Job Help for Teens
Job & Career Resources from the Boston Public Library
- Job Hunting Booklist, opens a new window - This list includes digital and print versions of job hunting guides and books about how to find the best career for you.
- College and Career Resources Booklist, opens a new window - This list includes digital and print versions of college and career guides, books with information about understanding the college search and admissions process, tips and strategies for getting in, and scholarships and financial aid information. It also includes online resources about choosing a career path that you can access for free with your library card.
- Career Resources at the Kirstein Business Library, opens a new window, Central Library at Copley Square
- Job Seekers' BPL Research Guide - In this guide you will find resources and suggestions to help you manage your job search including: researching careers, job hunting sources, resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and resources for skill building.
- Preparing for College Booklist - These books cover everything you could need to know before heading to college, from social situations to academics to finances.
- MassEdCO: Boston Area Educational Opportunity Center - MassEdCO helps students in Greater Boston plan for their higher education needs and provides one-on-one counseling about higher education planning and guidance.
Afterschool and Summer Employment in Boston
- ABCD SummerWorks, opens a new window – SummerWorks has provided over 5,000 Boston youth with a summer job at more than 500 partner worksites throughout the city. A CORI* is required to complete your application. Youth must be between the age of 14-21.
- Artists For Humanity, opens a new window – AFH hires teens to work across 5 different studios: Painting, 3D Design, Graphics, Photography and Video & Motion.
- Boch Center Wang Theater – Job opportunities for teens interested in using the performing arts (dance, music, or acting) for social change.
- BCYF Youth Engagement and Employment, opens a new window – Opportunities for summer and school-year jobs.
- Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), opens a new window – The Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) offers Boston Public School students a variety of ways to work and learn. The PIC organizes the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Campaign and a limited number of school-year internships.
- Jobs for Teens HQ, opens a new window – This website provides teens with jobs for teens by city/state, resume writing tips, job fair information, interviewing best practices, work permit info, volunteering opportunities, labor laws, and other information to help them succeed.
- Mayor’s Youth Line, opens a new window – A resource created by Boston teens for teens and their parents.
- Youth Conservation Corps – Apply to work outdoors as part of team with Boston Natural Areas Network to help parks in Boston.
- Teen Employment with YMCA , opens a new window– The Y has employment opportunity for teens.
- Seed Crew, The Food Project - Youth, ages 14-17, can spend their summer outside meeting new people and learning about the food system while earning a paycheck and community service hours in The Food Project's summer internship, Seed Crew. Apply by March 9.
- Sociedad Latina, opens a new window – Sociedad Latina offers different job opportunity for teens as well as job development programs.
- SuccessLink - SuccessLink employs Boston's youth at community-based organizations and increases youth and young adults’ professional development across the City.
- Teen Empowerment -Teen Empowerment's youth-led initiatives engage thousands of youth and adults in community improvement efforts each year and lend youth voices and lived experiences to shape policies that empower young people and achieve equity, opportunity and strong, healthy communities.
- More Than Words - More Than Words is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
- Youth Options Unlimited (YOU) - YOU Boston is a workforce development organization that works with young people, ages 16-24, who are court-involved or gang-affiliated, reentering the community from incarceration, or seeking a refuge from poverty or violence.
- ICA Teen Arts Council - Teen Arts Council (TAC) is a group of paid teens from the Boston area that serve other teens, focusing on addressing social issues and introducing teens to the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) and art in general.
- Planned Parenthood Get Real Teen Council (GTRC) - The GRTC empowers teenagers to educate their peers, families, and communities about human sexuality and healthy decision making and inspires teens to use their voices to advocate for just and positive sexual attitudes and policies. High school youth are trained by expert PPLM staff to facilitate workshops and trainings for their adolescent peers, health care professionals, and parents.
- Camp Zon
- Forsyth Student Scholars
- Greater Boston Research Opportunities for Young Women (GROW)
- Massachusetts General Hospital: Summer Jobs Program
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Teen Programs
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center: Teen Employment Program
Volunteer Opportunities to Gain Job Experience
- Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Youth Leadership Corps , opens a new window– BARCC’s Youth Leadership Corps, is a great way to learn job experience as well as helping to change your community.
- Teens in Print, opens a new window – TiP is looking for teens who want to express themselves through writing. Most of the jobs are volunteer opportunities, but some do lead to paid jobs.
- Teen Life, opens a new window – Volunteer work for high school students can be a life-changing experience and is a great way for students to build their resumes and skill sets Search for Volunteer Programs in Boston today.
- Volunteer Match, opens a new window – Want to make a difference in your community? Check out Volunteer Match and find a cause that means something to you!
- BPL Teen Volunteers - Teens (grades 9-12) participating in the Boston Public Library Teen Services Volunteer Program will learn valuable working skills that will transfer to paid jobs later on. Volunteer jobs help to prepare teens to become job ready while working in the library and learning customer service skills and how to interact with a variety of people.
- Urban Farming Institute - UFI’s mission is to develop and promote urban farming to engage individuals in growing food and building a healthy community.
Resume Writing & Interviewing
- Resume and Cover Letter Writing Booklist, opens a new window –This list includes digital and print versions of resume and cover letter writing guides, as well as the online resource 'Peterson's Career Prep' which can help you create a resume.
- Interviewing Skills Booklist , opens a new window– This list includes digital and print versions of books with tips and strategies for how to ace that interview.
- Resume guide, opens a new window – From the Boston Youth Zone
- Job Search Tips for High School Students, opens a new window – A short list of tips for teens about how to dress appropriately, where to search for jobs, how to prepare and act in an interview, & advice for volunteering and building your resume.
- Tips for Finding a Job for Teens, opens a new window – Are you a teen looking for a job? Here’s all the information you need to get started on a job search, including restrictions on where and when you can work, how to get working papers if you need them, the best sites for job listings, tips for getting hired for your first (or second) job, and how to get help finding a job.
Online Resources
- Are You A Teen Worker?, opens a new window – Created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the guide gives you the facts you need to stay safe and healthy at work. It also shows you what jobs you can (and can’t) do, and it teaches you about your rights and responsibilities as a young worker.
- Youth Engagement and Employment – Join this newsletter to have up-to-date information on job opportunities, internships and activities offered in Boston for teens.
- Massachusetts Guide for Working Teens, opens a new window – Created by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, this guide contains information on legal work hours, rights & responsibilities, work permits, and more!
- Safety at Work, opens a new window – Once you are hired, here are a few tips on how to be safe at your work.
- US Department of Labor, opens a new window – Know your rights as a youth worker.
*CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. Many jobs might require applicants to have a police background check done before they can be hired.
Working Papers
*In the state of Massachusetts, all teens under 18 years of age must complete a work permit application and obtain a work permit before starting a new job. You can obtain this application, opens a new window through the Superintendent of your school. For more information, check out the Mass.gov, opens a new window webpage on Youth Employment Permit Information.
