Earning Money: First Jobs and Side Hustles

The lessons at a glance

1. Ways young people earn money

Your first earnings can come from a job, a skill or something you make. Each route pays differently, carries different rules and takes a different bite out of your study time, so it pays to choose deliberately.

• Jobs, internships, tutoring, selling and creating all count as earning.
• Work out your real hourly pay after travel and costs.
• In the UAE, most under-18 work needs a permit and guardian consent.
• Protect study time: holiday work is the easiest fit.
• Grades first; a job can be replaced.

2. Working as a teenager in the UAE and abroad

Teen work is allowed in the UAE, but only within a clear framework: a minimum age, a permit, your guardian's written consent and limits on the kind of work you can do. Knowing the rules protects you and your employer.

• Minimum age for a UAE juvenile permit: 15.
• The employer applies; you need guardian consent and a medical certificate.
• No night work, industrial work or dangerous work under 18.
• Never start without a contract and permit.
• Abroad, check that country's own rules.

3. Contracts, payslips and your rights

The number you are offered is not always the number that reaches your account. Understanding your contract and your payslip means you can spot mistakes, ask the right questions and keep proof of what you earned.

• Budget with net pay, not gross pay.
• UAE: no income tax on individuals, but 5 per cent VAT on purchases.
• UK: GBP 12,570 Personal Allowance; NI from GBP 242 a week at 16 or over.
• Read every contract before signing and keep a copy.
• Log your hours and check every payslip.

4. Pricing your skills and getting paid

When you work for yourself, nobody hands you a pay rate. You set the price, send the invoice and chase the payment. A simple method makes your prices fair to you and clear to your clients.

• Price = (target hourly rate x total hours) + costs.
• Count prep, travel and admin time, not just the visible work.
• Quote in writing and limit the rounds of changes.
• Every invoice needs a number, details, description, dates and total.
• Never refund an 'overpayment' from a cheque.

5. Selling things and running a small online business

Selling cupcakes to classmates or prints online feels small, but it is still trade. Before you sell, check the rules, be honest about what you sell and look after your customers.

• Selling online on the UAE mainland needs a commercial licence with eCommerce activity.
• Licences come from each emirate's economic department.
• Customers have a right to correct information and safe products.
• Give receipts, handle complaints politely, protect data.
• UK: GBP 1,000 trading allowance.

6. Content creation, influencing and brand deals

Posting about products can earn money, free items and followers. It also brings legal duties: in the UAE, promoting products on social media generally needs a permit, and everywhere your audience deserves to know when something is an ad.

• UAE social media promotion generally needs a Media Council Advertiser Permit.
• Reported minimum age: 18, with limited exceptions.
• Disclose every ad clearly, including free products.
• Get brand deals in writing.
• Never reveal where you live or study.

7. Freelancing and the gig economy

Freelancing means selling your skills to many clients rather than working for one employer. It offers flexibility and real experience, but you carry the risks: finding work, getting paid and staying on the right side of the rules.

• Freelance platforms are mainly 18 plus; Fiverr allows 13 to 17 only via a guardian's account.
• Check UAE permit rules and involve a guardian.
• Keep payments on the platform or take a deposit.
• Never pay to get work.
• A small, honest portfolio beats a big, borrowed one.

8. What to do with your first income

Your first pay feels like freedom, and it is. A simple plan for each payment lets you enjoy some of it, save some of it and give some of it, without your spending quietly rising to swallow everything you earn.

• Budget with net pay and review monthly.
• Pay yourself first, automatically.
• 50/30/20 is a starting point; save more if you can.
• Give through trusted channels.
• Save at least half of every pay rise.

Talk about it, then try it

The real-life practice tasks from each lesson. Pick one or two a week and agree when you will check in.

