Susan Henneberg - Money-Making Opportunities for Teens Who Like Working with Kids

Published in 2014 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2014 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Henneberg, Susan.

Money-making opportunities for teens who like working with kids/Susan Henneberg.

p. cm.(Make money now!)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4488-9385-0 (library binding)

1. Vocational guidanceJuvenile literature. 2. TeenagersEmployment Juvenile literature. 3. Money-making projects for childrenJuvenile literature. 4. Internship programsJuvenile literature. I. Title. HF5381.2.H464 2014 331.7020835dc23

2012043515

Manufactured in the United States of America

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #S13YA: For further information, contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York, at

T he children shriek as the dinosaur pinata explodes. Then they run toward the candy. Eighteen-year-old Andrea Delgado wishes she could stuff a goody bag with candy, too. But she cant. Shes in charge. Instead, she chats with the magician. He has made balloon animals for all the children and is getting ready to entertain them with tricks. Parents will soon arrive to pick up their happy children. Another successful birthday party is wrapping up.

Andrea is happy, too. She has been busy all day, checking items off her well-organized list. The birthday boys mother hired the magician, based on Andreas recommendation. The teen did everything else. She ordered the cake and bought decorations. She used face paint to transform seven-year-olds into action heroes and organized the games. During the party, several mothers asked Andrea to help them with their childrens birthdays.

Andrea loves working with kids. Ever since she was little, she has been organizing the neighborhood childrens games and talent shows. Now she wonders how she can fit any more party jobs into her busy schedule. She is proud, though, of her growing bank account. After she pays for her expenses, her net profit for this party will be over $200. Andrea pays for her own clothes and car insurance. College tuition is in the near future. Andrea feels a lot of satisfaction that she is earning her own money. However, she knows that there is more to this experience than just finances. She has learned to think creatively, make decisions, and manage a budget. Andrea has become a businesswoman, an entrepreneur. Like thousands of teens across the country, Andrea has started her own business. In a presentation to a Reno, Nevada, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) meeting, she said that planning parties for kids evolved from her popular babysitting business.

You, too, can earn your own income while still in your teens. Opportunities abound for teens who are willing to work hard.

Traditional child-focused jobs such as coaching and babysitting will always need responsible teens who love working with kids. Museums, camps, theme parks, pools, and skating rinks are places where children are the major audience and part-time jobs are generally available.

More adventurous teens might prefer to become entrepreneurs and start their own kid-centered businesses. Teens have successfully taught cooking, Web design, cheerleading, cartooning, and dozens of other skills to children. They have organized themed day camps, babysitting co-ops, and birthday parties.

While earning money is a great goal, many teens have other objectives in working with kids. Some work unpaid internships on the pediatric floors of hospitals. Others volunteer to tutor struggling elementary school students in reading or math. These teens are getting a head start on their future occupations.

Working with kids can be rewarding, lucrative, and, most of all, fun. Whether you work for someone else, or, like Andrea, start your own business, the skills you learn and the money you earn will provide opportunities for your future education and career.

Do you love working with kids? Would you like to translate this love into money-making opportunities? Luckily for you, there will always be jobs for teens who have the patience, energy, and creativity needed to work successfully with children. Parents are busier than ever. They are relying on child-centered businesses to educate, care for, and entertain their children.

You can cash in on these needs of parents to help pay for your needs and wants. And what are these needs and wants? According to a 2008 Simmons Experian survey, teens top spending priorities are clothing, music, movies, electronics, and video games. Teens are also saving money. College expenses are rising. And many families expect their teens to contribute money toward car insurance and cell phone bills.

There are many benefits to working besides the money. Teens learn new skills that will pay off in better jobs and earnings in the future. They gain experience in dealing with stress and conflict. They learn to interact with a variety of people. They gain self-confidence as they take on the adult responsibilities of money management.

Parents and employers benefit as well. Teens generally work for less money than adults. They tend to engage with children easily. Even when they are in positions of authority, teens can relate to kids on their level. Some teens are able to teach skills to children that parents may not have time for, such as cooking or crafts.

Many teens enjoy teaching skills such as cooking to younger children.

If youd like to work with kids, you can consider several approaches. First, you need to decide if you want to work for someone else, such as an established business or organization. For example, you might enjoy supervising kids in an after-school program. The advantages to working for someone else include having regular hours and a dependable paycheck. However, there are disadvantages as well. Your job might have little variety and become predictable. Your pay is unlikely to rise much beyond minimum wage.

Adventurous teens might like starting their own businesses. For example, you might tutor kids in math or teach beginning guitar lessons. The advantage to this approach is that you are in control. You can work as much or as little as you want. You can decide what you want to charge clients for your services. However, there are many challenges to becoming an entrepreneur. You will have to promote your services to recruit clients. There might be slow times when you make little money. There might be stressful times when too many things are happening at once. To be a successful business owner, you need passion, organization, and good money-management skills.