13 yo son is looking for a job...

[PistolBob]

My baby brother and I mowed grass in the summer time. We shoveled snow like no tomorrow when we got it in the winter time....in between we sold personalized greeting cards door to door and we both sold Grit newspapers...as we got older we started doing to your door oil changes...that was awesome.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Dress him up in scruffy clothes and take him down to the nearest crossroads with a "Help the Homeless" sign...I saw in the news tonight they arrested some panhandler downtown and he'd raked in almost $800 IN ONE DAY.

I recently talked with a co-worker about how Abdul at Large did this for a day just to see what it was like. I found it interesting.

When I posed the question to Ian he said "No. That would be cool and all, but that's just not right" lol

 

[IndyDave1776]

I recently talked with a co-worker about how Abdul at Large did this for a day just to see what it was like. I found it interesting.

When I posed the question to Ian he said "No. That would be cool and all, but that's just not right" lol

It seems that you are raising your son to have scruples and a sense of honor--traits sorely lacking in our society these days.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

It seems that you are raising your son to have scruples and a sense of honor--traits sorely lacking in our society these days.

His mother might argue that his sense of humor is not up to snuff #fartsarefunny
But thank you
Lot's of good ideas he and I have not thought of. Grass cutting we didn't think of, because we aren't 'in town'.
Babysitting was completely off the radar for both of us.
We'll check with pioneer in the am

 

[TWalker]

I started roofing at that age. I wasn't big enough to carry full bundles all day tho lol. It would take myself and my friend to carry one. Thank goodness for roof top delivery, had to cut the bundles open to get them up the ladder. We mostly did tear off and clean up but ran shingles when the boss was laying sometimes.

I also did farm work for the neighbors, various things mostly hay, cleaning out barns, and picking up rocks.

Mowing lawns would be the way to go. Not only teaches him hard work but time management skills, scheduling, customer relations and the ability to negotiate.

 

[mom45]

Are there any farms in your area that grow produce that might hire someone to help weed/pick? We picked blueberries and strawberries as kids. Blueberries paid a nickle a pound when I first started (I was about 7 and picked the bottom of the bushes while my older siblings picked the rest) and I think we were up to a quarter a pound by the time I stopped at 19.

Weeding, mowing and other yard work would be a good option if he is willing to do that. Painting fences, raking, etc. Check with the local senior center to see if they know of any older residents in your community who may need some help and be able to pay for such services.

 

[sharkey]

Sorry, Lizton. Hendricks county, between Pittsboro & Jamestown. It's fairly rural.

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IIRC, Woody Warehouse hires seasonal help out that way. Not sure where 'nursery' falls in relation to 'agriculture' tho.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

IIRC, Woody Warehouse hires seasonal help out that way. Not sure where 'nursery' falls in relation to 'agriculture' tho.

That's an option. Can't hurt to have him call!

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Are there any farms in your area that grow produce that might hire someone to help weed/pick? We picked blueberries and strawberries as kids. Blueberries paid a nickle a pound when I first started (I was about 7 and picked the bottom of the bushes while my older siblings picked the rest) and I think we were up to a quarter a pound by the time I stopped at 19.

Weeding, mowing and other yard work would be a good option if he is willing to do that. Painting fences, raking, etc. Check with the local senior center to see if they know of any older residents in your community who may need some help and be able to pay for such services.

No one that i am aware of doing that sort of growing down here... Perhaps up north with more sandy soils, but certainly worth a look.

 

[miguel]

Someone ought to hire him to deprime their brass. A kid with a work ethic like this needs to be put to good use!

 

[Brian Ski]

I made a killing as a kid mowing grass, raking leaves and shoveling snow!

If he is dependable and willing to cut grass every week, it is a great job. Most kids want to do it once or twice make a couple bucks and be done. If he can borrow a weed eater that can give him a few more bucks. Do a neat job and people will call him back. My buddy I went to school with made a few thousand one summer. That was back when new cars were a few thousand.

Back in the winter a kid with a snow shovel can go door to door... $10 a drive. Especially when the snow is deep. He can make a killing it one day if he wants. Most kids want to stay in and play video games. I know that is a while before we see snow again. At least with any luck!!!!

 

[IndyDave1776]

His mother might argue that his sense of humor is not up to snuff #fartsarefunny
But thank you
Lot's of good ideas he and I have not thought of. Grass cutting we didn't think of, because we aren't 'in town'.
Babysitting was completely off the radar for both of us.
We'll check with pioneer in the am

#fartsarefunny gave me an idea. At that age, I cleaned a barn on occasion. Most industrial agricultural settings are geared toward using machines, but some of the local horse people might have stalls that could use some shovel and pitchfork attention.

Edit: Now that I saw this posted, I have to wonder, how do you make a capital hashtag?

 

[Bfish]

It's too bad you aren't in the Terre Haute area or I could hook you up with some farmers who use kids to detassle. Mowing grass is his best bet, then often times those people will also pay for other chores. I made lots of money in high school mowing about 4 lawns a week. You can make a fair amount of money as a kid doing that for a farmer. Especially after a year or two and they know enough to rouge the rows too.

