Should 16 year olds get pocket money or get a job?

Both of mine worked about 12 hours a week in 6th form. Neither were the type to spend all day long studying and I think they both gained confidence and maturity from their jobs, as well as earning some money. Both started looking at 16 but it does take a while to find a job as many employers don’t take 16 year olds. They both took extended leave before and during their A levels and then worked much longer hours in the summer holidays. I still paid for most essentials and a few treats, they both saved up for uni and spent some of their wages on clothes and days out / holidays. I really didn’t apply any pressure on them to get pt jobs, they wanted to! I don’t think it had a negative impact on their A level grades, they achieved their expected grades and had time to complete their homework. I do think it helps with independence if they are off to uni post A levels.

My 14 year old works every Saturday as a referree and 17 year old works at a supermarket (has done since 16).
I still give them an allowance of £60 a month this is to cover clothes (apart from shoes, coats and uniform), going out, the gym, presents for their friends, etc

@SeaSwim5
There is never a middle way on these types of threads. I know young people who spent all weekends working at Tesco. Did they get that well paid job in the end after university? No. They didn’t have any ambition. Just working in a low level job does not translate to a highly paid job post university at all.

The key to success is being an all rounder. Intelligent, the right degree for career choice, has evidence of suitable work or internships and, hopefully common sense and a personality that comes across at interview. Add in confidence and knowing about the firm you are applying to helps a lot. Spending hours at Tesco isn’t necessary.

Not true at all. My DC did internships relevant to their courses while at uni and then went on to work for one of these companies after graduation.

No dishwashing was required.

@mathanxiety Not sure how long ago that was. However DD is way above that! And younger than 33.

My son is about to turn 16 and has free school meals and transport so we give him $100 a month for buying himself snacks and food (school meaps
are awful in America) and also he is allowed to use our card linked to a place to get food on way home. We pay for his activities, clothes etc.

mat this age I’m not really keen on him getting a job as school is a lot.

I was earning just under 6 figures by 30. I gained chartered membership of a professional body at 33 and that tipped me over 6 figures. And no student loans to pay back.

So there’s one example for you.

My DD juggled a lot with academic work. It just didn’t need to be low level paid work. Some universities don’t recommend it either. In her work no one would care about unrelated basic work. Numerous students and school dc don’t work although some definitely should. There’s not much evidence I’ve ever seen to say very high earners always have paid work in their teens. My DD did what she needed to do for her career. Which was plenty.

My dad paid for my bus fare and all my toiletries. I had two jobs when I was at college for anything else I wanted/needed

Some people are absolutely obsessed with the idea that DC need to be out sweeping chimnies washing dishes for a fiver an hour ASAP. I think there are far better things teens can and should be spending their time doing. They have decades ahead of them to work.

@SeaSwim5
If they have no track record of working all the way through to graduation, they will be extremely lucky to have decades ahead of them to work after that.

All of my DCs are high income earners, and all worked at whatever they could find during their teen years. In turn, this led to better jobs at university level, including internships, leading to career opportunities upon graduation. They were chosen for their university jobs and internships because they had a track record of working as well as great grades. You get a variety of skills from a variety of work, and the ability to juggle academic requirements and jobs is always impressive.

My DD is highly paid. None of her friends did work at 16-18 because the big prize was the A level results, university and subsequent career. No one choosing these young people in her work area gives a flying f about whether they pot washed or not. There are other skills that are valued a lot more and their brains.

Ive noticed very few high flyers who have excelled because they worked at 16. Most are where they are because they have a variety of skills and qualifications.

My DS has just turned 16 (just about to sit GCSE’s), he’s been working part time around school for approx. 1 yr and does some volunteering too. All his pocket money comes from his job. I still pay for all essentials / toiletries, clothes, phone and general snacks and will give him a bit of money on the rare occasion he goes out to cover lunch & activities. He uses his wages for sweets, to cover the cost of games on the xbox or anything additional that he wants.

I started working at 15 (Saturday mornings so didn’t earn much) and worked part time (evenings / weekends) around college, my mum gave me around £80 a month top up until I turned 18 but I was expected to cover all of my own toiletries, clothing and my phone (pay as you go) out of it as well as my travel to & from work.

