To ask how old your DC were when they got their first job?

I think that's a really good point. Those teenagers who have had some work experience either paid or not will have an advantage when they start looking for a long term job whether it is an apprenticeship or a graduate job.

The graduate job market is extremely competitive now unlike 30+ years ago when we used to have the 'Milk round' and employers had to sell themselves to graduates. A graduate with a variety of work experience and weekend jobs is much more attractive as they have already learnt some 'work environment' skills.

I've been part of assessment days for graduates and we don't look much at their work experience. Obviously their initial application has to be good but it very much is based how they do on the day of the interview and assessment centre. Many of those who have been offered a job in previous years have had no or little work experience but they've performed exceptionally well in our assessment centres.

He will be up against other students who have a lot more actual work experience. Employers want to see evidence of this. My son didnt need to work for money in summer of year 1, but did it for his CV, and he did his paid internship for the same reason, and was fortunate to get a graduate job offer. Yes he could have sat back and enjoyed the holidays as financially he was ok, but he wouldn’t be sitting on a graduate job offer if he did

DS was 14, DD was 16.

DS was 18, his first job was working at Buckingham palace for the summer opening! He worked there for 3 months full time in first year of uni. DD is 16.5, in sixth form but prefer them not to work until 18 as she spends a lot of time studying (so did DS).

My oldest did GCSE tutoring from age 17 whilst he did his A levels. He did that for 2 years as it paid double what anything else did at age.

Once at uni, he did a few hours A level tutoring in term time and has worked over the summer in a role somewhat related to his course. He's not planning to work this academic year until summer.

Youngest is 15 and not working. None of her friends do either. It seems difficult here to get a job before you're 18 in places like supermarkets, coffee shops etc.

@AnneElliott I think that's a really good point. Those teenagers who have had some work experience either paid or not will have an advantage when they start looking for a long term job whether it is an apprenticeship or a graduate job.

The graduate job market is extremely competitive now unlike 30+ years ago when we used to have the 'Milk round' and employers had to sell themselves to graduates. A graduate with a variety of work experience and weekend jobs is much more attractive as they have already learnt some 'work environment' skills.

paper round for ds
waitering, events, all of my 3 from 15
pub work, kitchen, bar tendering

My daughter left for school at 7am, returned at 5pm. Was working from 15 on a weekend in a cafe and in the holidays and still did her A-levels. She is 20 now, at Uni, juggling work with placements and works paid work the holidays.

Well this depends on the job, doesn't it?

As a student, I did library shifts during term time which was basically sitting there doing my own work and occasionally checking out a book for someone.

I then did 2-3 weeks of full time work in my very long summer holiday

As a teen, I did babysitting which involved 1-2 hours of active childcare, then sitting and doing my homework while they slept

None of these interfered at all with my studies

DS started volunteering just before he was 15. I'm pretty sure the experiences there (with paying customers and H&S rules) helped him get his first paid job at 16.

The manager who employed him said she didn't normally employ 16 year olds (as they can't work the bar) but thought his experience was valuable.

I had a Saturday job from 15 I think. But yes many kids now not getting paid work until 18 or so. But it might be harder now- certainly no H&S and cash in hand when I got my first job.

@RampantIvy agreed. And that forces those in the 'squeezed middle' to take a year out in order to start uni with a bit of money behind them. They will therefore still benefit both financially and from the experience of having a job.

Most people I know have encouraged their teens to find either paid work or voluntary work experience during late teenage years. Indeed some careers will require it.

My son gave up his Saturday job for a few months during A levels. We encouraged him to get back in touch after results and they jumped at the chance to take him back which did his self esteem a world of good. There is way more to get out of a job than just the money.

It's worth not just thinking about jobs as more formal ones with proper employers and also thinking about more casual stuff.

Our street WhatsApp is full of parents offering their teens for casual labour - in the last year, we have paid a 16 year old to trim our hedges, two different ones to water our plants and had a couple of offers for babysitting (for various reasons we prefer to use professionals for that for now). Two 17/18 year olds near us run a thriving part time gardening business

Yes. My son is studying biomedical science.
Maybe some of the wishy washy subjects aren’t as intense, but maybe then you should consider if they really need to be there.

I just don’t think it’s healthy. University is a huge mental strain, and expecting young people to work on top is just so sad.
I honestly think it is a big factor in the amount of mental health issues in students. They are completely overwhelmed all of the time.
If I couldn’t afford to support my children through it I would be encouraging them to have a gap year to work and save in order to fund it.
BTW we are not high earners - we have a household income of around £55k - we just prioritise.

It really depends on the course. STEM degrees are very full on with more contact hours than humanities degrees. Degrees allied to healthcare have work placements as well.

Yes there are laws but they can work from 13 as long as the rules are followed.

@Goose8 not everyone can afford to send their DC to Uni without them earning a bit as they go.

And for others it's not about the money but the independence, the skills learned and the resilience to cope in an environment which is entirely different to hone and school.

Not everyone can afford to 'top up'.

I had a job from 15 back in the day and it did me no harm.

My DS is 18 and doesn’t have a job and never has. I wouldn’t encourage him to get one until he graduates university. There is absolutely no need, his student loan and top up from is give him enough money.
I, nor my siblings, worked until we had graduated. It is full time education, 20 hours lectures with 30 hours reading on top. You wouldn’t expect an adult working 50 hours a week to get an additional job I think it is ridiculous that that is seen as the norm for teenagers and young people.

17 and it took almost a year of looking, for a one day a weekend job.

16

16 for my eldest. I started at 15 with a Saturday job but that was allowed in the 80's, it wouldn't be now.

@herecomesthesunyes the OP asked what has changed so fewer people nowadays seem to get jobs from 14+ yo.
I offered one possible explanation - they are less mature (and described my recent experience of that).

Mine started very late...DC1 did a bit of tutoring while at uni, then was unemployed for a few years after major surgery, finally got a proper job at 24. DS2 didn't work at all till after uni, so about 21 for first job, and DS3 similar.
DS1 says none of his uni friends had a job during uni, and only a few of DS2s friends did.
I've noticed a difference between boys and girls, my friends daughters and my nieces mostly have part time jobs while studying, but also more expensive lifestyles.
I deliberately kept my DC short of money at uni to push them to get jobs, but they didn't. They didn't really drink, not interested in clothes, didn't go out much, happy to shop at Aldi etc.
Even now, working, they don't spend much.

@H34th that’s a weird contribution to the thread! I tend to find young people more helpful than older ones. But people are people. Some better at customer service than others 🤷‍♀️