1. Ways young people earn money
   • Write down three ways you could earn money in the next six months, and for each note the hours, likely pay, travel and any permit or consent needed.
   • Draft a one-page CV with at least three activities and one result for each.
   • Talk to a parent or guardian about which option fits your school timetable and what they would need to sign.
2. Working as a teenager in the UAE and abroad
   • Read MOHRE's Juvenile Work Permit page with a parent or guardian and list the documents you would need.
   • If you have a job offer, ask the employer to confirm in writing that they will apply for the permit before you start.
   • Write three questions to ask any employer about hours, breaks and the weekly day off.
3. Contracts, payslips and your rights
   • Calculate your gross and net pay for a typical week of a job you have or would like, using the hourly rate and your planned hours.
   • Create a shift log (a note or a spreadsheet with date, start, finish and break) and use it for the next month.
   • Read a real or sample employment contract and highlight pay, hours, breaks, holiday and notice period.
4. Pricing your skills and getting paid
   • Use the formula to set your price for one skill you could sell. Show the calculation.
   • Write a sample quote and a sample invoice for an imaginary client using the checklist.
   • Agree with a parent or guardian which payment methods you will accept.
5. Selling things and running a small online business
   • Choose one product you could sell and work out cost per item, price and profit per item.
   • Write an honest product description with real photos and, for food, a full ingredient and allergen list.
   • With a parent or guardian, look up the licence options on your emirate's economic department website and note what applies to you.
6. Content creation, influencing and brand deals
   • Look at five sponsored posts from creators you follow and note how clearly each one discloses the ad.
   • Write a short brand-deal checklist: deliverables, dates, payment, content ownership, disclosure.
   • With a parent or guardian, visit the UAE Media Council website and read the current Advertiser Permit conditions.
7. Freelancing and the gig economy
   • List three skills you could offer and find two pieces of your own work for each to start a portfolio.
   • Read the terms of one freelance platform with a parent or guardian, noting the age rules and how payments are protected.
   • Write a one-paragraph agreement template covering deliverables, deadline, price, deposit and changes.
8. What to do with your first income
   • Track every dirham you spend for the next two weeks and sort it into fixed and variable costs.
   • Choose your split (for example save, spend, give) and set up an automatic transfer to savings for your next payday, with a parent or guardian's help if needed.
   • Write one savings goal with a target amount and a date, and work out how much you need to save each week.

Quiz

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Circle one answer for each question.

Answer key

1. C: University of Birmingham: full-time undergraduates should not work more than 15 hours a week during term time.
2. D: u.ae (employment and training of minors): students aged 15 and above may be recruited during academic holidays for a maximum of three consecutive months each time.
3. D: MOHRE (Juvenile work permit): establishments may employ individuals who have reached 15 and are younger than 18.
4. B: MOHRE: the work permit application must be submitted by the authorised signatory of the establishment.
5. B: GOV.UK (payslips): a payslip shows your earnings before and after deductions; after deductions is your net or take-home pay.
6. D: u.ae (taxation): the UAE does not levy income tax on individuals; it levies 5 per cent VAT on goods and services.
7. B: Using price = (target rate x hours) + costs: (60 x 1.5) + 10 = 90 + 10 = AED 100.
8. B: US FTC: do not accept a cheque for more than the selling price; it can take weeks for a bank to discover the cheque is fake.
9. C: u.ae (eCommerce): to sell products or services online on the mainland, you need a commercial licence that includes eCommerce activity.
10. A: u.ae (eCommerce): licences come from emirate departments such as the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
11. D: The National and Al Tamimi: the UAE Media Council launched the Advertiser Permit in July 2025.
12. A: The National: the permit is needed whether the content is paid for or not; Al Tamimi says this includes gifted content.
13. B: Upwork Help Center: for most people, you need to be 18 or older to create an account.
14. D: Fiverr Help Center: teens aged 13 to 17 can join only through an account owned by a parent or guardian, with their consent.
15. D: CFPB: decide how much to put aside each pay period and move it to savings before paying other bills.
16. B: InCharge: the 50/30/20 plan is based on post-deductions income, or take-home pay.

General information only, written from the sources listed in each online lesson. Laws, numbers and services change, so check official sources. Life-Ready Society, https://lifereadysociety.com/earning/