9 answers
Mars
Student
Richmondville, New York
1
Question
Updated
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What can a 12 year old do to make money??
Im a 12 year old in 7th grade and am looking for a way to make income #12
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9 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1590
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
If your into fashion Mars perhaps a career as a teen model can offer the extra money your looking to earn. And while many teen models can earn a healthy paycheck, the industry is notoriously tough to break into, long hours, stiff competition and big, impersonal casting calls are among the less-glitzy aspects of the business. If you're interested in giving it a try, be prepared to work hard, stay focused and avoid taking rejection too personally. Confidence, a healthy attitude, and supportive parents are crucial when launching a teen modeling career, whether you start with modeling classes or jump right in. Since your under the age of 18 Mars, you'll need parental approval before signing with an agency. A modeling career can mean long photo shoots and last-minute assignments, so having your parents behind you can reduce some of the stress and help you balance your modeling career with school responsibilities. You may also need financial support for modeling classes, professional photos and other expenses associated with modeling. Talk to your parents about your modeling goals and explain to them what their support means to you and to your modeling career.
Once you have convinced your parents, the next step would be to get the right guidance from your teachers. Your school is the best place to get all sorts of career guidance. Your teachers can help you get in touch with models who have done their schooling in your school. Teachers can even use their work status to get help and guidance from the industry experts. Schools can easily manage a workshop or seminar regarding the trade. If you have other classmates who wish to pursue the same career, team up and request your teachers to provide career guidance on modeling careers. Teachers in schools and colleges will always be willing to help their students. The major advantage of having your teachers’ guidance is that it is a secure method. Schools always keep the safety and security of their students as their top priority and you can really be carefree when you consult teachers for advice.
The fashion industry is seeking fresh talent all the time. The various brands organize fashion related seminars and workshops so that the students and budding models become aware of the various possibilities in the fashion career. You may get to know of these seminars and workshops by reading newspapers and magazines or checking the fashion related news websites. Good luck Mars
Once you have convinced your parents, the next step would be to get the right guidance from your teachers. Your school is the best place to get all sorts of career guidance. Your teachers can help you get in touch with models who have done their schooling in your school. Teachers can even use their work status to get help and guidance from the industry experts. Schools can easily manage a workshop or seminar regarding the trade. If you have other classmates who wish to pursue the same career, team up and request your teachers to provide career guidance on modeling careers. Teachers in schools and colleges will always be willing to help their students. The major advantage of having your teachers’ guidance is that it is a secure method. Schools always keep the safety and security of their students as their top priority and you can really be carefree when you consult teachers for advice.
The fashion industry is seeking fresh talent all the time. The various brands organize fashion related seminars and workshops so that the students and budding models become aware of the various possibilities in the fashion career. You may get to know of these seminars and workshops by reading newspapers and magazines or checking the fashion related news websites. Good luck Mars
Angie Anderson
Public Health Nurse, Children's Psychiatric Nurse
6
Answers
Osawatomie, Kansas
Updated
Angie’s Answer
Hi Mars,
At 12, you can do many things to earn a little spending money. The first thing you can do is ask your parents, grandparents, neighbors, etc., if they have any projects they could use help on, A 12-year-old can do many chores around the home, and it would also help your parents out. Some things I would pay for extra support with are: dishes, laundry, mowing grass, raking leaves, picking up sticks, shoveling snow, dusting, washing the car/cleaning inside, or cleaning my pool in the summer. Other things you can do are babysitting siblings, family members, neighbor children, or collecting cans; many places pay for the aluminum. Good luck!
At 12, you can do many things to earn a little spending money. The first thing you can do is ask your parents, grandparents, neighbors, etc., if they have any projects they could use help on, A 12-year-old can do many chores around the home, and it would also help your parents out. Some things I would pay for extra support with are: dishes, laundry, mowing grass, raking leaves, picking up sticks, shoveling snow, dusting, washing the car/cleaning inside, or cleaning my pool in the summer. Other things you can do are babysitting siblings, family members, neighbor children, or collecting cans; many places pay for the aluminum. Good luck!
