanny?
Advertise your available hours and pay rate on social media channels or with neighbors, family, and friends. Work on your skills to provide discipline and fun to kids in your care.
If you do a good job, word of mouth will be your best promotional tool. You can grow your business as you become known as a top babysitter in the neighborhood.
33. Dog Walker
If you’re a dog person, have you considered starting a business as a dog walker? Busy pet owners abound, often searching for responsible people to walk their dogs.
Walk several dogs at once to double, triple and quadruple your earnings. Rover.com is a popular app that matches pet owners with dog walkers and pet sitters. Unfortunately, you must be 18 or older to participate.
34. House Cleaner
Are you great at cleaning and organizing? Consider using your skills to start your own cleaning business.
You can choose your services, from light to deep cleaning. The rates may vary in your area, but it’s not uncommon for house cleaners to make $20 an hour or more.
What Are the Labor Laws for 15-Year-Olds?
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act has put specific laws to protect teens aged 15 and under from unfair or unsafe working conditions.
Here are some of the guidelines employers are required by law to follow if they hire a 15-year-old worker:
- No more than three hours of work on a school day
- No more than 18 hours of work during a week in which school is held
- Eight hours maximum work on a non-school day
- 40-hour maximum work week during a non-school week
- Work hours must be between 7 am and 7 pm except from June 1 through Labor Day, in which case 15-year-olds can work until 9 pm.
An employer requiring your 15-year-old to work outside these parameters violates federal law.
Regarding the minimum wage for your 15-year-old, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. According to the law, businesses can pay workers as little as $4.25 per hour for their first 90 days of employment.
Despite these wage minimums, states have often set their own standards.
These state-specific minimum wage standards vary and must be adhered to by businesses in the state.
Final Thoughts
If you’re willing to work, there is no shortage of jobs for 15-year-olds throughout the United States. From restaurants to retail stores to online jobs, plenty of work is available.
If you’re a 15-year-old thinking about getting a job, start by deciding what fits your skills and interests best. Also, consider your other activities, like schoolwork, sports, or other clubs you may be involved in. Will you be able to balance everything? The last thing you want is your grades to suffer because you added too much to your schedule.
You’ll spend most of your life working, so it’s also okay if you decide to hold off for a year or two.