Berkeley Parents Network: Job Ideas for Young Teens

Berkeley Parents Network

Job Ideas for Young Teens

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Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Teenagers > Job Ideas for Young Teens

12-year-old son looking for work

March 2008

My son who is 12 is available to do light work around the house like mowing the lawn, raking leaves or keep company to elderly people. He is dependable, polite, trustworthy and friendly. All he asks, is some money for his piggy bank and charges 10$/hour depending on the job.

dear mom of teen offering services --

your boy sounds like a sweetheart, and i really like that he is wanting to get some experience and earn some money. i think that is important, and a kid who is doing some kind of work here and there at 12 is someone who always will have the confidence to find something to do and get it done.

but $10/hour for a 12-year-old, for piggy bank change?? that does not seem like a reasonable rate, not at all. my adult son worked for over a year at a real, full-time job before he broke $10/hour.

my concern is that it does nobody a favor to send the message that your kid, as a young kid, deserves so much for small tasks. it means a LOT for him to learn the value of work, and that he can do different jobs, and that he can earn things he wants. but -- at a higher rate than is earned by many people with more experience, who have families to support? it's not my business, but i hope you and he re-think the monetary expectations.

[for what it's worth, i think the same thing about kids graduating law school who believe they deserve $200/hour.] another mom

Try asking neighbors first. Also, I think $10/hr is way too much to ask people to pay a 12 year old. That's more than minimum wage for adults! $5/hour is much more reasonable. anon

I read the two posts that said $10/hour is too much for a 12 year old. I would advise that he asks for it and sees what he gets. If people want to pay less, that's fine. But to not ask because of his age and the minimum wage would be unfortunate. There's no harm in his asking. In fact, it's a good lesson for a kid to ask for as much as he wants and then to live with whatever he actually gets. Better for his growth and development to find out on his own than to tell him no you can't do that. Anon

It seems almost like a social psychology experiment: test free-market theory vs. people's reactions to a 12 year old boy asking for $10 an hour. Does your son realize that the results might turn out not as he hopes? You both are assuming that if the employer-to-be feels that $10/hour is too much, then the two parties will negotiate, reaching an agreed-upon price. Maybe they will. But consider the other alternative--that some people may be insulted by a pre-teen asking for so much money for unskilled work, that they don't offer him any work at all. This result could spur your son to understand that a higher salary comes with greater skills, and maybe he should develop such skills first. Or it could help him realize that wishes don't always come true in real life and that gauging the marketplace can be an important first step. Anonymous

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