I just sent a job ad to my son. A chain restaurant was hiring a silverware roller. Sounds like my dream job after teaching little kids all day. Just sit there and perform a monotonous task where nobody is saying your name and pulling on your clothes.

At the local farmers' market, I went with my oldest who has ADHD/anxiety to see if any of the vendors were hiring. I let the him chose which ones we asked. He got hired by a guy who made ready to eat ethnic food!

The first time, the guy met us at a different market, showed DS how to set up, how to account for sales, etc. and then he left us to work on our own (to be clear, I was 'volunteering'). It was lower risk for the vendor because he has to pay for the space whether he shows up or not, he has regulars who know what they want and expect to see him every week and I was there.

I had to go with DS because he was 15 and didn't have a driver's license. I would have gone with him at least the first few times until he was comfortable and confident.

The experience exceeded my wildest expectations!

It took DS a little while to overcome his anxiety and be comfortable - not just with customers but totalling purchases, taking money, making change and 'tracking inventory'. But, that why I was there - to model and support until he was proficient and comfortable. I cannot overstate how beneficial this experience was - and that was in addition to the money he earned.

A few weeks into it, DD (14 yo) asked if she could get a job doing the same thing. The vendor hired her, too. We'd go the vendor's home and pick up the stuff. I'd then drop off DS at one market and DD the other. DD is NT but an introvert but it wasn't long before I just dropped them both off and picked them up.

Yes, it wasn't how I wanted to spend my free time but some kids need more initial support, explicit instruction and modeling than others. This was an investment that was life changing for them and continues to reap benefits years later.

Anonymous wrote: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.

I came in to say this. Our DC has worked (front of the house) for them for almost 2 years and likes it enough to try to maintain employment standing even when off at college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If in DC, the Summer Youth Employment Program.

Lifeguard. Places are desperate for lifeguards.

OP said looking for suggestions other than standard teen lifeguard/summer camp.

Plus, the course isn’t inexpensive. OP would likely spend almost as much getting the kids certified as they’d make in the summer.

The Ref Cross lifeguard certification course, that is. And some camps want first aid certification which the kids may or may not have from school (they get it in HPE9 in FCPS but I don’t know how long it’s good for).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If in DC, the Summer Youth Employment Program.

Lifeguard. Places are desperate for lifeguards.

OP said looking for suggestions other than standard teen lifeguard/summer camp.

Plus, the course isn’t inexpensive. OP would likely spend almost as much getting the kids certified as they’d make in the summer.

Anonymous wrote:If in DC, the Summer Youth Employment Program.

Lifeguard. Places are desperate for lifeguards.

OP said looking for suggestions other than standard teen lifeguard/summer camp.

If they can swim decently I vote lifeguard. I was/still am pretty introverted and being a lifeguard was actually a great fit. Lots of time sitting alone not having to talk. You just need to pick your pools strategically- the country club I mainly worked at had very few issues so once in a while I had to tell a kid to get off the lane line or stop running but that was it.