I would try and get in touch with a local farmer. Most of them know each other in some form or fashion and can at least get you pointed in the right direction.

 

[freekforge]

Pioneer still hires kids to detassle. Listen to ag news on the country stations. Another option would be shoveling manure i did that as a kid it was a crappy job pun intended. I also helped raise chickens and clear woods with an axe. I worked for family so i was able to see the end product which was very satisfying.

 

[CountryBoy19]

There are still seed-corn breeding/crossing operations in Indiana that need detassling but I'm not sure if that process has been automated or is still done manually. You may look up some of the seed-corn companies that have operations in Indiana and see if they need help.

Other than that it's going to be very hard to find a job on in agriculture for a 13 y.o. because there is a certain degree of experience needed to do most farm operations. The reason the work statutes have an exemption for agriculture is because most ag operations are family operations and children grow up helping/working on the farm. In that case the young teen would have learned on the job throughout the years and would be gradually given more and more responsibility on the farm. It's very hard for a farmer to justify hiring an inexperienced young boy that has no experience, he has no idea if he is responsible etc.

Some jobs on the farm that wouldn't require experience would be cleaning horse-stalls, etc. It will be hard work, is your son fairly strong for his age? Cleaning up junk, helping a farmer as his "gopher" when repairing equipment etc.

I'll try to see if I can think of anymore jobs...

 

[PistolBob]

I recently talked with a co-worker about how Abdul at Large did this for a day just to see what it was like. I found it interesting.

When I posed the question to Ian he said "No. That would be cool and all, but that's just not right" lol

Did not know Abdul did that!! How'd he do?

 

[mtinner]

Any boat marina's in the area? Cleaned a lot of boats when I was a kid. Look for a nursery that needs help weeding and trimming.

 

[PistolBob]

#fartsarefunny gave me an idea. At that age, I cleaned a barn on occasion. Most industrial agricultural settings are geared toward using machines, but some of the local horse people might have stalls that could use some shovel and pitchfork attention.

Edit: Now that I saw this posted, I have to wonder, how do you make a capital hashtag?

Get a shovel!! IN the 70's when I was about 13 or 14 I worked with a couple of cousins. They bought a old beat up dump truck...we cleaned out cow barns, horse stalls, pig piles...THEN we'd haul the truck load of recycled animal food to the nearest nursery and they would usually buy it from us for about $20...we felt like we were making money twice on the same poop. Financial genius!

I remember once walking on top of a pile and the crust gave way...all of a sudden I was hip deep. Not a good position to be in.

 

[HoughMade]

My son, now 17 (working an Wendy's) used to make $40-$60 a week mowing grass in the neighborhood, but that was when we lived in a subdivision with a lot of small lawns. He went up and down our street and several streets around ours and ended up with 2 weekly, 2 every other week and few "whenever it needs it". He handed out flyers and made business cards on the computer. This was 100% his deal. No one helped him (other than it was my mower). He tied the mower to the back of his bike and towed it wherever he needed to. He started at about 13.

When he started to look for something more regular, he found it hard to find places that would hire someone under 18. His first "real" job was working for the local 4-H during the fair. Then he got a seasonal job in the fall making caramel apples at a touristy orchard. He has been working at Wendy's since March. It ain't a great deal of fun, but it's honest work. Even though he turns 18 in July, he's going to stick with Wendy's through his senior year unless there's a really good reason not to (like a much better job just falls in his lap).

 

[PistolBob]

My son, now 17 (working an Wendy's) used to make $40-$60 a week mowing grass in the neighborhood, but that was when we lived in a subdivision with a lot of small lawns. He went up and down our street and several streets around ours and ended up with 2 weekly, 2 every other week and few "whenever it needs it". He handed out flyers and made business cards on the computer. This was 100% his deal. No one helped him (other than it was my mower). He tied the mower to the back of his bike and towed it wherever he needed to. He started at about 13.

When he started to look for something more regular, he found it hard to find places that would hire someone under 18. His first "real" job was working for the local 4-H during the fair. Then he got a seasonal job in the fall making caramel apples at a touristy orchard. He has been working at Wendy's since March. It ain't a great deal of fun, but it's honest work. Even though he turns 18 in July, he's going to stick with Wendy's through his senior year unless there's a really good reason not to (like a much better job just falls in his lap).

Sounds like a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Will he be going to college after his senior year, or straight in to the workforce? At age 17 he can work a lot of jobs, fast food doesn't have to be the only choice. When I was 17 I went around to HVAC places and asked if they needed a helper for the summer...ended up working for an independent and he paid me in cash...but man I was glad to not be cooking french fries. Also learned what a 1099 was that year. If he has any interest in the trades, might not hurt to check around and see who might need a summer helper. It's grunt work, but I learned a lot...so much I left the trades for a career in IT.