Donna Hull
Engineer
71
Answers
Columbia
Updated
Donna’s Answer
Mars;
I commend your entrepreneurial interest. Unfortunately finding a regular gig is going to be difficult at your age. (see link below for New York child labor regulations)
Rebecca has some excellent solutions, and here are few more.
Volunteer/ Donations: Consider doing some of these things as community service. You can present that you are doing a task as volunteer work but would accept donations which will apply towards ______________________? If people don't want to pay don't get upset, they may be in a bad situation. (don't judge). Carry copies of your high school volunteer hours documents and ask them to sign off.
+ Rake Leaves/ Clean up flower beds/ Mow yard if you have access to lawn mower
+ Do odd jobs around the house. Some elderly people would just like someone to change a light bulb or hang a picture
Baked Goods: If you are good at cooking you may want to see if a local merchant will take your baked goods in for resale. I am not sure about the laws and rules around this may need to research. Two small girls in my neighborhood bake dog biscuits. They put out fliers and deliver to the neighbors homemade dog biscuits.
Street Vendor: I put a link below for street vendor. Selling rain ponchos/ umbrellas on bad weather days. Water on hot days. Or other types may be an option. You should look into local ordinances and ask your city commerce department. (see link below for general knowledge)
Be creative! I am sure you will figure something out. BUT, be careful! You are 12 years old and vulnerable to all types of scams. I see so many times where an adult drops young people in a parking lot to market items or hand out fliers. (the adult is making the profit not the kids). If something seems sketchy, it probably is! Stay in an open and safe environment, if you are entering into someone's home to do work, make sure someone close to you knows where you are before doing so. People will understand your caution, and if they don't you don't need their money.
https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/03/ls171.pdf
http://streetvendor.org/faq/
I commend your entrepreneurial interest. Unfortunately finding a regular gig is going to be difficult at your age. (see link below for New York child labor regulations)
Rebecca has some excellent solutions, and here are few more.
Volunteer/ Donations: Consider doing some of these things as community service. You can present that you are doing a task as volunteer work but would accept donations which will apply towards ______________________? If people don't want to pay don't get upset, they may be in a bad situation. (don't judge). Carry copies of your high school volunteer hours documents and ask them to sign off.
+ Rake Leaves/ Clean up flower beds/ Mow yard if you have access to lawn mower
+ Do odd jobs around the house. Some elderly people would just like someone to change a light bulb or hang a picture
Baked Goods: If you are good at cooking you may want to see if a local merchant will take your baked goods in for resale. I am not sure about the laws and rules around this may need to research. Two small girls in my neighborhood bake dog biscuits. They put out fliers and deliver to the neighbors homemade dog biscuits.
Street Vendor: I put a link below for street vendor. Selling rain ponchos/ umbrellas on bad weather days. Water on hot days. Or other types may be an option. You should look into local ordinances and ask your city commerce department. (see link below for general knowledge)
Be creative! I am sure you will figure something out. BUT, be careful! You are 12 years old and vulnerable to all types of scams. I see so many times where an adult drops young people in a parking lot to market items or hand out fliers. (the adult is making the profit not the kids). If something seems sketchy, it probably is! Stay in an open and safe environment, if you are entering into someone's home to do work, make sure someone close to you knows where you are before doing so. People will understand your caution, and if they don't you don't need their money.
Donna recommends the following next steps:
Marini Jones, M.B.A.
Medicare Pharmacy Supervisor
24
Answers
Updated
Marini’s Answer
Hello! Here are a few suggestions:
Chores around the house for allowance
Yard work (Shovel Snow or Cut grass)
Dog walker
Pet sitter
Babysitter
Wash cars
Lemonade stand
Whatever you decide to do, talk with your parents first. Make sure they're okay with you doing these things prior to attempting to do any of them and so they can make sure you're safe. Good luck!
Chores around the house for allowance
Yard work (Shovel Snow or Cut grass)
Dog walker
Pet sitter
Babysitter
Wash cars
Lemonade stand
Whatever you decide to do, talk with your parents first. Make sure they're okay with you doing these things prior to attempting to do any of them and so they can make sure you're safe. Good luck!
