Can you give us more information about using teenagers to run errands for you? For example, how much do you pay them? Do they sign a contractor agreement? What type of tasks do you have them do? If you don’t know them well, do you visit with their parents first? Any information about this topic would be appreciated.

Here are some of my responses to these questions:

I pay young people anywhere from $3/hour – $11/hour–depending on a few factors.

• Age
• Type of work they are doing for me (how much skill is involved)
• Whether they are just starting to work for me (and are unproven at this point) or whether they have already shown themselves to be excellent workers.
• Whether they have a driver’s license (which also indicates that they would be older) but this changes some of what I can have them do and also the expectation I have of their responsibility level. Generally, if the teen is doing errands that involve driving, I also pay mileage (50 cents/mile).

Here are the kinds of tasks I’ve had teenagers do:

• Stamp, label, and stuff envelopes.
• Stamp & label postcards.
• Input addresses, etc. on the computer (update mailing lists and the like).
• Internet research (finding names & addresses, etc.)
• Delivering products (Paper Tiger software, for example).
• Put together packets of handouts for workshops.
• Collate notebooks of materials for workshop participants.
• Insert my business cards into letter openers.
• Make games that I was going to be using at workshops.
• Pick up cleaning, mail, books, etc.
• Assist me in my off-site storage unit where I keep workshop materials, books, and other items that I use in my business (so helping clean things, move things, get items in order, etc.)
• Stand at my Pitney Bowes machine and run lots of envelopes through there.
• Burning CDs
• Basic website maintenance

So you can see, it’s quite a range–some is fairly low level and some is higher level.

At this point, I have not had them sign an independent contractor agreement if they are under 18, but I do have them sign their “hours” every week when they turn them in. I pay the teen weekly either in cash from my company’s petty cash account or I write a check from the company. Either way I can track it for expenses.

In every case of a young person I’ve hired, I know their parents (or one of their parents actually works for me and is “subcontracting” the work out to their own or neighborhood kids). I think knowing the parents is smart for a number of reasons; I also believe that parents would want to know YOU because their child will be working with you.

Hiring young people benefits you, your organization, and the teenagers. They learn responsibility and what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. Plus, they are earning money, which also helps them out!! As the teens you’re hiring prove themselves to you–then give them more responsibility and more money. Make them ask for a raise. That, all by itself is an important lesson, especially for young women.

Be sure to check with your own legal advisors as to what you should do in your situation and in your state. You want to be spending your time focusing on important tasks, not dealing with the IRS because you didn’t follow the correct procedures.