Part Time Jobs for School Leavers 2026: Pay Guide

What part time jobs can school leavers get in Sri Lanka?

School leavers can work from age 16 in retail, cafes, tutoring, data entry and simple online work, and from 18 in events, hotels, call centres and delivery. By our estimate, pay runs from LKR 250 an hour in cafes to LKR 2,500 an hour for tutoring. Most after-A/L students earn LKR 15,000 to 40,000 a month.

How we checked this

We read law firm and press summaries of the January 2021 amendments that raised the minimum working age to 16.
We checked the national minimum wage in force from 1 January 2026.
All checked in October 2026. Hourly, daily and monthly pay figures are SalaryLK editorial estimates from job adverts.

Which part time jobs suit school leavers, and what do they pay?

We grouped the adverts we read into ten jobs. The age column shows the practical minimum: the legal age is 16, but many employers only hire from 18, and anything after 8 p.m. needs you to be 18.

Job	Typical pay (est.)	Minimum age
Supermarket and retail weekend staff	LKR 1,500 - 2,500 / day	16+ (daytime)
Cafe and restaurant crew	LKR 250 - 400 / hour	16+, evenings 18+
Tutoring younger pupils	LKR 800 - 2,500 / hour	After O/L or A/L
Typing and data entry	LKR 400 - 1,000 / hour	16+
Social media help for small businesses	LKR 15,000 - 40,000 / month	16+
Events, promotions and brand activation	LKR 2,000 - 4,000 / day	Usually 18+
Hotel banquet and event staff	LKR 2,000 - 3,500 / shift	18+
Call centre and chat support shifts	LKR 300 - 900 / hour	18+
Design and short video editing	LKR 1,000 - 5,000 / piece	16+
Food delivery rider	Per delivery	18+ with licence

Every hourly rate here is above the legal floor. The minimum wage of LKR 1,200 for a full day works out to about LKR 150 an hour over eight hours, and cafe and retail jobs we saw paid well above that. For Colombo-specific rates, see our part time jobs in Colombo guide.

What are the best part time jobs for after A/L students?

After A/L you are usually 18 or 19, so almost every job in the table is open to you. We would rank them by what they give you beyond the money:

Tutoring: the best hourly pay if you did well in a subject. Grade 6 to O/L pupils are the easiest market.
Hotel banquet and event shifts: paid by the day, with real customer service experience. Our tourism jobs page shows where hotel work leads.
Call centre and chat support: steady hours and a big boost to your spoken English.
Online work: data entry, design and translation you can do from home. Our part time online jobs for students guide lists rates.

If you want a full-time job instead, our jobs after A/L guide covers state and private entry jobs, which must pay at least LKR 30,000 a month.

What does the law say about young workers?

In January 2021, Parliament passed amendments to the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act (No. 47 of 1956), the Shop and Office Employees Act and the Factories Ordinance. These are the rules that matter most for school leavers:

Rule	What it means for you
Minimum age 16 (was 14)	No employment under 16, apart from narrow family and school exceptions
Young person = 16 to 18	Only work that does not harm your health, education or safety
Working day 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.	No night shifts until you turn 18
Hazardous work banned under 18	No liquor trade, street vending or other work listed as hazardous
National minimum wage	LKR 30,000 a month or LKR 1,200 a day from 1 January 2026

If an employer asks a 16 or 17 year old to work late or in a bar, that breaks the law, not just a company rule. Our minimum salary in Sri Lanka page explains the wage floor in more detail.

How many hours should a school leaver work?

If you are studying for a diploma, a professional exam or university entrance, we would keep paid work to about 15 hours a week. At that level, the table above works out to roughly LKR 15,000 to 40,000 a month depending on the job.

In the gap between exams and results, you can work more. Retail, events and hotels hire most in December and in the April holiday season, so plan your applications a month ahead.

Can school leavers earn from freelance and online work?

