I want to be a courier...
 

I want to be a courier (via bike) serving the downtown Bellevue area, but I haven't a clue where to start. Anybody out there like me who could give me a few pointers, companies, or something? This is like my DREAM job (getting paid to ride a bike!). I'm still 15, so that limits my possibilities I suppose, but I guess that there's quite a demand for these kind of people and ya can start working the next day if you qualify, si I don't think my age really matters, Safeway and QFC hire at 15 anyways. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

how will you find time to work during the schoolyear?

Yea..school starts in a week (for me anyways)

I hope you don't intend to "courier" as a career since I heard it doesn't pay well at all :D

I dunno, maybe weekends or after school hours or something.

It would seem to me that there is probably not much business for courriers on the weekends and after hours since most places that want to send stuff will be closed.

Hey, Jump. Check out this book and their website. http://www.bikesatwork.com/information/book.shtml

I'm sure that there are plenty of opportunities to make a little cash using your bike around town. I doubt any messenger company will hire you at your age, but you could use your bike to run errands for people. Like elderly folks that can't get around and whatnot. I say "go for it"

You sound like an ambitious young person, I think it's admirable that you are interested working to earn some money.

Here is the best information I ever received when I was first entering the workforce:

"You won't get a job unless you apply for it."

Seems kind of lame on the surface, but the underlying message is that if you desire something, you should go after it. Don't rely on others to get important things accomplished for you.

So go get a work permit, put in some applications, follow up on them, be confident - not cocky, don't be afraid to ask people who are in a position to make a hiring decision for the job.

Best Wishes

Check out www.messengers.org or www.cs.brown.edu/people/sah/Courier.html which is the online diary of a bike courier. If nothing else these sites will answer a few of your questions for you. Good luck!:)

Heah, I like my job but am approaching the phase of life,with future retirement benefits, that I can think of doing 'something fun." and telling them to chuck my job...
I sent a prospective employment app. (for future interest) to Flash Courier. WOuld love the job as long as they keep me out of any stinking vehicle using combustion engines.. Imagine making money doing what you love and keeping physically fit.. Thanks for the idea.. Just checking it out...

I think I'll apply for a job at Flash too! That's a great company by the way I see it. I found it on a Google search. Do you think they'd let me work from 3:00+? This is the main time they need those couriers anyway, I think.

jump - I don't know about Bellevue, but in some cities, there are opportunities to mix with bike couriers. There's a local club in Chicago, for example that has "bike messenger band" night once or twice a month.

Bike messengering has developed a couple of wrinkles over the last 12 months -- i.e. more cumbersome building security procedures that slow down messengers who are trying to get in and out of buildings quickly.

Since you're younger, you have an advantage if you are covered by a family insurance plan. (It's not typical for a courier agency to provide health insurance, which is a drawback in a job where one takes risks in order to get their work done.)

In order to be a true messenger, not only do you need to be available during business hours, you also need to be bonded.

Vicious cycle. In northern climes do bike messengers work in the winter. ? In CHICAGO. Wow.. Maybe bike messengers can get through when snow ploughs can't ..?
Here in Southern California, we think rain is a big handicap to cycling. Snow?

that's when they use cyclocross tyres, fenders, and sheet metal screws.

We usually get only a couple snow days in the winter here. Plus, when they come, it'll be no prob because I ride a FS bike for traction and a full-face helmet to stay warm (and protection too :)). This might seem to be like a weird messenger, but I can do a bit of stunts like bunnyhopping to get around faster. I'm not slow, either, I can keep up with any road biker that comes by me.

My school also ends at 2:30, and downtown is just a few blocks from my hs, so I can get on the job right after school for a few hours.

Well, by 2:30, most of the attorneys, businessmen, etc. are in meetings, and messenger stuff is done for the day. FWIW, in NYC, you see most of the messengers on the streets in the morning.
I hate too rain on your parade, but you have a few things working against you:
1) you are too young
2) you live in a backwater town, one that has zero need for courier service
3) you are not available at the times when messengers are needed
4) you are more interested in doing stunts (such as bunny hops), than actually getting down to work.

Take my advice-get a job at Mc Donalds.

Messengering is a year-round job in Chicago. Most messengering is focused in the Loop -- and an excellent bicyclist has many advantages over the average motorist in the Loop. Needless to say, a messenger may go through bicycle chains relatively fast in the winter because of the salt on the roads.

I've never messengered, but I really enjoy biking in the winter in Chicago. And it's easier to keep warm in the winter than it is to keep cool in the summer.