Getting a Job 

Did you know that in the state of New Jersey, you’re allowed to get a job when you’re fourteen? I’ve always wanted to work at petco, and when looking at the application process I found out that petco mainly hires people above the age of eighteen. That being said, when trying to find a job, make sure to look up the minimum age requirement for the company you want to work for. However, certain jobs in the entertainment industry such as acting allow people of all ages to go to work, including newspaper distributors and certain jobs in the field of agriculture. 

In this article, I am going to be talking about getting a job at the age of fourteen in New Jersey, the salary it provides and the skills that you grow once you get a job. 

Requirements and Tips

Teenagers under the age of eighteen have to have filled out a set of ‘working papers’ along with their resume. These working papers are part of a certificate called the A300 Combined Certification Form. It has recently been updated by the New Jersey government.

By the way, when you fill out your resume/application don’t state your age unless it is mandatory to do that, because it can ruin your chances of getting hired to work at the job you are applying for. 

Child Labor Laws

Nobody under the age of eighteen in the state of New Jersey can work more than eight hours a day, or forty hours a week according to Marzanohrconsulting.com. Most of the people at Infinity Institute can work until about nine o’ clock. 

Bigger companies such as fast food chains and Walmart have to pay their workers a set minimum wage. The minimum wage in New Jersey is $14.13. The governor plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by sometime in the year 2024. However jobs that aren’t constant, such as working as a seasonal camp counselor do not have a set wage. 

You’re also only allowed to work as a ‘minor’ if a school official and you decide that the job you’ll work at won’t disturb/distract you from your academics. 

Jobs that do Hire Teenagers Ages Fourteen and Up

As a teenager and student, when you apply for jobs you’ll realize that it’s hard to get one when you are being compared with other people that have more experience than you. Especially when those people are significantly older than you, like when they’re in their late teens or early twenties. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t get a job. 

Here are a few companies that usually hire young teenagers to work for them. 

Fast Food chains: Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Dairy Queen and McDonald’s. 

Entertainment Companies: AMC Theaters, Palace Entertainment

Job ideas: Golf Caddy, Lifeguard, Photographer, Tutor (either self-employed or employed by a tutoring company), Mover, Library Clerk, Bookstore Associate. 

Works Cited

Marzano, Gordon. “Employing Minors in New Jersey.” Marzano Human Resource Consulting, 15 June 2021, https://www.marzanohrconsulting.com/employing-minors-in-new-jersey-during-the-summer/. Accessed 23 August 2023.

“21 Companies and Jobs that Hire at 14.” The Krazy Coupon Lady, 5 May 2023, https://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/family/jobs-that-hire-at-14. Accessed 23 August 2023.