14 AND JOBLESS

Dear Jellybean,

I am 13 years old and turning 14 in January. I am looking for a job for the summer holidays and throughtout the year of 2008. Becoz of the age that i am at not many people are very welcoming to the idea of having a 13 soon to be 14 year old working for them and i desperately need the money. I am willing to work all day on Saturday and after school one day a week. I live in Sydney, Australia. I do really well in all my exams and assignments and am going on scholarship to one of the top schools in the state. How can i get people to accept me?
-Desperate

Dear Average Student,

People might be rejecting you because they're worried about breaking the law. It may very well be illegal for stores or offices to hire a person of your age, in your city or town. In most cities worldwide, in fact, businesses can get fined, and even shut down, if caught using under-aged labour.

So what does this mean for you? You'll need to get creative about earning money, since you may not be able to get a standard job for a couple of years. Use those brains that got you that scholarship (congratulations, by the way!) to come up with a money-making plan, without a job at the mall.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Are you good with kids? Do you enjoy spending time with them? You might want to consider a traditional teen job like babysitting. Babysitting is an excellent job that pays quite well, so it's worth the effort it can take to get your first few jobs. If you're good and the parents like you, they'll keep asking you back.Ask your parents if they know anyone with young kids, put up flyers in your neighborhood or apartment building, visit community centres and ask if you can post your name for babysitting on their bulletin board. Also check if your school or community centre offers a babysitting course, which can help to convince parents that you've got the know-how to do a good job taking care of their kids.

Are you handy with a lawnmower? You could make cash doing yard work for neighbors. Many adults perform their yard work themselves, but some older people cannot because of physical difficulties, or because their schedules don't allow them the time. Pulling weeds or mowing grass is not only a good way to earn some extra cash, it's great exercise too! And every bit of money earned adds up.

Are you an animal lover? You could start a dog-walking business. There are usually many dogs in any given neighborhood. Often times, their owners aren't able to take them for a walk every day. This is an excellent opportunity for a teenager to earn some extra spending money. By offering to walk a neighbor's dog, you can get exercise youself and earn some money at the same time. You could even team up with a friend to start a dog walking business and walk several dogs at once, for even more money-earning potential.