AIBU to think our 18 year olds should work instead of wasting away weekends?

Yes, I think the "must have work experience, ANY work experience" is another one of these myths perpetuated by people who havn't a clue. Likewise it used to be "you must have DofE, at least Silver" which is likewise a load a bull, especially now that everyone and his dog seems to have done it!

Work experience is obviously helpful and sometimes vital, but more often than not, it's "relevant" work experience that matters, i.e. certainly not a bit of washing up in a cafe or stacking shelves in Tesco, but more likely a Summer internship in an accountancy practice for someone wanting to be an accountant, or volunteering in a hospice for someone wanting to be a nurse etc.

Which has absolutely nothing to do with whether i hire them or not.

You know then that their parents were well off enough to support them through their education and they didn't need paid work. Not everyone is that lucky.

@Everybodys

There is much less chance to catch up later on now than there used to be.

Yes, another brilliant point there. Both me and DH left school with poor qualifications and dragged ourselves into professions via adult education courses etc. But that has been massively affected by the push for colleges to convert into school-leavers rather than adults. Nowadays if you don't go through the various stages of education at the right time, you're massively disadvantaged and will struggle to get where you want to go. It's far "easier" for todays students to do things right the first time and go through the education system in the "normal" way. It's what we were very aware of with our DS and we ensured he never got behind at any time in his formal education, always made sure he was "on the crest of the wave" in his school years, not necessarily top of the class, but certainly in the top 75%, and helped him get there and stay there. He sailed through GCSEs and then sailed through A levels and then sailed through Uni, now sailing through professional exams. "Sailing" isn't the right word, it's damned hard work for him.

Yes, I know there are pathways for people to get qualifications after leaving school, or go to Open University etc., but it's harder than just doing things the "right/normal" way in the first place. And like I say, much reduced options for "adult" education that say 30 years ago.

I also interview. And the notion that i give a shite about 4 hours a week in a takeaway is laughable.
If i see sports i know they know punctuality, teamwork, how to deal with failure.
If i see things like reading or crafting or non sporty, i know they know focuas and detail and self regulation and direction.
If you know how to read a cv properly u dont need to see a pt job to see good habits and traits.
No more than u have to have a pt job since u were 12 to know how to manage money.
Rediculous.

I've also interviewed and it's not really been relevant.

Realistically, the answer is that it depends. It can be very helpful. It isn't necessarily going to be, especially when the student is doing something else instead.

And there is also the grades issue, no getting round that. While loads of students are 100% fine doing both and I suspect in some cases it might even be helpful, the risk is higher than it was a couple of decades ago because now we get less FE paid for. The people whining about the kids of today (not you) don't seem to be factoring that into their analysis. There is much less chance to catch up later on now than there used to be.

@Nicelynicelyjohnson

The thing that surprises me from this thread is the number of people who seem to think that teenagers shouldn't even try to find work, and not because they won't get it, but because they need time to relax.

But they DO need time to relax. Adults have their own "relax" time aside from the daily grind of work, so why do you think that children don't?

When I was at school, I was "expected" to work in our family business, a newsagents shop, at weekends. Not only did it mean I lost out on valuable "socialising" time with friends, I also missed out on studying/homework time and ended up having to rush it, which in turn meant lower grades etc. I never really forgave my parents for making me work rather than socialise/study as it did really affect my qualifications, social life, working life etc.

I never pushed our DS to go out and get a job. I "pushed" him to do activities and pushed him to do his homework/study/revision to the best of his abilities. The qualifications he achieved and the experiences from his socialising/activities outside school were far more valuable to him than had he worked a few shifts stacking shelves in Tesco!

Now only 24, he earns more than I ever did and earns more than myself and DH put together, he works in the UK's biggest insurance firm in London, lives in a house share with friends he's made from all over the UK, has an active social life, goes on holiday several times a year with various different people/groups. Not working in Tesco stacking shelves has done him no harm whatsoever.

Do you know how hard it is to get jobs? You do also know that the f1 is on for a few hours over the whole weekend. The sprint was on super early, the race was 7am, it’s not “wasting their whole weekend away” you sound like a right joy. Let them enjoy the racing.

I think you raise some good points. I have one smiley confident child (out in the world, mind, he's far from that at home!) and he struggled but succeeded to get a job. I helped with the grunt work, scouring Indeed, helping him apply, but he interviewed and got two jobs himself.

The thing that surprises me from this thread is the number of people who seem to think that teenagers shouldn't even try to find work, and not because they won't get it, but because they need time to relax.
I get it to some extent and I certainly wouldn't be expecting someone a couple of months from exams to now get a job, but many seem to be against the whole idea in general.

I wonder how many support the claim benefits once studying is over scenario, there was a thread about that recently that had many mixed replies.

@FlyingPandas

100% agree with every word of that. Yes, it's better for a youngster to have a job, but lots of people (many on this thread) don't understand that the World has changed and it's not that easy to get jobs anymore.

A million young people are unemployed and that doesn't include those at school, college and university!

And a huge "yes" to agree to your comments about the problems facing those who are shy, or have an "unusual" personality or demeaner or who have a mental/physical disability. It's always been the case that the confident, smiley, outgoing ones are at the top of the list for everything and those who are "different" are at the bottom. The sheer lack of jobs just makes that even worse.

