Tips to Staying Safe When You're 13 and Trying to Find a Job

Are You Prepared for a Bad Situation?

Sometimes, things can go wrong when you are trying to earn money. You might find yourself trapped with a bad customer, or you might suffer from an injury. If you are not careful you may even wind up dealing with the police or staying in the hospital for the night. Use these tips to make sure you don't end up in a bad situation!

Show Me the Money!

When you begin doing a job for someone, always make sure that they have the money on hand. You never know when someone might try to dupe you out of money. As a teen, you are very easy to take advantage of. Do not let this happen to you! All you have to do is ask for the money up front before you being the job. Problem solved!

What Should a Thirteen Year Old Avoid?

Never purposely put yourself in a bad position. Avoid working during nighttime hours, so that you are easily seen and can easily see those around you. Try to avoid any sort of job in bad neighborhoods, or areas that are known for excessive amounts of crime. Most importantly, you should be completely wary of strangers. Never trust someone you don't know and always question anything they do or say. If a job, place, or customer seems sketchy or worrisome, run for it!

Are You Being Safe?

Always make sure that you protect yourself during your jobs. If you are dealing with dog waste or garbage, make sure that you wear gloves and wash your hands. When weed eating or sanding you need to wear a pair of goggles. You can also become seriously injured during other tasks such as mopping or climbing; so you need to make sure that ladders are secure and that you have non-slip shoes! So many different scenarios can go horribly wrong. Do you really want to risk a broken bone or life threatening parasite? Probably not.

Avoid Risky Tasks!

If there is a big risk involved, just skip out on that particular job. A good rule of thumb is that if you ARE worried about being hurt, then it's probably best that you keep your distance. Here are some risky scenarios to avoid:

• Cutting the grass as a storm rolls in.
• Walking an aggressive dog.
• Running errands on your bike after dark.
• Climbing a rickety, rusty ladder.