Summer Online Jobs for Students
Now that school is almost over it is definitely time to get the kids involved in a home based business that can be done primarily on the Internet. Remember that you, as the parent or legal guardian, are responsible for overseeing the children in your life and for setting up any financial or legal entities that may be needed. My grandkids have been working online for four years now and have learned a tremendous amount about business, finance, and dealing with people from all over the world.
There are currently three models I am recommending for summer online jobs for students, and these include affiliate marketing, retail arbitrage on Amazon, and blogging on a specific niche topic. All of these models will also encourage reading, writing, and math practice for your child that will aid them in their academic studies once school starts again.
The first model is one that I use to this day in my own online business. Affiliate marketing is the process of ‘recommending what you love’ to others who might be interested. This can be done with both physical and digital products, as more and more companies understand the importance of paying a commission in return for a good recommendation that results in a sale.
Finding the right products to promote begins with looking around the house and on your computer for things you have purchased that made a difference in your life. For my eldest grandson this included his skateboard, skating accessories, and books he owned in this niche back when he was only thirteen. It just made sense for him to tell others about these items, using his affiliate link. Once he made some money he was then hooked on being an online entrepreneur. He recently turned eighteen and now earns all of his own spending money with his multiple Internet businesses.
The second model I recommend for young people is Amazon’s retail arbitrage. This is the process of shopping locally for great deals on books, toys, food, and a variety of other products and then reselling them in the Amazon marketplace. I have done this myself and have fun shopping for bargains. The best stores in Santa Clarita to find deals are Target, Big Lots, and Rite Aid. Set a limit for how much you will spend on the items you want to resell, and then pack them up and drop them off at one of our local UPS stores. They know exactly what you need to do to get them safely to one of Amazon’s national distribution centers.
The third model involves blogging on a niche topic. My granddaughter absolutely loves soccer and has blogged about her experiences since she was twelve years old. She is able to recommend all kinds of physical and digital products related to the sport, and her writing skills have improved tremendously over the last two years. She loves being a journalist in this way and sharing what’s new in soccer around the world.
If you are familiar with blogs you know they have space around the posts (we refer to this as ‘virtual real estate and advertising space’) where you can display small ads and information about products and services you recommend. It doesn’t take long for you to become a trusted advisor to those seeking this type of information online. That’s when your sales will really pick up.
As you can see, there are multiple opportunities for your children to earn money with an online business. I encourage you to sit down with your children right away and discuss the three models I have described here. Once you know what their goals and interests are you can custom tailor a home based Internet business for them to get started this summer as online entrepreneurs.
If your kids are artsy, they can also sell stuff on etsy. An adult has to manage the store, but they can make the stuff and sell it.
I love this idea, DeAnna! I never would have thought of it, so thanks so much for your comment.
Connie Ragen Green