Jodi Colburn-Izzi
Senior Enrollment Specialist
4
Answers
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Updated
Jodi’s Answer
At 12 years old, my main job was babysitting. I had a steady job babysitting for a family every day after school. It allowed me to get experience with children as well as earn my own money. I really enjoyed it and it helped me to decide what I wanted to go to school for, which was to become a teacher. I suggest that you find something that you are passionate about and then try to find something that would help you gain some experience towards it. At your age, it will be harder to find some jobs due to labor laws. However, there are plenty of other things that you can do, with parental permission of course. I knew some kids that helped elderly neighbors clean up leaves, shovel snow, etc.
Lori Catan
Correlations Specialist
15
Answers
Winter Springs, Florida
Updated
Lori’s Answer
Hi Mars,
In addition to babysitting and the other jobs listed above, consider marketing yourself as a "mother's helper". It is similar to babysitting in many regards but you are usually hired for shorter period of time so you may be called upon more often! Things a mother's helper can do is: engage small children in play while parents work on a house project; work alongside the parent to complete household tasks like pulling weeds, vacuuming, or dusting; take the dog for a walk; provide academic services (that you find enjoyable and have strong confidence with) such as reading books and doing a follow-up craft related to the story, or helping with homework, especially math. Offering time playing outdoors would be popular as many parents may work from home and would like their children to do something other than watch TV or have screen time.
As a mother of a child with ADHD, homework time was really hard. I found this to be true of many parents---the stress is real. I had paid professional tutors, but it was cost prohibitive and time consuming to meet more than two days a week and my daughter needed more consistent help. When I advertised for a mother's helper, she came to my house three days a week for 45 min. The results were amazing! The shorter, more frequent sessions, really helped my daughter maintain focus and meet homework goals. This boosted her confidence with school. With so many students taking online courses, this could be an affordable and practical solution a lot of parents need. You can also offer homework help via Zoom but be sure to get proper guidance from an adult to ensure that the client is legit and that they follow Zoom rules.
I recommend talking to an adult about having business cards made. Pick out a font, emblem (or draw something), a business name and tag line (simple statement that captures what you do or why you do it). It should include contact info. and bulleted activities/services you offer (-art time; -reading books; -playing soccer; -light household chores, etc. You may want to use your first name or initials only, not your last name. Work with an adult to establish an email address just for this purpose and how to find clients (start with friends of your parents, known neighbors, or your friend's parents with younger children). Google examples of business cards. You don't need expensive cards, they can be black/white ink (color is more expensive).
Google: Mother's Helper and read want ads. What services do they offer? How much is the pay in your area?
Make a list of parents you know with kids aged 2-8.
Research where to get business cards made. You can buy cards to print from your computer printer. Will you design it or get help?
Ask your parents about what kind of help they would have liked when you were younger. What do you need to learn to do (clean, change diapers, etc?)
In addition to babysitting and the other jobs listed above, consider marketing yourself as a "mother's helper". It is similar to babysitting in many regards but you are usually hired for shorter period of time so you may be called upon more often! Things a mother's helper can do is: engage small children in play while parents work on a house project; work alongside the parent to complete household tasks like pulling weeds, vacuuming, or dusting; take the dog for a walk; provide academic services (that you find enjoyable and have strong confidence with) such as reading books and doing a follow-up craft related to the story, or helping with homework, especially math. Offering time playing outdoors would be popular as many parents may work from home and would like their children to do something other than watch TV or have screen time.
As a mother of a child with ADHD, homework time was really hard. I found this to be true of many parents---the stress is real. I had paid professional tutors, but it was cost prohibitive and time consuming to meet more than two days a week and my daughter needed more consistent help. When I advertised for a mother's helper, she came to my house three days a week for 45 min. The results were amazing! The shorter, more frequent sessions, really helped my daughter maintain focus and meet homework goals. This boosted her confidence with school. With so many students taking online courses, this could be an affordable and practical solution a lot of parents need. You can also offer homework help via Zoom but be sure to get proper guidance from an adult to ensure that the client is legit and that they follow Zoom rules.
