Teens in 2025 are starting to look for summer jobs. Trading in their textbooks for timecards, heading into a job market that’s more varied and more lucrative than years before. For those who are getting their first job, it might be a scary endeavor. From lifeguards and camp counselors to freelance pet sitters and social media assistants, teens in 2025 are finding new ways to earn money, build résumés, and gain independence.
The most popular summer jobs for teens this year fall into two broad categories: traditional roles, such as retail, food service, and childcare, and newer, often more flexible roles, including social media management and independent yard work.
- Lifeguarding remains a popular choice for athletic teens. Local pools and city recreation departments offer certification courses, often covered by employers. Pay ranges from $14 to $18 an hour.
- Camp Counselor positions are in high demand, especially at overnight camps. These jobs include leadership training, and often housing and meals, with pay around $12 to $16 an hour.
- Retail and Food Service jobs remain steady employers. Chains like Chick-fil-A, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, and Carowinds amusement park are hiring 14- to 18-year-olds for part-time shifts.
- Yard work, once viewed as informal work, has become a mini-business for enterprising teens.
- Pet-sitting and babysitting jobs are also booming, with many families willing to pay $15–$20 per hour for trusted teen help.
While teen employment rates have fluctuated over the past decade, economists say 2025 marks a rebound, in part due to a stronger job market and employers more open to hiring younger workers.
We’re seeing more structured roles with training built in. Teens are learning skills they can take with them beyond summer- customer service, digital literacy, and even conflict resolution. The YMCA, for example, launched a teen-specific summer employment program in May, focusing on first-time workers.
Tips for teens:
- Create a simple résumé listing school activities, volunteer work, and any relevant skills.
- Dress professionally and prepare a short introduction before interviews.
- Don’t be afraid to follow up. A phone call or visit shows initiative.
- Look close to home- many neighborhood opportunities never get posted online.
All in all, a first job can mean new responsibilities for teenagers in high school. Now is the time to open that chapter and build your resume. Though this isn’t maybe the most looked forward to part of growing up, it can have lots of benefits for the future careers of students. And open doors one might never have thought possible before.
