23 Companies and Jobs that Hire at 14-Years-Old
It may be exciting or terrifying to hear that your young teen wants to start working. As their guardian, you will know them best and know what they will be able to handle. Teens who work get a chance to learn about and practice real-world personal finance before it’s a make-or-break situation. Working outside the home can add to a teen’s skillset and diversify their experiences.
Read: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS
A drawback to consider is that some research has shown that as hours of work increase, grades may start slipping. In some cases, teens began engaging in alcohol and drug use due to a seeming sense of independence and maturity that comes with working. Though, some think these risks may be mitigated by the home and work environments.
Places That Hire at 14 Near Me
Grocery Store Chains, retail stores, restaurants, recreation areas and more are all great places to look into for finding a job for young teenagers aged 14 to 16. In the working world, many of these arenas may feel like a rite of passage. Here are 23 top locations to start your job hunt:
Publix
Fareway Stores
Zurchers Retail
Plato’s Closet
Chick-fil-A
McDonald’s
Runza
Cici’s Pizza
YMCA
Six Flags
Hersheypark
Chuck E. Cheese
Dog Walker
Safeway
Kroger
Baskin-Robbins
Starbucks
Wendy’s
Taco Bell
Dairy Queen
AMC Theaters
Babysitting
Assisted Living Facilities
1. Publix
Publix is an employee-owned grocery store with 1,297 stores in the Southeastern United States. Teens who are 14 or 15 years old can be cashiers, floral clerks and baggers.
2. Fareway Stores
Fareway is a grocery store in the midwest serving 6 states, with 120 locations: Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. The minimum age for their grocery department is 14 years old, but you will have to be 18 for the Meat or Bakery Departments.
3. Zurchers Retail
Zurchers is a party store. They have 15 locations in Utah and Idaho. They hire 14-year-olds as cashiers.
4. Plato’s Closet
Plato’s Closet in Tennessee is hiring 14 and 15-year-olds as Junior Stylists on Indeed. Plato’s Closet is a franchise, so others may do the same.
5. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A has 2,803 stores across the United States. They are a franchise so different restaurants have different rules, but locations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and California have ads to hire 14-year-olds to work as cashiers and front-of-house positions.
6. McDonald’s
McDonald’s has 13,257 stores. The chain stores will hire 14-year-olds as Team Members.
7. Runza
Runza is a fast-food restaurant in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Colorado. They have 85 locations and hire 14-year-olds for Crew Member positions.
8. CiCi’s Pizza
Cici’s Pizza is a buffet-style pizza restaurant that is looking for cashiers, dishwashers and stockers. There are 299 CiCi’s locations in the United States.
9. YMCA
YMCA is an international recreation organization. There are 2,400 locations nationally. Most hire 14-year-olds for child care, sports watch and their D.R.E.A.M staff.
10. Six Flags
Six Flags is a nationwide theme park with 27 locations in the United States. Currently, locations in California, Missouri, Texas and others are hiring 14-year-olds for their food service and admissions teams.
11. Hersheypark
There is only one Hersheypark, but they regularly hire 14 and 15-year-olds. They even have a specific area on their site for that age group.
12. Chuck E. Cheese
Chuck E. Cheese has 559 locations and 122 Peter Piper Pizza locations. Many of these locations hire as young as 14 for certain positions.
13. Dog Walker
Your teen can become an entrepreneur and start their own small business in your neighborhood. This is a great part-time opportunity to earn money and learn responsibility.
14. Safeway
This grocery chain hires teenagers starting at age 14 for positions such as grocery bagger. There are many locations spread out over 18 states in the U.S.
15. Kroger
As a national chain, there are ample opportunities for a teen to get hired as a grocery bagger or stocker. Kroger is located in approximately 35 states nationwide.
16. Baskin-Robbins
Though it may be hard to fight temptation for a teenager working in an ice cream shop, Baskin-Robbins does hire 14-year-olds as team members. It can be a great first job in one of its over 2,400 locations.
17. Starbucks
Starbucks has flexible hours that work for before or after school and also on weekends. It hires teenagers no younger than 14 for a variety of appropriate positions.
18. Wendy’s
Nothing says your first job like properly slinging some burgers. Wendy’s is always hiring at its over 6,000 locations nationwide.
19. Taco Bell
One great perk of working in fast food for extra cash is your access to some cheap meals while you earn money. Taco Bell hires for certain jobs as team members starting at age 14.
20. Dairy Queen
Good for more than just two scoops and a swirl, working at Dairy Queen can be a great experience teenagers can get early. Dairy Queen hires 14-year-old for part-time employment in nearly all of its locations.
21. AMC Theaters
You can start saving toward your college tuition with the price of admission as many AMC Theaters hire teens. Typically, 14-year-olds can work concessions or even as ushers.
22. Babysitting
One of the classic standards for teenage employment is that of the babysitter. Teens as young as 14 can watch children of friends, family members or even people from around the neighborhood for a decent hourly wage.
23. Assisted Living Facilities
Some assisted living facilities, like Parkshore Senior Living Community in Seattle, WA or Carrington Court Assisted Living in South Jordan, UT, hire 14-year-olds. These are mostly for food service and greeter positions, but the clientele is different than at regular restaurants.
Labor Laws for Jobs For 14-Year-Olds Near Me
Employers who have workers under 16 years old have to deal with a more stringent set of rules than those who only hire older people. These rules are very specific, though, so you can help your teen come up with some solutions for the problems these extra rules may cause before they even have an interview.
Some states have different rules from the Federal Labor Standards Act, in which case the more strict rule needs to be obeyed. Some states will also require work permits or age certifications. Here are some key takeaways:
Minimum age to work: The minimum age to work in the United States is 14 years old, outside of agriculture jobs.
Entertainment: People of any age can work as actors or performers in movies, plays, on the radio or TV. This includes singing and playing music as well as possibly becoming a social media influencer.
Delivery: People under 14 are allowed to deliver newspapers to customers but to deliver other items, they need to be 14 years old or older which makes it a great job for teens.
Working for their Parents: Young people are allowed to work in a business owned by their parents to earn money as long as it’s not hazardous.
Agriculture: The federal government does not have an age restriction for young people working in agriculture, but most states do as to when you can hire teens. Check with your local state guidelines on the Department of Labor’s chart.
Number of Hours 14-Year-Olds Can Work
Even if young teens don’t attend public school, the hours they are allowed to work are defined by the hours of the public school system in the area where they live. Here are the restrictions on hours that young teens can work from FLSA, but states may have different rules. The Department of Labor has a chart for this as well.
Minors as young as 14 years old are allowed to work the following hours:
Outside of school hours
40 hours or less during a non-school week
18 hours or less during a school week
8 hours or less during a non-school day
3 hours or less during a school day, including Friday
Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year
Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the summer, June 1 through Labor Day
Final Take To GO
Only you and your teen will know when it’s time to start looking for work. If that time is now, then this list is just a starting place. These places hire 14-year-olds where they are allowed to. Check small and local businesses in your area and don’t forget to brush up on your personal finance basics.
Diane Fogle contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 23 Companies and Jobs that Hire at 14-Years-Old