The posters on her who claim that it's been easy for their son/daughter to get a job either live in a big city or their son/daughter is one of the confident/outgoing ones. They won't realise the benefits of either/both as they can't comprehend anything different.

Where are these jobs today? Maybe if you're in a big city with lots of shops, restaurants, pubs, etc., but have you seen the state of the High Street in smaller cities, towns and rural areas? Have you gone through the soul destroying application process for corporates, supermarkets, chain restaurants, etc? The days are long gone when your little Tabatha can easily get a Saturday morning job at your local greengrocers or butchers - in most areas, they don't exist anymore!

Do you spend your weekends doing a second job on top of your main job?

Because that's the equivalent of what you're expecting them to do. They're studying five days a week and they have two days off. They didn't waste their weekend. They relaxed and had fun.That's not a waste of time.

Let people have some bloody joy in their lives ffs.

As long as they are financing their own social lives then wouldn't bother me. If they aren't they should be getting part time jobs to pay for going to the pub like the rest of us!

I do agree with the 'better to have a job' attitude and also agree that additional activities juggled alongside study can only have a benefit to that study as long as the balance is right. HOWEVER this point in an IB course is absolutely not the time to be job hunting so I would leave be until exams are over and then encourage finding something over the holidays.

That said, as others have pointed out, it is really not easy for youngsters to get jobs at the moment. Yes of course there are jobs out there and plenty of them do manage to find work BUT the reality is that there are far more people wanting jobs than there are jobs available. Most teen or young adult DC I know who have managed to find an initial job, either prior to or during or immediately after uni, have only managed to do so because they know someone or their parents know someone who has been able to put in a good word for them and this has effectively got them the job. Once you have had a job then finding another is in theory easier but getting that first step is not always easy.

Plus you've got to bear in mind the personality and demeanour of the individual teen. We don't live in a world of equal opportunities and it's not just about work ethic and determination. If you are a shy, socially awkward, unconfident kind of young person you're fucked because the odds are rather stacked against you and jobs will go to the smiley, outgoing, confident, sociable ones - of which there are so very many and they are the ones who will inevitably come across better at interview and be more proactive and positive about the job. If you have any kind of SEN you're doubly fucked because the odds are massively stacked against you and the jobs will go to the smiley, outgoing, confident, sociable DC who will always always always come across better than the neurodiverse anxious socially awkward ones who need a bit more support.

So whilst I do agree that in an ideal world, teens should work, we don't live in an ideal world and it's not and never can be as easy as 'yes teens must work'.

Part-time work can be great experience, but it isn’t a moral requirement. Rest and social life aren’t laziness - they’re essential for healthy development. Expecting teenagers to either study or work every weekend leaves no space for balance.

Have you not come across teenagers with part time jobs before?

I suppose it depends a bit on how much money you’re willing and able to give them.

Im a single parent and so gave dd a small amount of money and paid for basics but if she wanted extras she needed to earn the money. She worked from age 16yo in retail or cafes and it didn’t impact her studies at all, she’s off to uni in September.

I think it’s given her loads of important skills and confidence. She worked extra over the summer and has saved a decent amount of money which will help towards uni.

The
International Baccalaureate (IB) is a global education foundation offering four rigorous academic programs (Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma, and Career-related) for students aged 3 to 19 to foster critical thinking and global mindedness. Key usage examples include pursuing the two-year Diploma Program (DP) for university entrance, which assesses students through internal assessments, final exams (graded 1-7), and a "core" comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). Synonyms and related terms include International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), IB World Schools, and DP/MYP/PYP programs.
International Baccalaureate +4

What's an 'IB'?

Sounds like a great weekend, although at this stage they should be starting A level revision.
it’s very hard to get jobs atm. My DS worked from 17 - start of year 13 -that was through word of mouth, he worked most Saturdays, but still went out etc. My DD didn’t work until uni summer holidays..
I think it’s important for DCs to have had some proper work experience prior to graduating to actually get a grad job, doesn’t matter what type of work.

How exactly did HR check their babysitting reference to verify this punctuality and reliability? I can produce 20 fake emails to support such references in under 20 minutes. And unless you are applying for a nursery setting I fail to see the relevance. Better to go out with a friend and work on your social skills as that seems to be the main handicap in today’s younger generation.

Both of my daughters worked part time at 14 and my grand children are doing the same. It provides an income, life skills and work discipline. They need to get off their stars work. Are they also sponging off you whilst u provide all the basics like meals, washing , housework etc

I don’t understand all the “do you work on the weekend” comments. I’m in Australia where most year 11 and 12 students who want to do well do study on the weekends, as well as play sport, hang with friends, have a part time job. Most of the local cafes and take away spots are manned by them on the weekend. Far better to be busy and learn how to prioritise your time. Also important to understand the value of money early on.

Both my busy kids will be getting a job as soon as they are old enough.

Whereas I'm sure going out on the piss till 2am does wonders for your grades...

Really, because my kids also went to a gs and they showed them statistics of how kids working in the few months prior to exams dropped geades.