My 16 year old doesn't want to get a summer job - not sure what to do

[tobeforgotten]

my 16 year-old worked for eight hours yesterday as a one-off making £45 and does regular chores in the house for which he gets £5/week.

He has said that he doesn't feel the need to get a summer job. That when he feels productive he would rather study calculus (this is true, at least in the sense that he lies around reading Fermat's last theorem).

I am torn, to be honest. My instinctive reaction is "it was good enough for me and your father, go down to the shops and get a job". But I'm not actually sure why.

He is kind and charming and can make friends and impress teachers very easily.

On a side-note, we are also slightly unsure how you go about getting a summer job in 2016- as I say we used to pace the high street.....

DD had everyone and their dog asking her 'are you going to get a summer job?' as soon as she'd finished her GCSEs. If she'd wanted one, I doubt she could have got one in our area. She did a bit of babysitting and that was it. But was also very low maintenance, finances wise.

When she was doing A levels she really just had her eyes on revision and studying without work detracting from the time she could spend on it. And she worked like a trojan all the time, so we didn't push the issue.

In the last 6 months or so, she has applied for more and more jobs and still wasn't getting anything. Had an interview for Holland and Barratt but it required learning a huge bible of info, then paid mostly based on commission. No thanks. She did letter drops and applied to local places on the back of fb posts asking for staff to put CVs in. And trawled job sites too.

She has finally been able to secure a casual job in a shop/cafe up town. So doesn't have to waste any of her pay getting there. It's NMW but that's fine for her age. Mostly it's giving her a reason to get out of bed in her long summer holiday, giving her job experience, giving her something to do in between when she finished early June and when she goes off to uni in late Sept, and may want her to go back to them in the hols if/when she comes back.

It was frustrating at times, but she's got something. And she's going to be working for many years to come, so I was happy to drop some hints but not actively push it.

Could he get a less tying job if he’s keen to enjoy his free time?

I answered an ad in our village shop as a teenager (the olden day FB 😂); a chap who commuted to London paid me £5 a day (£25 p/w) to see to his dog while he was at work. It was on my way to school on the other side of the village; I’d let her out before school, at lunch and then walk her after school. Never felt like a job to me!

DS qualified as a lifeguard as soon as he turned 16 and had 2 job offers. He works for David Lloyd and gets free gym membership as well as £9.20 an hour. He does a 6 hour shift at the weekend and a r hour one one evening a week. He asks not to be rotaed n the lead up to exams and for extra shifts in the holidays. They are super flexible and will have him back over periods he is at home when he goes to uni. He out the money away initially but as he has got older he has found he does not have to turn invitations out to cinema, meals, football matches, gigs and festivals as he has his own money whereas friends solely funded by parents can't.

It has made a useful addition to his CV when applying for work experience placements and proof of being responsible and able to commit to something as well as customer facing, turning up on time etc.

It is definitely worth encouraging if for the other benefits other than financial.

I've interviewed a few candidates for entry level professional jobs recently and I do think the ones who have had some sort of job come across better and have more experience to draw on when asked about working in a team, communicating in different ways, dealing with pressure, organising and prioritising work (as well as being reliable). You can get some of that experience at school/college, but it's not so easy to find examples for evidence on application forms/CVs or in interviews.

I had a Saturday job from 17 and always worked holidays when I left school, doing all sorts of part time/temporary jobs. I think it's good to mix with a wider range of people than you might at school and to know what it's like to work on the other side of the bar/till or on the other end of the phone. It's certainly given me more empathy!

I don't see the need for 16 year olds to work part time. They work long enough anyway, and the line that 'woek experience helps after uni' was not true, in my experience. My first job was age 21 while at uni and my limited job history was never an issue.

It also impacts studies. Lots of students in my a level year struggled to maintain a balance and ended up prioritising work. Their studies suffered as a result. Also if someone is in school 8am until 3pm and then work 5pm until 10pm 4 nights a week for example, that leaves very little time to actually do coursework let alone downtime. And everyone needs downtime. Even as an adult, working full timez I make sure that I finish work before 6pm at least 3 nights a week and just have chilled evenings- colouring, reading, TV etc

My ds has been lookingfee a job since exams finished. There are no jobs here for 16 year olds and even the volunteer roles are fully taken up by older teens and uni returners. I've been finding his nandos/ cinema/kfc lifestyle for the past month but have told him he's going to have to start doing chores around the hours to fund his lifestyle.

What jobs are all your 16 year olds doing?

Weekend job maybe but I think a 16yo will really struggle to get much more for a summer job. They are really only of school 6 weeks and will be competing against uni and college students who are off much longer.

My just turned 16 grandson has just got a job. It’ll be working two evenings a week , collecting glasses in a venue that holds parties and weddings.
He’s super excited to be earning some money as his parents can’t fund him.
All his mates have jobs so he would’ve been hanging around twiddling his thumbs anyway
He’s now looking for a daytime job.
He’s helping me in the garden tomorrow...that’ll be £20 for an hours work.

I’ve just remembered..we’ve already paid him...pair of trainers last week...as his toes were at the top of his others ☹️

His mum asked on a fb Page btw as there’s not much here either

My 14 yr old has a summer job. Because........

