when should teenagers get a job?

[driedapricots]

my sister is at her wits end as she is trying to encourage her 16 year old dd to get a job over the summer to fund her 'social life' (phones etc) she's still obviously 'keeping' her in terms of food etc. her daughter is refusing... but then again my sister doesn't (and never has) worked and so i guess she is not exactly a good role model
i think it's entirely reasonable and in fact a necessity of good parenting to encourage teenager to work at this age but then i don't have teenagers yet. should we not be encouraging financial independence and understanding at this stage and even earlier..? i always had a job from 16. or are things different these days?!

[mumblechum]

My ds does regular babysitting for which he gets paid between £40 and £100 per month. He's only 15 and once he's 16 I'll be encouraging him to look for a job in Waitrose or somewhere but tbh it's extremely difficult to get any sort of job these days so as long as he keeps the babysitting going I'm not going to put him under too much pressure. At least with the babysitting he can do coursework at the same time.

[babysplotface]

I think it depends on how hard the child is working at school etc. If all her spare time is socialising then it's fair to ask her to get a job, if she is studying and doing CV enhancing activities like drama all day Saturday or whatever then I would let her be but only give her pocket money / an allowance up to a certain amount.

[Bramshott]

I think at this age it's fair to fix an allowance, and then tell them if they want more than that they have to earn it.

[GypsyMoth]

well my dd is 16 on saturday....at the end of her gcse's now,but going to stay on at 6th form

she was lucky enough to get an interview at mcdonalds....it was for today at 2.40pm,was arranged beginning of last week. manager phoned this morning to re arrange for next week as he thinks the 'restaurant will be too busy thios afternoon'....it wont be,not with the football,it will be more like the marie celeste!!! but he lied to her....HE wants to watch the football!!

not exactly inspiring for dd's first interaction with the working world|!

all the teenagers these days are aware that parnets are given money from government to spend on them.....tax credits and child benefit....so they expect it .

[GypsyMoth]

god typo's!!

[Lilymaid]

It is often quite difficult to get a job in the summer after your 16th birthday. Both DSs found nothing much during the summer vacation period but jobs came available in September as people left to go to university.

[notagrannyyet]

My DS 17 is looking for a job over the summer, but can't find one. He's managed to earn money collecting glasses on a Friday and Saturday night, but other jobs seem few and far between.

It does depend on how much time they need to keep up with school work. I never let mine do a paper round for this reason.

[BuzzingNoise]

16. Even if it's just 4 hours a week.

[Lavitabella]

I always wanted my own money and had part time jobs from 14- 18 whilst studying (i'm now 30) as long as you think it's a safe environment I think it's very important.

I used my work experience at school to work in a local gift shop because I knew if I did a good job they would let me work there in the summer. I was paid £2.11 an hour and worked very hard! I stayed there for 2 years and learnt a great deal.

I agree with Bramshott, my allowance was £5 a week which was a trip to the cinema/swimming pool and a drink so I always needed more than that to fund the lifestyle I wanted.

[driedapricots]

yes..they are talking about 'lowering' her allowance to £80 a month and if she needs any more then she needs to get a job..?! seems like an awful lot of money for nothing to me and surely teens, like all of us have to 'feel the need' in order to get off their bums and get a job! aren't they're just duplicating the welfare system for her..?

[DandyDan]

If teens from 14 yrs up can get a part-time job, they should, so long as it doesn't interfere with their studying. The difficulty can be actually finding out - after all, we are in a recession and there are two million people out of work - with families and financial responsibilities who would jump at the chance of any job at all. Round where I live, jobs for teens are few and far between, and one of my kids has spent a year and a half looking for a job. Now they have one - washing up in a pub - and another child of mine has just found a job too (after months of applications) - waitressing in a tea-rooms - but they are very lucky, and have tried for numerous jobs. One part-time Saturday job in a small retail outlet they tried for, there were 60 applicants for the one job.

It helps teens to see what it's like working hard for a change, and earning their own money encourages respect for it and how they manage it - saving and spending. Even my younger lad does grouse-beating in the summer, which is hard work but well paid.

[fruitshootsandheaves]

DS (14) does a paper round before school every day except Sunday. He gets £12 a week which doesn't seem much but he loves having money and has already bought himself a telly!
Doesn't interfere with school work, it only takes about 20 minutes. DD(16) used to do it but when she started college she didn't have time before the bus came. She has been looking for a job for a while as we can't afford her social life!

If your sister is giving her £80 a month she won't have much incentive to work.

