There are many jobs that can be done by teenagers, aged 16, or sometimes even younger. But can a 16-year-old be a DoorDash driver?
This article will examine the answer to this question.
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Can You Be a DoorDash Driver at 16?
In short, no, a 16-year-old is not allowed to be a DoorDash driver. DoorDash’s website explicitly states that the minimum age requirement to be a DoorDash driver is actually 18. There are, however, many other jobs that a 16-year-old may do.
How Old Do You Need to Be to Be a DoorDash Driver?
As stated on the DoorDash website, one of the minimum requirements to be a DoorDash driver is to be at least 18 years of age, in addition to having a smartphone.
Although many 16-year-olds are able to drive and fulfill the other requirements to be a DoorDash driver, the requirement to be at least 18 years old may be because DoorDash drivers are independent contractors. Eighteen is usually the minimum age required to be able to legally agree to any contracts.
As long as you are able to pass all of the other requirements to be a DoorDash driver, there is no upper age limit for this independent contractor job.
What Jobs Can a 16-Year-Old Do?
While a 16-year-old can’t be a driver for DoorDash, there are a lot of other fun and productive jobs that a 16-year-old can do. In most areas, people under 18 who want to work just need to have a valid work permit.
These jobs include working at many fast food restaurants, stores, and even some offices. Many teenagers under the age of 18, throughout the decades, have successfully gained work experience and saved money toward a car, college, and many other goals.
Some other fun jobs that 16-year-olds can do can include working at an amusement park, water park, or game center such as an arcade or miniature golf center. There are usually jobs at movie theaters or malls that 16-year-olds can do, as well.
Those are all fun options where you are likely to see people you know from school or from your community, while making new friends, as well.
Self-Employment Options for 16-Year-Olds
Sixteen-year-olds even have options for self-employment. There are always the classic teenager jobs that can be done for friends and family members in the neighborhood, such as offering to babysit, or do yard work, chores, or errands for people nearby.
With the proliferation of the internet, there are many new options, as well, for teens to earn money that previous generations did not have access to.
Today, teenagers can create their own YouTube or other online channel to create content. If they are successful, they can earn money from advertising or sponsors. For people under 18, they just need their parent’s or guardian’s permission to run the account.
Young people with a talent for design can also make designs on websites like Zazzle and sell them online, again, with the permission of their parent or guardian.
Additionally, some young people have even created their own stores on Ebay or Amazon and profited by selling or reselling items, using their parent’s or guardian’s account with permission.
Delivery Jobs for 16-Year-Olds
There are also many delivery jobs available for people as young as 16. If you are an employee of a company directly, they may be willing to hire you, as long as you have a valid driver’s license, a work permit, and meet the rest of their employment requirements.
For example, Pizza Hut and other pizza delivery places still need delivery drivers and are willing to hire workers as young as 16 in most locations.
Other restaurants with their own delivery options may also be willing to hire drivers as young as 16, again, as long as they have a valid driver’s license, work permit, and meet all other requirements.
Additional options may be any retail or even wholesale business that may need small deliveries either directly to customers, or from one location to another.
The main difference between these delivery jobs and a delivery job with a company such as DoorDash is that with DoorDash, drivers are independent contractors and so must be old enough to legally enter into a contract. If you are working for a company directly as an employee, however, the work permit shows that the adults in your life have authorized you to work, and so you would not personally be entering into a contract solely on your own behalf.
Can a 16-Year-Old Be a DoorDash Driver?
No, a 16-year-old, unfortunately, is not allowed to be a DoorDash driver. On DoorDash’s website, it states that one of the minimum requirements of being a DoorDash driver is being at least 18 years of age. There are many other jobs that a 16-year-old may do, however.