Is it a good idea for your teenager to have a job? On one hand, part-time work can build character, teach responsibility, introduce teens to the real world and help them realize the true value of the designer clothes and cell phones they "absolutely have to have." Their earnings can defray the cost of running a car and even contribute toward the cost of college if that's where they're heading after high school. On the other hand, you might want your teens to devote themselves solely to their schoolwork, sports and other activities that will help them become better-educated and more well-rounded adults.

To work or not to work...that is the question Susan and Tom Price, authors of Is Your Teen Ready for a Job, a series of articles found at www.familyeducation.com, point out that working can give teens confidence, work skills, adult supervision after school and perhaps improve their grades. They cite studies that have found that students who work a moderate amount—no more than 10 to 15 hours a week during the school year—tend to earn higher grades than those who don't work at all. However, working longer hours can lead to problems. A report by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine shows that students who work more than 15 hours a week during the school year tend to have lower grades, higher dropout rates and are less likely to go to college. The Prices also note that when teens work 20 hours or more a week during the school year—which about half of U.S. high school seniors do—they sacrifice sleep and exercise, spend less time with their families, cut back on their homework and are more prone to alcohol and other drug use and abuse. Though summer jobs don't seem to raise the same concerns as school-year jobs, they do bring up other questions. Are some jobs better than others? Are there jobs for teens that might start them down a career path? Are internships worthwhile?

Helping your teen find the ideal job. Some jobs should simply be avoided because they pose a danger to teens. See http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/teenworkers.html for more details. It's always good if teens can match a summer job with potential career interests. And if money isn't the primary reason teens want to work, an unpaid internship, say at a hospital, could give them experience that might lead them into a good job in the future. If your teen is interested in finding part-time work, there are many resources to tap for ideas. These include school guidance and placement counselors, newspaper want-ads and word of mouth - sometimes simply letting family friends and local business people know teens are interested in working is all it takes for them to find tailor-made work.

Enterprising teens might also consider advertising their special skills, such as word processing, gardening or baby-sitting. If they go this route and decide to try advertising their services in local venues like convenience stores and public libraries, make sure they're not revealing personal information that might put them at risk. For example, it's best to use generic wording like "Local teen provides yard work" rather that "Call Jane Smith for help with yard work."

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