[cory]

I think it depends. You don't have to spend lots of money as a teen; in fact, if you are going to uni it is a good idea not to develop an expensive social life. Even if you can pay for it by working while still living at home, once you leave home, your money won't stretch that far.

I was not encouraged to get a job as a teen as I was not very well, but was given a rather small allowance. Tbh I found that a great advantage when I had to live off my student loan- my friends who had been earning for years found it virtually impossible to make ends meet, I felt rich.

If you need contributions from your teen for household expenses, that's fair enough: otherwise, I'd leave it up to them if they want to earn more spending money or not.

Don't think my dd will be able to, as she has health problems and coping with exams will probably be enough. In her case, learning to be frugal might actually be more helpful. And I would rather she spent any extra time on CV enhancing activities - as long as she doesn't come asking me for money.

[cory]

But dd knows that she can not expect us to fund driving lessons or more than a small allowance (£12/month at age 13, will go up slightly in years to come, but won't be massive) or trips to the cinema.

[Oblomov]

I had washing up jobs, then waitressing, then take-away jobs from a very early age. But they are very hard to come by. Like Gold-dust !!
At first it was just some occassional money. by 16 things were really getting going. before long i was turning down waitressing and babysitting, and giving jobs to my friends becasue i was inundated with offers.

[webwiz]

DD1(18) got a job in a supermarket in the september "changeover" when the older teenagers go off to university. She did two years there while at sixth form and it helped her to value money a bit more. DD2(17) wasn't so lucky she spent from June to March filling in application forms and having ridiculous high pressure interviews competing against adults for working behind a till for a few hours. She finally got a job through a friend of a friend doing ad hoc waitressing plus she babysits for neighbours as well. She doesn't earn anywhere near what her sister did but its enough to give her a bit extra. Both girls wanted to work and have some money for themselves.

[EasilyConfusedIndith]

I don't think you ahve to make teenagers get a job but they should be encouraged to do something. I didn't get a job other than babysitting until I was 18 but before then I volunteered loads with RSPCA and was a Rainbow leader so my parents were happy to give me an allowance. My sister on the other hand expected her allowance plus various drum lessons, guitar classes etc but wasn't doing anything else so they were rather on her back about getting a job!

I think it is fair enough past the age of 16 to say that they should either be doing something worthwhile for a few hours a week or working.

[zerominuszero]

I definitely think teens should do something to earn their keep in the holidays, especially if they expect you to buy their phones, clothes or whatever. I myself had paper rounds aged 13-16, then worked in a hospital as a cleaner, which wasn't very nice! But I was desperate for the money... perhaps if your sister withdrew money from her DD she might find her attitude changing...?

[mumeeee]

As I have said before on another thread it is not easy for young people to get a job now a days so it is not a matter of when they should get a job but when should they start trying. So yes things are different these dayd. DH and I have always said to our DC's that as long as they try hard to get a job once they have finished thier GCSE's we will still give them an allowence. DD3 is now 18 and has tried hard to get a job for the past 2 years without success, She maneges on The £30 a month we give her plus the occansional sun from Gran.

[renata66]

My sixteen year old ds applied online for a macdonalds in his last week of exams, got an interview the day after he left and starts next week. Not many of his mates have jobs though but he was adamant he wanted one. We live in in a busy seaside resort and he has been along the seafront to shops, restaurants and so on more than once but with no luck. He starts sixth form in September but if he gets on ok at macdonalds they said he could stay with them while he is at college. He has opened a bank account and reckons he is saving for a car!
It has given my 15 yr old ds a push, he wants a bank account too now so he has started to babysitting getting a tenner here and there.
Am pleased for them and hope they both stick at it.

[LouIsWaltzingMatilda]

14 I think is a reasonable age.
I found it very differnt here to Australia. The majority of check out chicks, macdonalds staff (and other places like it) trolley boys and dishwashers are teenagers. Here it is adults.

[motherofboys]

Our local newsagent has given up employing teenagers for paper rounds - they a all done by retired folk!
No work found for DS14 yet but he will have to if he wants more than his pocket money.

[Lauriefairycake]

I was working from 12 (waitressing) and in summer holidays I was full time til I went to uni.

My parents refused to give me pocket money and we lived in holiday resort where teenagery jobs were plentiful.

It was so good to have my own money.

DD will be encouraged when she's finished her gcse's definitely - there's nothing like a job to introduce you to what life is really about.

[ajandjjmum]

DD has just finished her AS levels, and is currently doing a lifeguarding course, so that she can 'lifeguard' one evening per week come September.

Have to pay for the course first though, but it's decent money.