Help! - Need Work Ideas for My 13 Year Old Daughter

by BlackPearl 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  BlackPearl

  I really need some help with this one. My daughter is getting to the age where she recognizes a need to make some summertime money. She wants to buy a new cell phone and a few other things, and wants to earn the money herself. I own a small business, and I would have her help me around the office but there isn't much for her to do. She's really good at computer related things like creating letters, building Power Point presentations, data entry (I've had her do some data entry in times past for my marketing campains) and the like. Anyhow...she and I were brainstorming the other night, and I came up with the idea of getting her some piece meal work for data entry or transcription work. You've probably heard of people doing data entry work over the web from home offices. I was hoping to find something like that, where she do could do the work via the web. She could work from my office on an extra computer and I could oversee her work. She's a great kid, very responsible. I feel terrible that I can't find anything for her to do at the office, any ideas?

  Please help!!!

  BP
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  WTWizard

  Hmm, damn regulators. There are laws prohibiting people under 14 from holding a paid job. That, to me, is stupid because a lot of children well under 14 are capable of starting their own businesses. And they should be allowed to, unencumbered, if for no other reason than to get some experience that is always required for any job (which is one major reason why leaving the Tower is so hard: employers insist on two years' experience in a field before giving them a chance, and refuse to give people a chance who are just now leaving the Tower).

  And there are strict rules about what children can do at work. They are not allowed to work during school hours, and they are limited to 18 hours per week (14 and 15 year olds) or 37 hours per week (for 16- and 17- year olds). And there are laws that limit children from doing "dangerous" work, which could even include operating a shredder! Children who likely use the shredder at home for chores, without incident, are banned from using it for business. And once you take on your child as an employee, you are going to have trouble from the regulators. They seem to think we have all the people in the workforce and the marketplace that they need and want to close the door to newbies. Those regulators have to go--I wonder how many people they are helping the Puketower Society hold captive!
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  GoingGoingGone

  How about babysitting? At your house if that makes the parents feel better? Washing cars for the neighbors? (my son and a friend did this one summer, knocked on doors offering to wash cars!) Walking dogs? Or watching pets while neighbors are away?

  The regulations for what under-14-year-olds can do is very strict. Even those under 16 are limited. But as far as making money, I'd go with anything she is capable of doing that pays!

  Good luck to her in finding something!

  GGG
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  Jankyn

  See, that's where starting her own business might work. Someone's already talked about babysitting. How about she takes in ironing? Or does light house and yard work? She can brainstorm for other things that people don't have time to do for themselves, but might be willing to pay for.

  If she's really determined, a good one in some neighborhoods would be a dog waste removal service--she invests in gloves, boots, a poop-scooper and a wagon, then charges enough to make a profit. It's a stinky, nasty job--and that means it's something people are willing to pay to have done for them.

  The biggest advantage to starting a small business is all that she leanrs. She learns how to calculate what she'll need for supplies and add in enough to make a profit, as well as developing the sort of entrepreneurial skills (like pitching her ideas and personal strengths to people) that will serve her well throughout her life. (Just about the only good thing I can say about my JW upbringing is the speech and sales skills I got out of it.)

  My brothers built up a nice business when one was 8 and one was 13 by buying old ratty bikes cheap, repainting and repairing them, and then re-selling them for a profit. Craigslist and other on-line ad services would make this one do-able.

  Just a thought...

  Jankyn
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  Scully

  At 13, I was babysitting almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. It gave me enough pocket money, plus I was able to save up enough to pay for my own driver's ed course when I was of age to take the class. I also did some crafts and sold them on consignment at a local tourist shop.

  I've done gardening and housework and looked after peoples' homes while they were on holiday, walked dogs, fed pets, took in the mail, etc. My siblings cut grass, cleaned pools, weeded gardens, painted fences and shovelled snow. I had friends with paper routes, and others who helped with the family's corner store.

  Mr Scully has his own business too - he gets the kids to stuff envelopes for his newsletter mailings and apply stickers to envelopes. One of the kids is quite good with computers and wants to try her hand at website design for his business. (I don't think he'd appreciate how "pimped out" she's got in mind though.)

  When we were in eastern Canada a few years ago, we met a young lady, age 14, at the main tourist area who made lovely beaded jewellry - earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings - she does them while she and her family watch TV in the evening and she sells her wares at the tourist place. She declares that she is a "local artisan" and makes "original" pieces, and that the money she earns is going to fund her university education. I think she's a really smart cookie.
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  whyizit

  How about ebay? Maybe she could sell some of the things she has out-grown.

  A friend of mine goes shopping for cheap children's clothes. She said baby shoes and costumes are pretty good sellers. She gets them for under $5 and sells them on ebay for a hefty profit.

  I've bought lots of hard to find VHS kid shows on ebay, and I've paid top dollar. Maybe it would be a way for her to make money as she cleans her room!
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  UnConfused

  Oh I like the eBay idea. And how about pet walking? I would pay someone money to walk my dog in the middle of the day.
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  jgnat

  Problem is, I wouldn't trust any piece-work job offers over the web. I don't trust most of them.

  Besides what others have suggested, there's paper/flyer distribution. She could offer typing services at the local college. Put her card up on the board.
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  Hortensia

  I used to do typing, years and years ago, charged per page. There are lots of people who still can't type, amazingly. Ebay is a good idea, especially if she has something she is interested in and knows a little about - her hobbies for instance. Do you know the vet? Can she talk the vet into letting her help clean cages? Or, some other profession that needs help a 13-year old can give. Can she help the neighbors give a yard sale? Type up the ads, make the signs, help to price and sort items, help to sell and clean up? I did a yard sale recently and that kind of help from a smart kid would have been fabulous.
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  RollerDave

  Contact your county extension service.

  My daughter got a summer job thru our county doing landscaping at a park when she was 14. It was called 'tree trust' and she had a blast and earned some dough.

  Roller