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

That depends on the school. Many children like doing a Saturday/holiday job whilst still at school in order to supplement their allowance but I would agree it is not essential.

Wow, this is an awful comment in so many ways.

My DH was Head of Finance for a large company before covid, he got made redundant and lucky for us he's not an utter snob and happily got a job working in a supermarket during lockdown.

School definitely does not teach responsibility in the way working does, far from it. Way to teach your kids to become entitled snobs though.

Agree @HerMammy .

What a nasty, sneering post @MichaelAndersen

@SuperiorM I don’t get the chores thing.

Chores are part of normal life. I expect my teen to pitch in, things like emptying the dishwasher, helping with the pets, cooking dinner once a week. There’s only the two of us here and I expect pitching in, working at school and being respectful as part of the bargain. It’s ok, it all happens but I wouldn’t ‘gift’ £175 a month on average without strings.

Gifts are without strings, a monthly allowance is not imo even if the strings are not too onerous.

I think it depends really. Ds1 is about to start 6th form. I dont think he is ready for a job for lots of reasons. We are happy to pay for his meals, transport etc. He isnt social ( we are hoping this changes but he may always prefer not to have a social life) He doesnt really spend money so has plenty of savings. I buy him clothes but he doesnt care about them so primark or supermarket clothes are fine. He gets a tenner a week pocket money. I am hoping he comes out of his shell a bit in the next couple of years so that he can get a job but im not pushing it as he is low in confidence.

Ds2 is the opposite and would get a job now if there was one available (he is 13) and whilst he will get the same as ds1 for 6th form, i will expect him to get a job as he is a social butterfly and likes branded clothes and sandwiches from waitrose 😂. He is frivolous with money and i think it will be beneficial for him to have a job asap.

Pocket money and a job are 2 different things. Main aim with both is the same - ie some money to use and save. A job can also be work experience for ucas form but should stop immediately if it has negative impact on grades or schoolwork. I firmly believe that equating chores with the receipt of pocket money is wrong as pocket money ought to be gifted money. Now, if they can’t get a job there might be additional arrangements for doing jobs for you for money.

All my friends had Saturday jobs in sixth form. I think it’s actually extremely important to have been out at work before you start making big life choices.
If nothing else it shows them what options they may or may not enjoy.
I leaned that I liked working with people and that I didn’t want to spend my life shelf stacking if I could avoid it! Useful motivation to do as well in school as possible!

She doesn’t need a little, piddling job that’s just going to add more stress to her life (menial, unskilled jobs are their own special kind of stressful)
Nice to see how you view many many types of employment, horrible comment to make

School is already enough of a job and a responsibility. She doesn’t need a little, piddling job that’s just going to add more stress to her life (menial, unskilled jobs are their own special kind of stressful) and take away from her schoolwork. School itself teaches her responsibility. No working while in school.

Maybe it depends on what else they would be doing at weekends? DS, just turned 16, would like a job in theory, but he has a sport which takes out a lot of random weekends, is starting on his A-levels, and is also trying to keep up some musical commitments as well. We'd like him to keep going with all of those... if he were just on his PC all weekend, we might feel differently.

I did 12 hours a week at 16 while doing my GCSEs - definitely wouldn't recommend that! A few hours a week (e.g. four) might work well - some work experience, but not impacting on studying. I think having a job at a young age helped me budget, and made me see shopping differently e.g. something I wanted was no longer £x, but x hours of work.

My 17 year old has £15 a week. I also pay for his phone, xbox subscription, bus pass, as he is learning to drive I also pay car tax, car insurance and petrol.
Neither me nor my brothers had jobs until we finished university, I intend to do the same for my children they have decades to work and I can comfortably support them.

£5 a week???

I prefer to treat my dd like an equal. She works incredibly hard on her school work towards getting into a very competitive uni course, as well as doing volunteering and work experience. So she gets a generous allowance (she saves most of it). There will be plenty of time for her to work hard in a paid job in the future!!

I just meant what does she do with friends to socialise? A fiver wouldn't get you to the cinema these days.

She’s 16. She’s got the rest of her life ahead of her to work.

Let her enjoy the last of this carefree time while she has it.

All of my DS’s friends have had jobs during college and all done well in their exams. The jobs have ranged from working in shops, supermarkets, refereeing, cafe and one gets paid to play a sport.

They all had a free bus pass as they are students. (They get them for 2 years where we live). I give my DS £100 which he uses for lunches, drinks and snacks at college.

As someone who takes on young people into apprenticeships and graduate roles, one of the things I look for on their CV is work experience. Having a part time job is not just about having money in their pocket, it’s about the life skills they learn from it and can transfer to a full time role when older.

I had a Saturday job and got pocket money at that age. I used to feel like I was rolling in it. 😄

Going to Mcdonald’s with friends is not really about the food

We feed her, why does she need to go to Macdonalds? As I said she seems to manage fine. She also has birthday & xmas money that she saves & dips into & we occasionally give her a bit extra for something special such as going out. A lot of her friends don't have much & they are pretty expert at having a good time on a shoestring. I think thats to be encouraged rather than wasting money on crap or overpriced things like fancy drinks.

A job.

What can you buy for a fiver these days? And how do you make it stretch a week? You cant really go anywhere with a fiver, maybe to McDonalds for a happy meal once a week!

I think at 16 school should be your focus so I'd be giving her a little pocket money.

Totally agree. Back in the late 90s I worked a couple of weekday evenings, sat night and all day Sunday as a waitress in a restaurant when I was 16-17 studying A levels. I think I'd have done a lot better if I worked less. Teachers did try to tell me but I didn't listen.

I paid mine an allowance until his 19th birthday (after that it was on an ad hoc basis), and he had a part time job when at school, more hours during the holidays. It wouldn't have occurred to me not to.