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pay a ton of money. But it is a fantastic opportunity to prove how responsible you are—and DO NOT take a pet-sitting job if you are not responsible because there are lives at stake, LITERALLY. If you do show that you are capable and can become friends with the animals in question, then you can quickly become priceless to the pet owners. Knowing that there is someone trustworthy and available makes going away that much easier for pet owners.
      
       Tip: See if there’s anything else the clients might want you to do while they’re gone—does the mail need to be collected, trash taken out, garden watered? All of these extras will make you the model sitter and the first person they’ll call whenever they might need help.
    People are very specific about their pets, so if some sort of instruction sheet is left, adhere to it. If the pet owners do not provide written instructions, it’s probably a good idea to bring a pen and notebook along the first time you meet with them to make sure you retain all the relevant information (and also to demonstrate that you’re taking the job seriously). Before your first official day on the job, see if you can set up a brief meeting time at their house, so that your clients can walk you through where everything is and show you what they need you to do for their pet(s). This is also a good opportunity to talk about payment. You will want to consider how much time and work is involved when considering a rate. Dogs need to be walked several times a day, which can take time and energy. So you may want to charge by the day or based on how many times you need to walk the dog. Fish are easy and don’t take too much time, so maybe a lump sum for the entire length of time the owner is gone is a better way to handle a job like that.

    Restaurant Jobs: The Best Kind of Tips
    Restaurants can offer a variety of jobs that can often be good choices for teens. Restaurants love a worker with experience, but also someone who is ready and willing to learn new things.
    Being a server will—more often than not—generate the most amount of income because you have a set hourly rate plus whatever tips are earned. Different restaurants handle tips differently, so it’s good to know the possible scenarios beforehand. Some allow servers to keep everything they earn and take it home at the end of the night, but in this situation the server often earns a lower wage rate because it’s expected that he or she will supplement the missing wages with tips. Other restaurants “pool tips,” which means that all of the tips that everyone earns get combined into a lump amount that then gets disbursed evenly among everyone in the restaurant. (In other words, all tips combine to make one big pizza and everyone gets a slice.) This situation is better for people who are not servers, and it often creates a sense of camaraderie among the staff because there is a level playing field. But it can also cause resentment among servers who may not be eager to share their tips.
    Dishwashing is a job that is necessary at every restaurant and a great way to show that you aren’t lazy. Though it’s not the most glamorous of jobs, it’s probably the least demanding in terms of time commitment and therefore ideal for someone trying to earn money while in school or working another job. However, it can be physically demanding, and you may need to work at a very fast pace.
    Hosting (being the front-of-house person who shows customers to their seats, makes a waiting list, etc.) is another good way to be earning extra money without the time and effort that being a server often requires. A friendly attitude, organization skills, and time management are all necessary components of being an effective host.
    Unless you are a server or a bartender, restaurant jobs can be a great way to supplement other jobs or school-life because the time commitment is generally not too demanding and it is a great way to get some experience and extra