I don't want him slobbing round the house.

Earning money means he realises how much you actually have to do to earn that Starbucks or Play Station credit and so it means he thinks twice before wasting money.

We have an agreement with all our kids that when it comes to buying a house we will match what they've managed to save. It's going to be costly for us but they've so far saved quite a bit and so will be on the housing ladder as soon as they've secured full time employment after finishing their education.

@Madein1995

I agree. My parents gave me a generous allowance subject to me keeping up my grades and be on top of schoolwork. That was more important to them than me working. I had to fund a lot with it, cosmetic, anything above basic clothing, going out, presents for friends so I learned to save and budget.

My sister had a weekend job after GCSE but it fitted in with the job she was looking to do so it was more than just earning money.

Funny, I just had this conversation with 16yo DD today. We are in Aus so school years/terms are different but basically from the start of term three in a couple of weeks until mid November she has school related activities seven days a week. Two mornings a week she needs to be at school by 7.30am and her finishes Tues-Fri will vary from 5.30-8pm. She does not have time to work. She will have an eight week holiday Dec/Jan so I could tell her to try and find a job but the reality is that the jobs will already have been taken by people who can work term times. We support the fact that she is throwing herself into all her school can offer, I am not going to tell her she can't afford to go to the movies or buy an ice cream at the beach in the holidays unless she gets a job. Every family is different, I worked from age 13 because I had to, I like the fact that my kids did not.

My 17 year old picks up some labouring work with his dad in the holidays, and also does a variety of volunteering through our church. As far as summer jobs go, you really need to be applying / interviewing around May, and they tend to be taken up by uni students either staying or returning for the holidays. It doesn’t really give under 18’s much of a look in. I encourage, and I don’t give out unlimited money, but I wouldn’t force the issue either.

I wouldn't force the issue either. However a holiday job is a good thing. Someone earlier was very dismissive of 'zero hours retail work'. I think any job is good experience. I also think that not working until you are 18/19 because GCSE's and A levels are so time consuming and stressful is not a good idea. I teach A level students - my son and all his friends (who also study hard) work at weekends and in the holidays. Why are we suddenly being so precious to think that our strong, healthy young adults need to rest over the summer - unless there are particular circumstances preventing them for doing a part-time job then they should be getting out into the real world.

Round here a 16 yr old just wouldn't get a summer job, no one will hire them for just 6 weeks.
My dd is back from uni and struggled to get a job until she goes back.

Lots of people are on part time contracts and zero hours these days and employers aren't so keen on 16 yr olds with all the rules in place for them these days.

Why are we suddenly being so precious to think that our strong, healthy young adults need to rest over the summer

Exactly this! It certainly doesn't prepare them for independence in future life. I worked hard for my exams but would have been bored shitless all summer with no job.

It certainly doesn't prepare them for independence in future life.

Well it never hindered mine. They were able to function just fine despite not working until leaving school at 18.

I worked hard for my exams but would have been bored shitless all summer with no job.

Mine weren't bored shitless. They had bloody great summers.

My 14yo dd would love a weekend job but nowhere round here will have her.

Summer jobs are few and far between, in my experience. Most places don’t want to go to the trouble of training you to work somewhere for 2 months of the year. Even volunteer places like CAB.

Also the statutory minimum wage for 16 year olds is appallingly low.

Why I wish I had parents like you! Value of money was always extremely important my parents. I was working weekend jobs at 13 and then was in a blazer handing out CV's as soon as summer holidays hit! My dad couldn't bear it if I was in the house doing nothing.

I had a part time job at 13 but that was 17 years ago in a wee village tearoom. I didn't apply for it, it was offered word of mouth. I'm very thankful for it but if I had a 16 year old son who was smart, sensible with the money he had, and generally helpful around the house, I wouldn't be expecting them to get a summer job. You spend enough years of your life working...let him live his youthful years work free! It'd be different if he was needing money or always asking for it, then he would be looking to fund his desires, but I don't think it's a necessary step for all youngsters.

I was more than happy to financially support my daughter at this age, my view was her studies were her job and I was happy for her to have rhe summers off, it's never affected her work ethic, she's a grafter. She know works full time as a paralegal and is doing her lpc at rhe same time, before starting her trainee solicitor training contract next summer.

So for me, no, it's not all about making them pay for themselves. But I understand we had rhe financial luxury of not having to make my child work at that age.

If you can't afford to support your child. Or suspect they are lay abouts, force it. If they are studious and you can afford to support them, do so. Life's short, let them have their summers before their careers take over and they can't.

My dd got a sat job when 14 in oxfam books volunteering then at 16 she got a sat job in a cafe then at 18 she got a job doing art groups with kids in the eve and at 19 she got a summer job undertaking research in primary schools. One job led onto another and another. Will stand her in great stead for her future.

He’s gone camping for a couple of nights. Has agreed to renegotiate his phone contract when he gets back - £20/ month at present. His brother’s is £5!

It’s a tricky balance.

Anyway have told him about not spending the savings and he accepts this.....in principle at least.

I was brought up to work but in some ways it trained me to set my expectations low. I think this is just bringing out an element of family dynamics I’ve not thought about before.....