Summer jobs for introverted teens

[Anonymous]

17 year old twins need to get jobs this summer, but they both are painfully introverted and have quite a bit of social anxiety so looking for alternate ideas than the teen standards of camp counselor or lifeguard or ice cream scooper. In addition to needing to make some money for college, I also know that working will help them gain some confidence and social skills. Please be kind. These are good kids who have been through a lot.

[Anonymous]

Walking dogs, lawn care, busboy at a restaurant.

Do they prefer being inside or outside? Active or sitting?

[Anonymous]

What about shelving books at the public library? I know our MoCo library hires teens.

[Anonymous]

Do they have any particular skill (music, dance, art, sports, math, writing) that can be turned into one on one teaching/tutoring sessions?

[Anonymous]

Op here—inquired about a library job but was told they no longer hire teens to do that.

[Anonymous]

Being camp counselors might help them overcome some social anxiety, as it is very different interacting with young kids vs peers and adults.

I'd say the same about being a Host at a restaurant - it will force them to get comfortable greeting people, dealing with personalities, etc but it is just a small low key interaction, not requiring big conversational skills.

Cashier at a movie theater? Neighborhood dog walker?

[Anonymous]

Kitchen help in restaurants? Not having to deal with customers, maybe washing dishes, runner, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being camp counselors might help them overcome some social anxiety, as it is very different interacting with young kids vs peers and adults.

I'd say the same about being a Host at a restaurant - it will force them to get comfortable greeting people, dealing with personalities, etc but it is just a small low key interaction, not requiring big conversational skills.

Cashier at a movie theater? Neighborhood dog walker?

My anxious, introverted kid sister did this for a couple summers in high school and it was GREAT for her. She's still friends with a lot of her old coworkers 5+ years later. Don't get me wrong, a service job is a service job and parts of it will suck, but overall it was a really good balance of having to deal with customers, but also plenty of time doing back-of-house tasks so she could get a break from being socially "on."

[Anonymous]

That’s a great point about the movie theater job and doing multiple tasks so you aren’t necessarily socially on all the time. The camp counselor job is not appealing to them because it requires being “on” all day vs not being able to interact with kids (they are actually great with their younger sibling).

The tutoring suggestion is interesting—I think they would do well working with a kid or two at a time. Both are very strong math students.

[Anonymous]

My introverted daughter is a restaurant hostess and surprisingly loves it.

[Anonymous]

-Are they okay with the elderly? Working at a nursing home serving meals is a job

-Are they into animals? maybe there is a summer job at a vet clinic or animal boarding facility

-Are they into computers? IT help desk could lead to further employment, and there's usually a script to follow.

-Are they into baking and don't mind getting up (super) early? They could work as bakery prep assistants.

[Anonymous]

My DS who was somewhat shy worked as a golf cart attendant at a local golf club. He loved being outdoors and had just the right amount of social interaction. It did help him grow and come out of his shell a little.

[Anonymous]

Factory work

[Anonymous]

Target has a position where you pull the items for pick up orders and putting items back on the shelves. They would get some exposure to working with the public without having a full customer service position.

[Anonymous]

If in DC, the Summer Youth Employment Program.

Lifeguard. Places are desperate for lifeguards.