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There’s a reason your teen is sitting on the couch this summer

Hayley Hershman Jun 2, 2017
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If mall jobs are falling by the wayside, how can teens get entry-level experience? Spencer Platt/Getty Images

There’s a reason your teen is sitting on the couch this summer

Hayley Hershman Jun 2, 2017
If mall jobs are falling by the wayside, how can teens get entry-level experience? Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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COPY

In recent years, malls have been having a tough time. In around a decade, it is estimated that one in six malls will close. With malls folding and brick-and-mortar retailers shutting their doors in favor of their online stores, the typical rite-of-passage teen job is falling by the wayside. So what does this mean for teenagers who are looking for their first work experience?

Marketplace Weekend’s Lizzie O’Leary spoke with Matt Sargent, vice president of retail for the consulting firm Magid, to find out. Plus, we hear from one teen trying to balance school and her first job. 

If the typical teen jobs are no longer, what’s left? We found some fun job ideas via The Penny Hoarder. Here are our top five favorites:

  1. Babysitting, day care and summer camp jobs. Thankfully, kids need supervision no matter what time of the year it is.
  2. Food service. People have to eat and the restaurant business is a $799 billion industry.
  3. YouTuber. Come on, you know you’ve always wanted to give this a try. Some successful YouTube stars raked in millions last year.
  4. Survey taking. Seriously. There are some companies that will pay you to take surveys! The Penny Hoarder suggests this site for teens under 18.
  5. Tutor. If you did really well on your SATs or ACTs, help other students do really well and get paid for it.

What other summer jobs did you have as a teen? You can tell us about your experience or let us know what’s missing from this list via email.

We’re at weekend@marketplace.org

 Click on the player above to hear the interviews.

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