Guest Post: 10 Ways For Your Kids To Earn Money This Fall

Note: Today’s post is by Ron Stefanski, founder of JobsForTeensHQ.com, the largest free website on the internet that helps teens find a job!

Now that school has started up again, many kids want to make a little extra money after school or on the weekends.

While the summer is often the easiest time for teens to find jobs (a lot of pet/house sitting gigs suddenly become available while everyone goes on vacation), there are plenty of opportunities in the fall as well.

From raking leaves to online freelancing, there are many different things your kids can do to earn a little money while the leaves are falling.

Raking Leaves
Raking leaves is a seasonal chore (at least in most parts of the world) and it’s the perfect autumn job for industrious kids! Other than being great exercise, raking leaves for neighbors is a great way to make a little extra money during the fall. Best of all, people are willing to pay a kid to rake leaves rather than go outside and do it themselves. This is also an excellent opportunity to volunteer in your community, as many elderly people have a hard time with strenuous and tedious raking.  In fact, it’s not a bad idea to have your kid donate some of their raking time to help neighbors in need. Chores are great for kids and a great way to help the community.

Lawn Mowing
Lawns still need mowing even after the weather has cooled down. If your child is old enough to safely use a lawnmower, they’re old enough to earn a little cash mowing lawns around the neighborhood. While lawn mowing jobs are scarce after the first snowfall (provided you live in an area with snow), they are usually around until at least the end of October!

Freelancing
There are tons of freelancing jobs available online, and many times age isn’t a factor considering even 15-year-olds can do it. If your child has a special skill, such as graphic design, proofreading, or art, they may want to consider advertising online to find customers. Freelancing is a great option during the school year because it doesn’t usually have set hours, so kids can work in the evening after school or on the weekends, and often they can do it from the safety and comfort of their own home.

Fairs & Festivals
There are often fall-themed festivals and fairs once September and October roll around. Pumpkin patches and apple orchards often hire seasonal staff to contend with the seasonal interest in their products. This may not be a great solution if you live in a city, but for kids in the suburbs and countryside, working part-time at a festival or fair during autumn can be a great way to earn a little extra money.

Halloween
Fall means Halloween, and Halloween means a ton of haunted houses, festivals, and general scary merriment. Lots of Halloween themed activities hire teens, particularly haunted houses. While these jobs generally only last a few weeks (usually the two weeks preceding Halloween, sometimes longer) they are often in the evening, which means they won’t conflict with school– and they can be a lot of fun.

Babysitting
Babysitting is a great year-round job for kids. Whether your child is mature enough to watch younger children is a judgement call only you can make, but for teens who are old enough to handle the responsibility, babysitting can be a great job. One of the biggest perks of babysitting is that these types of gigs are usually in the evening or on the weekends, so they won’t coincide with your child’s school routine.

Paper Route
People often cancel their paper subscriptions during the summer when they go away on vacation. However, once Fall arrives, many re-subscribe. A paper route can be tricky during the schoolyear, as it often involves getting up very early, but if your kid is an early bird anyway, it’s a great way to make a little money and get a little exercise (believe it or not, most paper deliverers still ride bikes, especially in the fall when it’s not too cold or too hot).

Tutoring
The beginning of the school year brings opportunities for tutoring. If your child excels in a particular subject, such as math or history, he or she may want to take in a few students for after-school tutoring sessions. Many parents are happy to pay a qualified teenager instead of sending their kids to expensive after-school programs. Best of all, your child will learn something in the process!

Community Centers
Local community centers are crowded once the school year starts. Many of them offer after-school programs for school-age children, and hire older kids to help with tutoring, coaching community center sports teams, etc.

Pool Maintenance
Not many people think about this, but fall is the time when most people start emptying their pools for those cold winter months that are coming soon.  If you start a service where you help homeowners handle this task (which most of them probably don’t like doing), you’ll be able to make some quick cash.

Ron Stefanski is the founder of JobsForTeensHQ.com and has a passion for helping teenagers find jobs. He created the website because he feels that teenagers need to focus on their professional passions much earlier in life and aims to teach them how they can do that. When he’s not working on his website, Ron is a college professor and loves to travel the world.

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