AIBU to make teenage DD get a job

Yes some voluntary work may help her buff up her cv. It is quite intimidating getting your first job so be supportive over that, my mum wasn’t,, she cut me off financially so I don’t have a choice, however it worked and I never stopped working, all through uni, weekends and part time often at uni, temping in holidays and pretty much worked full time since … it’s good to be financially less reliant on others IMO

I can see why you want her to get a job but its not as easy as saying you want to "make her" get a job. Loads and loads of workplaces wont employ anyone under the age of 18 (due to insurance restrictions) and those that do employ younger ones will be highly sought after. Even young people over 18 are struggling to get work at the moment (well in my area in south west).

Absolutely encourage her to go out sometimes - but if he friends have different college timetables that might be tricky to arrange with mates as they may be in college when your daughter is out and vice versa. (IYSWIM).

My DD has been on the waiting list for the police cadets since she was 16. She will be 18 in May. We've chased and chased but told the waiting list is vast so I imagine she's missed the opportunity now.

My DD is 18 in May and this has been her life the last year or so. I spend my life worrying about her.

She has a boyfriend but only sees him once a week and sees friends once a month or so yet talks to them online all the time, she says no one ever wants to go out. She has actually applied for loads of part time jobs but never hears back. I don't know if it's our area or an issue throughout the UK but in our town the only jobs widely available are in care which she absolutely does not want to do or volunteer work in charity shops.

It really worries me. I think the government needs to bring back some kind of YTS scheme I know it wasn't ideal for some but it's how I got on to the employment ladder.

100%! She's not even FT at college! 20 years ago we went to college 5 days per week AND had a weekend job. This was completely normal - everyone did it. It seems to be a lot less common now and I don't understand why?

Great idea. My son volunteered with the police cadets and a few of his school friends were in the armed services cadets (though none of them actually intended to go into armed services/police careers - it was just for the "fun" of doing things socially with other teens and with a view to "ticking boxes" on Uni applications and to support DofE entries). One of our neighbour's daughters joined the local St John Ambulance cadets.

easier said than done.

You can't "make" her get a job, but you can certainly strongly encourage it.

Personally, I think being late to enter the workplace is a major reason for the increase in young unemployment upon leaving school/university and contributes to the current MH crises in young people.

It was getting my first "proper" full time job upon leaving school that made me grow up rapidly and I changed considerably over those first few months. My DH said he had a similar experience. We were both shy/introverted teenagers, but being around adults in an adult environment really changed us for the better.

We noticed the same with our son. He couldn't work during sixth form due to covid restrictions and safeguarding us (we both have immunocompromised health conditions), and he continued to be introverted, didn't go out, spent all his time "talking" remotely whilst gaming and generally becoming a grumpy recluse. But in the past couple of years after joining an adult workplace, the change in him has been immense - going out a lot, big circle of friends, independent travel, etc.

So in my opinion, the OP should heavily encourage her DD to get some kind of job, just to create some adult workplace friendships, real workplace experience, i.e. structure, time-keeping, following instructions, maybe interaction with general public, etc.

It's also important to note that a lot of graduate employers expect work experience in job applications and it's often said that many employers/recruitment agencies automatically reject those who leave "prior work experiences" boxes empty on their applications!

How about volunteering, if she's saying she doesn't need more money? Jobs are hard to get for teenagers right now but volunteering can be easier and you get the benefit of doing something worthwhile.