December is the easiest month of the year to find paid work as a teenager. People are busier than usual, many go away, plenty are hosting family, and a long list of small jobs suddenly needs doing at once. If you start asking in late November, you can fill most of the holidays.
10 Christmas jobs for teenagers
- Gift wrapping. Plenty of adults hate wrapping and will happily pay someone neat to do a whole pile in one go. Offer to bring your own tape and scissors.
- Putting up decorations and the tree. Unpacking boxes, building an artificial tree, hanging indoor decorations and testing lights. Keep it to indoor work and low steps, and leave anything on a roof or high ladder to adults.
- Taking it all down in January. The less fun half of the job, which is exactly why people pay for it.
- Pet sitting and plant watering. Families travelling over Christmas need someone to feed cats, check on rabbits and water plants once or twice a day.
- Leaf clearing and path sweeping. Late leaves, muddy paths and wet decking all need clearing before guests arrive. Read who will actually clear your leaves to see why this job is often left undone.
- Car washing before family visits. A clean car before a long drive to relatives is an easy sell in mid-December.
- Getting the house ready. Hoovering, tidying a spare room, carrying in shopping or moving furniture for an extra table.
- Tech help for older relatives. Setting up a new phone or tablet received as a present, or helping with video calls to family abroad.
- Helping with Christmas cards and online orders. Writing envelopes, sorting addresses or helping someone order presents online.
- Seasonal shop and café work. Shops, garden centres and Christmas markets take on extra staff, though most want you to be 16 or over.
How many hours can you work over Christmas?
The school holidays count as holiday time, so if you are still at school:
- Aged 13 or 14: up to 5 hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, 2 hours on a Sunday and 25 hours a week.
- Aged 15 or 16 and still at school: up to 8 hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, 2 hours on a Sunday and 35 hours a week.
- Nobody under school leaving age can work before 7am or after 7pm.
If you are 16 or 17 and past the school leaving date, the rules for young workers apply instead, explained in jobs for 16 year olds.
What to charge
For one-off Christmas jobs, a fixed price per job is easiest. Gift wrapping is often priced per present or per hour, decorating by the job, and pet sitting per visit. Check the teen price guide for fair starting points, and agree the price before you start.
How to get Christmas work
- Start asking in the last week of November, before people make other plans.
- Tell neighbours what you can do and which days you are free, in one short message.
- Offer a bundle, such as wrapping plus decorating, or pet sitting plus plant watering.
- Look on KidsHustle, where adults near you post paid jobs and your parent approves each one before you apply.
Staying safe
Dark evenings come early in December, so agree jobs that finish in daylight where you can, make sure a parent or carer knows exactly where you are, and keep to ground-level work. If a job changes when you arrive, you are allowed to say no.
Find Christmas jobs near you
Download KidsHustle to see paid jobs posted by verified adults near you. Payment is set aside before you start, so you are paid as soon as the job is marked done, without chasing anyone for cash. For more ideas, see how to make money as a teenager in the UK.