---
title: 'Working and volunteering: Pros and cons for teens'
description: 'Your teen is ready to take on new responsibilities outside of school. Two options? Volunteer or look for a paying job. Compare these two paths. '
slug: working-and-volunteering-pros-and-cons
author: The Understood Team
reviewer: Jim Rein, MA
published: '2019-10-16T12:17:54.960Z'
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/working-and-volunteering-pros-and-cons
lang: en
---

# Working and volunteering: Pros and cons for teens

This chart, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of volunteer work and paid jobs, may help you and your teen decide which to try first. 

| **Impact** | **Volunteer** | **Paid Job** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Emotional** | **Pros:** Donating time and helping others can take the focus away from a teen’s own challenges. It builds empathy and compassion.  **Cons:** For teens with significant social challenges, the idea of volunteering may not be appealing. | **Pros:** Earning and spending one’s own money or contributing to the family can cultivate pride and self-worth.  **Cons:** A teen may not be ready to handle the stress and expectations of a paying job. |
| **Social** | **Pros:** Volunteer groups are generally welcoming and eager to accept those who want to help.  **Cons:** Teens who need clear instruction and specific jobs in order to stay focused may not find enough structure in some volunteer environments. | **Pros:** Reporting to a job regularly and being part of a staff can provide a sense of belonging that a teen may not find at school.  **Cons:** Teens who have trouble with social cues may find it difficult to navigate the politics of a workplace. Employees may have little interest in being compassionate or inclusive. |
| **Skill Building and Credentials** | **Pros:** Volunteer supervisors may be more patient and supportive when teaching tasks and overseeing a teen’s work. Volunteering shows a teen is civic-minded. It’s an excellent activity to include on a resume or college application.  **Cons:** Skills gained may not be as practical as those from paying work. | **Pros:** Meeting demands of regular work teaches responsibility and professionalism. Having a paid job shows enterprise and commitment, which can open doors to future jobs.  **Cons:** The employer or supervisor may not be as patient or accommodating if a teen needs extra guidance or support. |
| **Motivation** | **Pros:** Opportunities may be more interesting, fulfilling, and inspiring than paid work. This is an important benefit for teens with [attention challenges](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-adhd).  **Cons:** The emotional payoff of volunteering may be too abstract for some teens to appreciate. | **Pros:** A paycheck is a concrete incentive. It can keep a teen focused and on task.  **Cons:** Entry-level work can be mundane and repetitive. If teens have difficulty staying engaged, they may lose interest in the job after a short time. |
| **Level of Commitment** | **Pros:** Volunteering can be done in smaller doses and with less of a time commitment. Volunteer work may be easier to find than a paying job. Some opportunities may only be occasional, such as pet adoption events.  **Cons:** If a teen needs a regular and predictable schedule, the sporadic nature of some volunteer work might be difficult to adjust to. | **Pros:** Regular work with regular hours provides structure and activity. This is a bonus for teens who aren’t busy socially or who have difficulty handling free time.  **Cons:** It may demand more hours per week than some teens can handle. And it could be difficult to change or reduce hours if a teen needs more time for schoolwork. |

For any teen, working more than 15 hours a week could have a negative impact on grades. It’s a good idea for teens with learning and thinking differences to be even more conservative when scheduling hours. [A good first job experience](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/making-that-first-job-a-good-experience-for-your-teen) can boost your teen’s confidence—and you can help [make sure the job is the right fit](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/checklist-finding-a-first-job-that-fits-your-teen).

---

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