I don’t think either option you list is unreasonable and I guess it depends on how easily you can afford to give her the extra. A Saturday job is only going to give her £50 a week at minimum wage which isn’t going to go far if she likes going out places with friends on a regular basis. My son only goes out once in a blue moon as he's a bit of a hermit right now so I just give him money as and when needed for a specific outing.

I don’t agree. There are some parents who spend tens of thousands a year on their DCs’ education (hundreds of thousands overall).

That is not affordable for our family, but in my view the least we can do is give our DC money to socialise, go to the gym and relax to allow them to focus on their studies. It adds up to a pittance in the grand scheme of things.

Some people are absolutely obsessed with the idea that DC need to be out sweeping chimnies washing dishes for a fiver an hour ASAP. I think there are far better things teens can and should be spending their time doing. They have decades ahead of them to work.

Ps i work in a large corporate and the most successful young grads i see tend to be the ones who started working shops or pubs as teens. Jobs are really good for kids. A-levels are no more demanding now than they were, a teenager should be able to fit in a couple of shop or pub shifts or some babysitting.

Pay her as a cleaner. This way she gets a decent reliable slug of income and you get your house regularly cleaned.

I’m pretty sure A levels now aren’t any harder than they were in the 90s, where I did 4 at 2 different schools whilst not living at home and having to work to pay rent.

I know the housing market is clobbered now, but working (a lot) from 15 allowed me to buy driving lessons, car and insurance at 17 and a house at 19. It gave me a work ethic that saw me climb the ladder without a degree far further than would usually be expected.

A job as a teen isn’t just about earning money. It sets you up for life.

I was working in a butchers from age 13 for a few hours on a Saturday. Cleaning down the meat locker 😂

After that I worked at Woolworths all day Saturday and Sunday and one evening shift from 6-9 stocking shelves from age 17.

And I was giving my mum £50 a month house keeping out of my £300 a month take home.

Didnt impact my GCSE's or A-levels or Degree.

It taught me that if I want things, I have to work for them and nothing comes for free.

Kids are far too soft these days.

Let her study for her A levels in leave and give her pocket money

Mine got a bus pass & phone paid
they also got the family allowance paid into their account.
they both had part time jobs as well.

It depends on the child, and your finances. For my two, I wanted academic work and extra curricular to be their job at that age. They had small amounts of pocket money for day to day, phone and travel paid, and extra money to pay for nights out.

I worried a bit that they wouldn't develop a work ethic, especially as Covid prevented them from getting Summer jobs, but they both got jobs while at uni as well as keeping on top of academic work. They just weren't ready at 16. Some of their mates were, but they weren't.

My view has always been that as long as DC are in full time education, it is our role to support them. A levels are difficult and I would far rather them be focused on that (as well as things like sport and socialising) than washing dishes for £5 an hour.

Clearly if she wants Prada handbags and skiing trips, I wouldn’t fund that, but I think as long as she is working hard at her A levels, that is her job and it’s perfectly reasonable for you to find reasonable expenses.

Nothing beats work experience for putting you ahead in getting roles as a young adult.

The job is essential imo.
When the time comes to get a real job after university or when she leaves school, her work experience will be vital.

A weekly allowance should be just about enough for walking around money. Money for food while in school amd for transport should be a given. But I agree with your H that any more should be earned.

I did not give my DCs pocket money at all as teens and they all had PT jobs or did loads of babysitting, on top of school sports, and they all thanked me when they got to university and found they could juggle all the demands on their time because they had practiced that throughout their teen years. They had also perfected the fine art of shopping second hand and clearance rails. They had several references available when they were looking for PT jobs while in university, and a long list of previous employment (and also volunteering) on their CVs when looking for jobs after graduating.

No jobs near us. Big village has few opportunities 3 miles away and DC know the owners of the cafes and shops so employment very limited and we would have to ferry dc to the job. Some jobs in supermarkets 8 miles away. So no, they didn’t work. Neither did their friends. Holiday “work” ended up being volunteering where they learnt loads! By then they could drive though. Jobs for 16 year olds are not always easy to find.