Gertrude Said:

Can someone help me find a job for a 14 year old in NYC?

We Answered:

Here's a short list of part time jobs which you can create to generate income:

1. Learn calligraphy so that you can provide handwritten invitations and thank you notes to prospective wedding parties, birthday celebrations, etc. Seek out clients through wedding planners at nearby churches and temples. A starter calligraphy kit usually runs around $20 and anyone can easily pick up this skill. The going rate is usually $1 per hand addressed item.

2. Become a "poser" who assists wedding photographers in setting and arranging various individuals in group and single photographic positions. "Posers" carry around a sketch book of various sitting and standing poses which consists of onion skin overlays of various wedding pictures bound in albums. Again, contact local wedding photographers and wedding planners, accordingly. The hourly pay is around $10-$12 per hour and you are often invited to attend all dining activities.

3. Seek from your neighbors a gardner position which involves planting, weed removal, plant/tree trimming, light brush clearance. You will be using the neighbor's equipment and tools. Again, do not represent yourself as a lawn mower since there are any number of safety issues involved. A door-to-door solicitation of surrounding neighbors is required and you can charge between $6 to $9 per hour.

4. Offer policing/removal or clearance of trash services to surrounding neighbors which involve trash pickup within nearby residential area. Limit the extent of pickup to small areas and be aware that there are no hazardous terrain or elements involved in this process. Again, a door-to-door solicitation of neighbors is in order. You can charge between $6.75 to $7.50 per hour.

5. Acquire a set of window cleaning tools [a bucket, liquid window cleaner, sponge, squeegee, handle with an extension and a small step ladder] and solicit local businesses for your window cleaning services. However, be careful to limit the height of the window cleaning to no higher than one story. Charge $1 per window panel.

6. Become a proxy/stand-in for neighbors to allow delivery of goods and packages to your home/apartment. Acquire the authority to sign any receipt of incoming packages as an accepting neighbor. Charge $1 per each package handled by you.

7. Consider becoming a restaurant-cafe customer liaison by using your cell phone at restaurants-cafes to coordinate with the hostess to keep track of waiting customers. Whenever there's a very long period of time to activate a waiting list, you want to offer the restaurant your services so that customers do not have to stand around for any lengthy period of time. And when their name/assigned number comes up; you can call the upcoming customer's cell phone to tell them that they can return to the restaurant and be served. The call back fee is usually around $0.50 cents on a per head basis. For example, a couple would be charged $1.00 while children under 6 would not be charged. Placement of a plaque which outlines your fee schedule near the hostess station is sufficient to garner attention of prospective customers who will value your services since they can do other activities outside of the restaurant -- often beyond the range of any inhouse paging system. You realize that everyone has a cellphone and why not take advantage of the connectivity to make the diner's experience worthwhile. The restaurant will also appreciate the added service you are providing as a customer liaison.

8. Why not become a paid feeder servicing the disabled at nearby nursing, convalescent, assisted living/care centers and hospitals. It involves feeding food to patients who are unable to feed themselves. The starting rate is $8.00 per hour. The only downside is that one has to take precautions to wash one's hands after each feeding. A posting of your services [by a business card or flyer] on a reviewable bulletin board would be enough to generate customers. The paid feeder position is one of the fastest growing occupation at this time.

Good luck!

Amy Said:

Need help with jobs, thanks.?

We Answered:

http://www.craigslist.org

Pick out the closest city to where you live and browse the jobs. Awesome website. Found my job on it.

Maureen Said:

Opinions on opening up my own music school , please advise?

We Answered:

1. Absolutely, chances are you can make double or even triple what you would as a public school teacher. It will take time and skill to get to that point.

2. Music and art always survive despite the economy, the great depression bore that out quite well... If you are a good teacher, people will pay. If you are a good businessman, ie finance and marketing, you will make very good money. A shingle on the lawn will not do... its going to take a ton more work on the marketing side than that. Special needs students would be a rare specialty. Do you have any background in teaching special needs kids beyond the minimum required for your teaching license? Its not a calkwalk by any means.

3. You should have a business plan, and a knowledge of your competition and what sets you apart. From there, you will know your value, and can set your prices appropriately. Time wise it will depend on the students age/experience/ability to learn. Fixed time frames for individualized instruction are a holdover from public ed... students do not learn as well in that situation... and as a result, you dont make as much money either.

4. Some dreamers do big things, others only succeed after a ton of failures, others are best being content working for someone else. This will be a huge undertaking if its your solve source of income... are you committed and determined enough to make it go.. 100 hour work weeks are not unrealistic at the start, and you wont be paid for most of it. A driven dreamer can make this work, a passive dreamer likely wont. The question is which are you? Question 3, 4, and 5 suggest you are not driven...otoh, your success in music suggests otherwise. It could be you just lack focus, and once turned on will go full bore.

5. A Masters likely wont help much as far as private instruction goes, unless you want to get into the special needs area or music therapy. You need to look at the costs of 2 more yrs of school, and whether your proposed business can justify the cost.

I'd recommend you go to work for a music store for a year or two giving lessons as an employee. See how you like teaching, see how the business side operates, and from there make the call. To just jump in, without someone else paying for you to get experience often times doesnt work too well.

Don Said:

where can i find a weekend job in nyc ?

We Answered:

Everywhere! Just remember this never, ever work at a store you love because then if you quit or heaven forbid get fired you may not want to go into that store again.

Stores are now getting ready for the holiday season so pick where you want to work? 34th street? 149th street? 125th street?

What about at the school? What about tutoring? What about any McDonalds? The point is not where you work because no matter what you are doing as long as it is legal go for it and get the money you need, okay?

Also apply at the hospitals they often times have part times and flex time doing all sorts of things. Apply at the hotels, apply at the Vanderbilt Y they are open 24 hours and I remember working there a long, long time ago. It was fun and I got to use the gym for free.

Look at any business that is open weekends, good luck!