Earn Your First Income

Proof required

Describe in writing: the earning activity you chose (babysitting, lawn mowing, selling something you made, helping a neighbour, part-time job), why you chose it, and the first action you took to make it happen. A short paragraph or bullet list is fine. Accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents.

What gets checked

• Activity is specific and doable: a named activity with a real audience (family, neighbours, local employer, online marketplace) — 'start a business' without specifics is not a first step
• First action is concrete and already taken: 'I told my neighbour I was available on Saturdays' or 'I applied on the employer's website' — not 'I plan to ask around'
• Activity is age-appropriate and legitimate: no activity requiring working papers the student does not have, or skills not yet in place

Common mistakes

• Choosing an earning idea that requires significant upfront investment — a K12 student's first income should come from services or sales of things already made, not from launching a product requiring capital
• Waiting for the perfect opportunity rather than starting with the most accessible one — the first income proves the skill, not the business idea
• Taking no action beyond thinking about it — the milestone requires an action taken, not an intention formed

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• K12 outcome — accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents
• Ask the student what the first action they took was — 'I told someone' or 'I applied' is a real first step; 'I thought about it' is not
• Confirm the activity is age-appropriate and legally accessible — if it requires working papers or a license the student does not have, it is not a valid first step

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Proof required

Share evidence of completed work and received payment: a cash receipt or note from a parent confirming payment, a Venmo or PayPal screenshot, a pay stub, or a bank transfer record. Include a brief description of what you did and when. A parent's written confirmation is acceptable if the payment was in cash. Accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents.

What gets checked

• Evidence shows an actual payment was received — a description of the work alone without payment evidence does not meet the standard
• Payment record is dated, showing the transaction happened in a specific week — a description without a date is not verifiable
• Work description is specific enough to be credible: 'mowed the neighbour's lawn on 4 July' or '3 hours babysitting on Saturday' — not 'I did some work'

Common mistakes

• Doing the work but not getting paid — payment received is the milestone; promises of future payment do not count
• Accepting payment but keeping no record of it — even a text message confirming 'paid £10 for babysitting' is a usable record
• Work done for free as a favour and retroactively described as 'income' — the exchange must have involved actual payment

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• K12 outcome — accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents
• Payment evidence must be present — a description of the work without payment confirmation is incomplete
• Parental confirmation is acceptable for cash transactions: the parent should confirm the amount, date, and activity in writing (text, email, or signed note)

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Proof required

Write a short reflection (at least 4 sentences) covering: what you did, what was harder than expected, one thing you would do differently, and your next step — whether that is doing it again, trying something different, or stopping. Accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents.

What gets checked

• Reflection references something specific that was harder than expected — 'harder than I thought' without naming what is too vague; 'finding a second customer was harder because I did not know who to ask' is specific
• One concrete next step is named and has a realistic timeline — 'earn more money' is not a next step; 'ask two more neighbours if they need lawn mowing next Saturday' is
• Reflection is honest about whether this is something the student wants to continue — the outcome is earned first income, not a business plan; it is fine to decide it was a one-time experiment

Common mistakes

• Writing a reflection that only describes what happened without identifying a lesson — a retelling of events is not a reflection
• Next step is too vague to be actionable — the commitment should be something that could happen in the next two weeks without waiting for perfect conditions
• Glossing over what was difficult — the hardest parts are where the real learning lives; a reflection that says everything went smoothly probably missed something

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• K12 outcome — accepted verifiers: peers, teachers, or parents
• Ask the student to name one thing that was harder than expected and how it would change their approach — a student who earned income honestly should have at least one concrete friction point
• Next step should be specific and named: who will they ask, what will they offer, and by when — if they cannot answer, the next step is not yet concrete enough

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.