Your first real job
shouldn't need a lawyer
or a spare $0.

Groundwork connects rural teens with local and remote employers for paid, skill-building placements. We generate the consent and eligibility paperwork automatically, and local sponsors cover the stipend — so it's free for you and nearly frictionless for the shop down the road.

6 placements open near you right now · $990/week in stipends already covered by sponsors

The two things that stop rural teens working

01

The paperwork nobody wants to do

A six-person shop won't hire a 16-year-old if it means chasing consent forms, age certificates and hour-limit rules they've never read.

Print, sign, scan, file Generated in one pass

02

Teens can't afford to work for free

Unpaid internships quietly select for kids whose families can absorb the cost. In a small town, that's almost nobody.

Unpaid “experience” Sponsor-funded stipend

How the money and the paperwork move

Employer posts

A local business describes the work and the hours. They commit mentorship time, not payroll.

Sponsor funds

A business, NGO or civic club covers the stipend. The role unlocks for teens the moment it's funded.

Teen applies

Consent and eligibility forms generate pre-filled. Teen signs, guardian counter-signs by text.

Work starts, paid

The stipend lands weekly, straight from the sponsor to the teen. No fees, either direction.

Groundwork never sits between the teen and their money, and never charges the employer. Sponsors fund placements directly — that's the whole business model.