Yes, but expect a slow start. Without reviews or a portfolio, most beginners earn little in the first two or three months. We would start with small paid work for local businesses, such as social media posts or simple designs, then move to platforms once you have samples. Our freelance jobs in Sri Lanka guide covers platforms, realistic earnings and the scams that target students.

Our take: pick the job that teaches you something

The pay gap between these jobs is small at the start. The skills gap is not. We would choose tutoring, customer support or design work over a slightly better-paid job that teaches nothing, because those skills raise your pay in the next job too.

And we would be strict about two things: never pay money to get a job, and if you are under 18, never accept night work. Both are the most common traps we see in adverts aimed at school leavers.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best part time jobs for school leavers in Sri Lanka?

The most common part time jobs for school leavers are weekend retail and supermarket work, cafe and restaurant shifts, tutoring younger pupils, typing and data entry, and simple design or social media work for small businesses. After you turn 18, event promotions, hotel banquet shifts, call centre work and delivery riding open up. Tutoring and design pay the most per hour.

What are good part time jobs for after A/L students?

After A/L, the best options are tutoring grade 6 to O/L pupils in your strong subjects, event and promotion work, hotel banquet shifts, call centre or chat support, and online tasks such as data entry, design and translation. Most after-A/L students earn LKR 15,000 to 40,000 a month for 15 to 20 hours a week, by our estimate.

What is the minimum age to work in Sri Lanka?

Sixteen. Amendments passed by Parliament in January 2021 raised the minimum age of employment from 14 to 16 under the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act and related labour laws. A person aged 16 to 18 is a young person and may work only in jobs that do not harm their health, education or safety.

Can a 16 year old work at night in Sri Lanka?

No. Young persons aged 16 to 18 are not allowed to do night work, and the 2021 changes limit their working day to between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Night shifts in hotels, call centres and events are therefore for workers aged 18 and above. Hazardous work, including the liquor trade, is also prohibited for under-18s.

How much do part time jobs for school leavers pay?

Our estimates are LKR 250 to 400 an hour for cafe work, LKR 1,500 to 2,500 a day for weekend retail, LKR 2,000 to 4,000 a day for events and promotions, and LKR 800 to 2,500 an hour for tutoring. The legal minimum is LKR 1,200 a day or LKR 30,000 a month from 1 January 2026.

Can I work part time while waiting for A/L results?

Yes, and the months between the exam and results are the best time to do it. Event, retail and hotel banquet employers hire heavily over the December season and school holidays. If you are already 18, you can take evening and weekend shifts too. Keep some time for planning your next step, such as university, a diploma or a full-time job.

Do school leavers get EPF for part time jobs?

If you are on an employer's payroll, EPF and ETF can apply even to part-time work: 8% is deducted from your pay and the employer adds 12% EPF and 3% ETF. Many casual day-rate jobs and online freelance tasks have no EPF. Ask before you start, keep your payslips, and make sure your EPF number is in your own name.

Where can school leavers find part time jobs?

Walk in with a short CV to supermarkets, cafes and malls near you, follow Facebook job groups for event and promotion work, and check job sites for weekend roles. For tutoring, ask your former school, neighbours and tuition classes. For online work, build a few samples first, then try local small businesses before global freelance sites.

How can school leavers avoid part time job scams?

A real employer pays you; you never pay to get the job. Avoid adverts asking for a registration fee, a uniform deposit or money to access online tasks on WhatsApp or Telegram, and be wary of like-and-earn or product rating jobs. Meet employers at their place of business, and tell a parent or guardian where you are working.

Sources

Minimum age for employment to be raised to 16 - D. L. & F. De Saram
Minimum age for employment in Sri Lanka raised from 14 to 16 - The Morning
Recent developments in labour law - Nithya Partners
Sri Lanka raises private sector minimum wage to Rs. 30,000 - OnLanka
Department of Labour

Part Time Jobs for School Leavers in Sri Lanka 2026