You’ve been begging your parents for a Nintendo Switch for six months already, but given your less-than-stellar grades this year, it’s unlikely you’re going to receive one for Christmas.
But nothing’s stopping you from buying one yourself—if you manage to make enough money, that is. As a teenager who’s under eighteen, the world is your oyster, so make full use of your December holidays to earn a bit of spare cash.
Here are four ways to raise a bit of money before the new school year starts.
Sell your belongings on Carousell
As a teenager, you’re in a period of intense transition. That’s a nice way to say that you probably still own a ton of stuff that you’ve outgrown.
You might still have the first clothes you bought without the assistance of your parents but are now embarrassed that you own, old games you played in primary school, those Precious Moments figurines your ex-best friend gave you or the manga series you’ve long since finished reading.
You can raise a bit of money by listing those items that are still in good condition on Carousell. As it’s the school holidays, you should have more than enough free time to meet your buyers to pass them the items and collect payment.
Start an Etsy shop
Do you have a creative hobby? Perhaps you’re into photography and have taken dreamy pictures with your parents’ camera. Or maybe you’re a cartoonist or calligrapher. Or maybe you have a crafty hobby like crochet, woodworking or soapmaking.
Start a shop on Etsy during the holidays to sell your work and you might be able to raise a bit of cash. Check out what other people are selling and learn how to optimise your page to attract as many views and potential customers as possible.
Get a part-time job
“But I’m too young to work,” you say?
Well, if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t. The minimum working age in Singapore is a tender thirteen. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can work in any job your older siblings are doing.
The range of jobs open to those who are 15 and under is restricted to non-industrial jobs and light work. That means you can’t do heavy work like construction or work in industrial settings like factories. In addition, if you’re under 15 and are still attending school, you cannot work more than 6 hours a day.
But you most certainly can work as a waiter at a restaurant, as an ice cream scooper or a retail assistant at a shop. You can also promote products at roadshows or expos. Some employers will prefer to hire students who at least have an N/O level cert or who are aged 16 or 18 and above. But many won’t care, especially thanks to the labour shortage.
Don’t know where to look? JobsCentral’s youth portal contains listings of part-time jobs open to students.
Give tuition
You might yourself be taking lessons from a private tutor, but if you’ve already sat your O levels, you can be a tuition teacher, too.
Some parents are willing to hire tutors who have just an O level certificate to tutor primary school kids. Of course, you cannot expect to charge as much as A level cert holders or degree holders. But you should still be able to make at least $10 to $15 an hour.
The easiest way to find students is to call up a bunch of tuition agencies (look for them in the newspaper’s classifieds section) and register yourself as a tutor with them. They will then notify you if they find any students who match your profile.
Parents who hire you during the school holidays will expect you to continue teaching their kids into the school year, so don’t bite off more than you can chew. On the bright side, as each student typically requires only 2-3 hours a week of your time, this might be a good part-time option for JC or poly students.
Are you planning to earn any money over the December holidays? Share your plans in the comments!