Teen Jobs and Scholarships

Many scholarships value teens who have jobs. Additionally, some employers offer scholarship opportunities to their employees. Here is a list of scholarships offered by companies that often employ teens:

• Burger King Foundation (Note: Burger King offers scholarships for both employees and non-employees. Multiple Scholarship GPS students have earned scholarships from Burger King!)

• Chick-fil-A Remarkable Futures Scholarship (Note: non-employees are eligible for the Chick-fil-A Community Scholars Program)

• Chipotle

• Culver's Foundation Scholarship (Note: A Scholarship GPS alumnus won this scholarship!)

• Darden Restaurants

• Denny's Hungry for Education Scholarships

• KFC Foundation Scholarship

• McDonald's Achways to Opportunity (Note: non-employees are eligible for the McDonald's HACER National Scholarship)

• Papa John's Dough and Degrees Program

• PetSmart Tuition Reimbursement Program

• Pizza Hut Foundation Scholarship (Note: Pizza Hut offers scholarships for both employees and non-employees.)

• Subway Cares Foundation

• Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship (Note: This scholarship is open to both employees and non-employees)

New scholarships, including those for teens who work, are being established all the time. To find even more scholarships, set up profiles on our recommended scholarship sites. These sites will match students with scholarships based on their profiles.

Remember, though, that qualifying to apply for a scholarship isn't enough. Scholarships are competitive. The student needs to submit a quality application, which usually includes a compelling essay, if they hope to be selected for the scholarship.

Additionally, selecting an entry-level job that aligns with the student's future college major or career can also have a positive impact on scholarship success. For example, a student who wants to become a veterinarian builds their Personal Narrative more effectively by stocking shelves at a pet supply store than they would by flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant.

In my experience, the most crucial factor determining a student's scholarship success is whether they have built a compelling Personal Narrative and translating that into application essays that grab the judge's attention. To learn more about a student's Personal Narrative, as well as the entire scholarship process, check out the on-demand Scholarship GPS video-based course. Families can get 50% off lifetime access when using the discount code JOBS at checkout.

Apply for the no-essay Smarter College Scholarship