Kids who work learn valuable life and money-management skills. Don’t wait until June to rally your teen to start looking for a summer job. Now is the perfect time to encourage them to begin polishing their application skills and research local opportunities. A variety of opportunities await young teens to not only help them build their future resumes, but to learn about their strengths, as well as their likes and dislikes, as they prepare to make big education and career plans.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Be a Self-Starter
Often employers are hesitant to hire students without any previous job experience, so kids may have to start small and build their resumes. Budding entrepreneurs can begin gathering references by taking on local independent jobs such as babysitting, dog walking, detailing cars or various odd jobs. Smart Greenwich kids have started part-time seasonal businesses hauling Christmas trees to the dump after the holidays or tutoring younger kids in a subject they’re strong in. The goal is to gain references from satisfied customers for future employment.
Lean In To Hobbies
Students who juggle sports and academics throughout the school year may want a summer that feels like a break, so consider outdoor jobs that have an element of what your child enjoys. Kids who love golf, sailing or a certain sport can look for employment in those areas.
Skill & Certification
Get Qualified
Training now can lead to jobs later. Lifeguard certification and CPR training are courses students can learn in the winter months that lead to summer employment.
The YMCA of Greenwich offers American Red Cross health and safety training. The latest course curriculum includes Lifeguarding, Water Safety Instructor, First Aid, CPR/AED (for both the professional rescuer and the lay responder) and Connecticut Childcare and Babysitter’s Training.
Classes are open to YMCA members and non-members. These skills can help with afterschool, weekend and summer jobs. Students may enroll in lifeguarding training as young as 14 but must turn 15 by the last day of the course.
At the Red Cross in Greenwich, budding caregivers aged 11 and over can take babysitting classes and certifications that are valid for two years. The Red Cross Babysitting Basics class prepares students for that first babysitting job. With a focus on choosing age-appropriate activities, child behavior and more, this class is an excellent way to start a babysitting business. Building on the Babysitter’s Basics class, the Babysitter’s Training course teaches leadership skills, how to develop a babysitting business, tips on how to help children behave and basic first aid. redcross.org; greenwichymca.org
Go Clubbing
Many local golf, yacht and country clubs offer seasonal and some after-school work in the tennis and golf shops, as well as at camps and pools. Most clubs do not hire members’ children, but some offer Counselor in Training programs for young members to gain experience to work at other clubs as counselors. Clubs communicate with each other, so one program may lead to job opportunities at other clubs.
Happy Campers
Summer camp can be the happiest time of kids’ lives. There is an abundance of summer camps to choose from: sleepaway, sports or daycamp. Locally and away, camps always need a steady stream of camp counselors. Former campers have a head start by knowing camp life. Winter to spring is the ideal time to research and reach out to potential employers.
Networking & Community
Work the Network
Whether developing a business or looking for a job, networking is important at any age. Encourage kids to make their friends and parents aware that they’re looking for work. It can provide possible job leads. They should also keep their eyes open in the stores they frequent to see if those might be places they’d like to work.
Shop SummerFare
Every summer, Greenwich High School hosts SummerFare, a job and camp fair with over 100 exhibitors in attendance. Many of the exhibitors are looking for employees. Potential employers range from the Greenwich Historical Society and Audubon Center to Greenwich Parks and Recreation and Greenwich Country Day School.
SummerFare is free and open to the public. Check the GHS website for the January 2026 date and details. ghs.greenwichschools.org
Service & Retail Jobs
Building Character
No young adult will ever view a waiter or store clerk the same way after working in the service industry. Local ice cream shops, cafés, coffee shops and retail stores are often looking for extra summer and after-school help. Stocking shelves, working with customers and eventually managing a sales register are all important skills to develop. The additional character bonus for young workers is the valuable insight they’ll gain after being on the other side of the counter.
Give Back While Getting Experience
The Greenwich Youth Conservation Program (GYCP) makes a real difference in the lives of young teens—enabling them to learn valuable skills and experience the pride of a first job while making a meaningful contribution to the community. For more than 40 years, this unique public-private partnership has worked towards providing young workers with valuable experience while creating a greener Greenwich. Students 14 and 15 years old may obtain applications to the program from their school guidance counselor or the Greenwich Department of Human Services at Town Hall. Participants work in areas of environmental and conservation programs and benefit from speakers and skills training. During breaks and lunchtime, speakers share information on a range of topics from marketable job skills to managing personal finances, budgeting, finding and keeping a job and making a good first impression. greenwichct.gov
Know the Rules
Play By the Rules
There are certain restrictions for minors to work in Connecticut. Those younger than 16 generally cannot work during school hours, before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., with an exception between June and Labor Day. Minors 16 and 17 cannot work more than six hours a day or after 11 p.m. A work permit may be required for some positions. Your school can provide the guidelines for how to obtain one.
Managing the Hiccups
Parents need to keep in mind that there may be bumps along the employment journey. Not all jobs work out, and not all teens are model employees. Parents can only do so much to encourage, guide and nurture good habits, but ultimately, an employer is not hiring the parent. Learning to manage difficult and demanding bosses and accepting responsibility for their own actions is their responsibility alone. It’s very hard for a parent to sit by and watch their teen show up late to work or lose a job. But most parents agree that these are experiences kids have to go through themselves.
The Road to Success
Though it may sound basic, remind kids of the foundations of being a good employee.
Be a Worker—Stay Busy
One job often leads to the next, thus good references are important.
Dress Neatly
Appearance matters and reflects how workers feel about themselves and the business they represent.
Put the Phones Away
Someone is paying for their time, so they need to stay off phones or laptops unless specifically told it is OK while waiting for customers. However, even then, encourage young workers to look for tasks to do instead. Time on the job moves faster when busy. In any workplace there is usually extra work to be done, whether organizing or cleaning a workspace.
Work as if Your Boss is Watching
In today’s surveilled workplace, cameras are often onsite for the safety of customers and inventory. Remind kids that even when babysitting or pet sitting, some homes have cameras to keep everyone safe. Young workers should behave at all times as if they’re being watched by a supervisor. This isn’t paranoia but a smart business skill.
Bring a Positive Attitude
Whether they’re stocking the shelves or escorting young campers to cars at pick up time, courtesy and professionalism are key. Eye contact and a friendly demeanor go a long way. For kids who are used to staring at their phones all day, these are excellent muscles to develop with lifelong benefits.
Be Early and Stay Late
Your young workers don’t need to give away their time, but they should be at work early enough so that when they are officially on the clock, they can fully engage. No one is excited about an employee who runs in still tucking in a shirt with a flurry of frenetic late energy. The same rules apply for when the shift ends: They have a right to expect to leave when it’s over, but if a task is still unfinished, a good employee will stay for an extra few minutes to wrap up.