I recommend talking to an adult about having business cards made. Pick out a font, emblem (or draw something), a business name and tag line (simple statement that captures what you do or why you do it). It should include contact info. and bulleted activities/services you offer (-art time; -reading books; -playing soccer; -light household chores, etc. You may want to use your first name or initials only, not your last name. Work with an adult to establish an email address just for this purpose and how to find clients (start with friends of your parents, known neighbors, or your friend's parents with younger children). Google examples of business cards. You don't need expensive cards, they can be black/white ink (color is more expensive).
Lori recommends the following next steps:
Gene Simpson
Insurance Executive
12
Answers
Walnut Creek, California
Updated
Gene’s Answer
Hi Mars,
Some good answers have been provided that cover most of what someone your age can do. Along those lines perhaps you can create a flier or business card to give to your neighbors letting them know you're looking to help in any way you can, and they may have other things they want done around their house you can help with.
Another neat idea I saw several years ago was couponing (this isn't a way to earn money, but it's a great way to give back to your community and you'll undoubtedly meet many people that can end up leading to jobs). This person would collect coupons (LOTS of coupons!), then ask neighbors for donations to use to buy groceries for donation to a local food bank. The coupons made the donated money go a lot further in buying groceries, so they were able to buy $40 worth of food for $20 (for example).
Just a couple thoughts for you to consider, but no matter what you do, be sure to have your parents with you to ensure you're safe if you're meeting with or talking to people you don't know well.
Best of luck!
Gene
Some good answers have been provided that cover most of what someone your age can do. Along those lines perhaps you can create a flier or business card to give to your neighbors letting them know you're looking to help in any way you can, and they may have other things they want done around their house you can help with.
Another neat idea I saw several years ago was couponing (this isn't a way to earn money, but it's a great way to give back to your community and you'll undoubtedly meet many people that can end up leading to jobs). This person would collect coupons (LOTS of coupons!), then ask neighbors for donations to use to buy groceries for donation to a local food bank. The coupons made the donated money go a lot further in buying groceries, so they were able to buy $40 worth of food for $20 (for example).
Just a couple thoughts for you to consider, but no matter what you do, be sure to have your parents with you to ensure you're safe if you're meeting with or talking to people you don't know well.
Best of luck!
Gene
Sydney Bellamy
Sports Journalism
2
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Sydney’s Answer
Hi Mars! I love your drive to make money at such a young age. There are many things you can do but I recommend starting your own business, something that your community could benefit from. Now starting your own business will not always be easy but as long as you are passionate about what your selling and deciding early that you will not quit when things get tough, you will be fine.
A business at the young age will help you grow as well as your business in the upcoming years, so that by the time you are 18 you will have a very successful business, start selling to people at your college of choice, and help students who are wondering the same thing you wondered at this age.
Best of luck in your endeavors!
A business at the young age will help you grow as well as your business in the upcoming years, so that by the time you are 18 you will have a very successful business, start selling to people at your college of choice, and help students who are wondering the same thing you wondered at this age.
Best of luck in your endeavors!
Rebecca Tang
Banking
1816
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
I am not sure the reason you would like to make money. Do you have something you wish to have, to have more pocket money, or have financial problem?
You are still 12 year old. There may not have a lot of jobs that suitable for you. Below are a few suggestions :
- Part time baby sitter or nanny for your neighbours
- Part time work in your school, .e.g library assistance, admin, etc.
- Gardener for your neighbour
- If you have programming skill, you may design your own apps or look for freelance developer work online
The most important is your safety since you are only 12 years only. Before you taking the job, you better seek for your parents guidance before taking your job and ensure the job nature is suitable for your age.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
You are still 12 year old. There may not have a lot of jobs that suitable for you. Below are a few suggestions :
- Part time baby sitter or nanny for your neighbours
- Part time work in your school, .e.g library assistance, admin, etc.
- Gardener for your neighbour
- If you have programming skill, you may design your own apps or look for freelance developer work online
The most important is your safety since you are only 12 years only. Before you taking the job, you better seek for your parents guidance before taking your job and ensure the job nature is suitable for your age.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Thank you its mostly because im trying to change my style into a more lolita style in clothing
Mars