9 High Paying Jobs for 14-Year-Olds [2022] - Exotic Careers (2024)

Before we talk about high-paying jobs for 14-year-olds, it’s important to understand the employment and labor laws regarding the employment of teens under the age of eighteen (18).

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) restricts the number of hours youths below the age of 16 may work, prohibits teens under the age of 18 from hazardous occupations, and sets the minimum age of employment.

The FLSA also establishes subminimum wage standards for full-time students, apprentices, student learners, workers with disabilities, and certain workers under the age of 20.

Employers are also required to get authorization from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in order to pay subminimum wage rates.

Minors aged 14 and 15 who are employed in permissible occupations must abide by the following work hours:

• Work outside school hours
• While school is in session:
  • Must not work more than 18 hours a week
  • Must not work more than 3 hours in a day, including Fridays
  • Work only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on any one day
• While school is out of session:
  • Must not work more than 40 hours a week
  • Must not work more than 8 hours in a day
  • May work between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day

For detailed information please check Child Labor Provisions by FLSA.

Now that you have a better idea of laws and regulations regarding employment for minors, it’s time we have a look at some high-paying jobs for 14-year-olds in 2022.

1. Teen model

You can work as a teen model for large companies and businesses looking to hire teenage models to help promote their products and/or services.You can be a commercial model, parts model, or editorial model.

Commercial models appear like everyday people and may promote almost anything, including household items, food, and other everyday products and services.

A catalog model is a good example of commercial models and, depending on the client’s catalog, it could mean the ideal model will be short, tall, slim, plus-size, young, old, etc.

Being a parts model is one of the highest-paying jobs for 14-year-olds as companies seek teens with the “perfect” hands, legs, feet, hair, or other body parts to help market their products.

The average hourly pay of teen models in the U.S. is $25 with the highest earners getting paid as high as $70 an hour. This means a teen model can earn an annual average salary of $51,141 and as high as $148,000 a year.

2. Teen actor

This is arguably one of the best-paying jobs for teens. Once you make a breakthrough as a teen actor there is a high likelihood of enjoying a successful career in the film industry.

You can start by going for auditions and being part of movie extras. With time, you gain experience and can audition for prominent roles. You may even land a leading role.

It’s important to note that some states in the United States regulate child entertainment and require teens aged below 18 to get a work permit if they are going to be part of a film or television program.

States that require a work permit for teens under the age of 18 include:

Alaska, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

You can read more on this here: Child Entertainment Laws.

Although pay for teen actors varies depending on several factors, it is definitely one of the highest-paying jobs 14-year-olds can dream of getting.

3. Pet sitter & dog walker

This will be ideal for you if you love pets. There are many pet owners willing to pay for pet sitting and dog walking services. These pet owners do not have the time to do it themselves may be due to busy schedules, long working hours, illness, unforeseen commitments, or are away on vacations.

Pet owners with exotic pets are always willing to pay premium rates for specialized pet care services because exotic pets require more attention and care compared to other pets.

Dog walking is one of the high-paying jobs for 16-year-olds and as a 14-year-old teen, you can earn as high as $29/hr doing this. According to PayScale, pet sitting pays an average of $12.99/hr and you can also earn as high as $29/hr.

4. Babysitter

This is one of the high-paying jobs working with children and is ideal for teens who love to spend time and have fun with kids. As a babysitter, your role will be to care for someone else’s baby or babies when they are not around.

Babysitters ensure the child is safe, prepare meals and snacks for them, play games with them, change diapers, bathe & dress young babies, get children ready for bed on time, and help with homework where necessary.

According to Care.com, babysitters earn an average of $13.44 an hour, which means you can earn more than $50 a day just for working a few hours. Consider getting a Red Cross certification if you wish to increase your hourly pay as a babysitter.

5. Daycare assistant

This is one of the highest-paying jobs for 14-year-olds that pay as high as $15/hr. Roles of daycare assistants include supervising kids, preparing meals, facilitating play activities, and helping to organize mealtimes and snacks for the kids.

Places to find daycare assistant jobs include schools, child daycare facilities, religious organizations, and people’s homes. This is an ideal job for teens who love kids and love to spend fun time with them.

As a first-time babysitter, you can earn approximately $9.50 per hour, but your hourly wages will increase over time, and can earn as high as $15/hr.

6. Golf caddy

The minimum age to work as a golf caddy is 14 years, though some golf clubs can hire 13-year-olds. Golf caddies work with golfers and some of their tasks include:

• carrying golf bags
• cleaning golf balls
• cleaning the pin
• replacing ball marks
• operating the golf cart fleet
• measuring yardages
• holding the flag

If you love golf and would like to spend time around professional golfers then you can pursue a full-time career as a golf caddy. The entry-level pay for new and teenage golf caddies is $16/hr with the top caddies earning more than $34/hr.

Working for a day as a teen golf caddy can earn you between $80 and $120.Here is a guide on how much golf caddies make, including teenage caddies.

7. Yard worker

Another good high-paying job you can do as a 14-year-old is to be a yard worker. It involves the maintenance of grounds around businesses, public buildings, and private homes.

A yard worker spreads mulch, pull weeds, plant flowers, mow the grass, trim bushes, and run the irrigation system. As a 14-year-old, you are not allowed to use power-driven mowers, trimmers, cutters, edgers, or similar equipment.

The average pay per lawn or yard depends on many factors including the size of the lawn, location, and tasks you do. Yard workers earn between $7.70 and $18.30 per hour, with the mean hourly pay being $14.

8. Restaurant worker

There are many high-paying jobs for 14-year-olds in restaurants and similar establishments such as working as a dishwasher, server, barista, etc.

Dishwashers clean and scrub pots, pans, plates, and other utensils. They also load dishwashers, mop floors, and may empty trash containers.

Servers take orders from customers, communicate them to the kitchen staff, fulfill the customers’ orders, refill drinks, and collect payments. Apart from the average hourly pay of $11.42, they also get to enjoy tips that often end up being more than their hourly pay.

Baristas, on the other hand, prepare drinks such as coffee and tea and attend to the needs of the customers. They may explain menu items to customers and offer appropriate blend suggestions based on customer preferences.

Baristas also keep the work environment tidy, including restaurant surfaces and tables. The average salary of baristas in the United States is $12.35 and the average amount they earn on tips is $17 per day.

9. Youth sports referee

Another high-paying job for 14-year-olds is working as a youth sports referee, a job you can do even at the age of 12 or 13. Your role will be to officiate games between sports teams in a youth league.

The role of a referee is to ensure all the players adhere to the rules of the game, award fouls & penalties when necessary, and make other necessary calls during the game.

Youth sports referees earn between $20 and $50 per game at the youth league level and as high as $100 per game when officiating high school games.

• 17 Highest Paying Jobs for 18-Year-Olds [2022]

Final thoughts

We have only managed to highlight a few of the high-paying jobs for 14-year-olds. As you can see, some states require teens to get permits before appearing in films and television programs while the U.S. Department of Labor has laws and regulations governing child labor. Either way, you can do any of these jobs if you’re a teenager and start making money while studying.