Helping 16 year old DS find a summer job

[Ruminating2020]

DS has finished his GCSEs and it would be good for him to look for something constructive to do with his time before he starts 6th form. So far, he has made an online application for Subway and a couple of others but that is it and he hasn't heard back yet. It will be very competitive at this time of the year of course but I don't want him to give up.

Is there anything else we can encourage him to do? We have already suggested that he goes round the shops armed with copies of his CV.

TIA.

Work at a watersports centre and get qualifications too?
Do a quick lifeguard qualification and lifeguard at holiday camp or pool?
Dishwashing in a pub?

Thanks @LemonRoses. Those are good ideas and would suit him.

I don't think he's picky on what the job is, although I think something sport related like working in JD Sports would appeal to him. It's how to approach and ask for a job that he is struggling with.

Try local businesses too. A small accountants or solicitors might be grateful to have someone to assist with the admin for a couple of months.

Thank you @NannyAndJohn. I will suggest that to him too.

Lots of the teens I know are looking on Indeed. Have you got a local hospital, maybe register for bank work portering or admin?

Hi @TheSmallAssassin, He may be already be looking on Indeed or Total Jobs. There is a hospital near us so I will look into that too, thanks.

Sainsbury’s Tesco Morrison’s Asda M&S all jobs are online.

Hospitality are crying out for serving staff. He needs to go to all pubs/cafe/restaurants and ask for the manager and hand in his cv. He’d have a job within a day.

Do you have a Facebook community group? Ours often advertises summer jobs.

@goingtotown

Sainsbury’s Tesco Morrison’s Asda M&S all jobs are online.

Definitely this.

Our eldest has a weekend job at ASDA and his hourly rate is well over £8. He enjoys working there too, especially the staff discount card (that we can use too!!).

@goingtotown

Sainsbury’s Tesco Morrison’s Asda M&S all jobs are online.

I'll definitely mention this. Thank you.

My 16 year old son just got a job in Mac Donald’s. They advertise all the time on Indeed and are meant to be good employers. Before that he had applied for loads and got nothing. I think you just need to keep at it.

Like and follow all your local businesses on Facebook. I see lots of jobs on there.

Are you near any kind of tourist attraction? Holiday parks, hotels, any kind if hospitality venue are crying out for staff. Obviously at 16 he can't work behind a bar but he can collect glasses, work in a cafe, that sort of thing.

Any data entry jobs going?

@Slimmingstar

Hospitality are crying out for serving staff. He needs to go to all pubs/cafe/restaurants and ask for the manager and hand in his cv. He’d have a job within a day.

Not necessarily. It took weeks for DD to get a hospitality job despite quite some determination.

Of course she then heard back from two at once and has been working flat out.

It's a numbers game and can be disheartening. When my DC applied for jobs they must have made over a 100 applications each.

Check his CV and covering letter on Indeed is to a good/high standard (mine had a couple they could use depending on job).

Check the website for local shops like Next. They advertise via their website. He will struggle in supermarkets being under 18 as he cannot sell alcohol. He will have more luck in shops or places where that's not a requirement.

Another one suggesting the large supermarkets. My DS has worked in one part time all through Uni (he's just finished Uni and waiting for his results). He now works in their mobile phone shop which he loves. He earns over £9 per hour and I get a good discount at the store!

It's also going to be a lifesaver as I think it is going to be difficult for graduates to find jobs this year and he has no clue what he wants to do so he has been able to up his hours and can tread water until he decides what he wants to do with his life 😀

We will be doing this soon too.
I've thought try to make the Cv interesting - any interesting hobbies or interests so they stand out?
I've seen some kids put a post asking for jobs on Facebook pages - they always seem to be received positively.

These are all great, thanks. Facebook local pages is a very good idea.
I will ask where he's done since the last application and make these suggestions.

Unless it’s local small business or pubs/restaurants handing out CVS does nothing, he’ll get told to go online. Indeed is fab for part time work especially as a youngster. Although he may struggle with supermarkets unless it’s shelf stacking etc as checkouts will employ you around 17 as you’ll be 18 soon and won’t need approval to sell restricted items. Local chippys? Cafes? The days of walking round with CVS are gone, I noticed this 10 years ago when I was 16 never mind now and with COVID on top. Perhaps a Facebook post to your local community page may produce some interest?

I agree with pp, where I live he could have a restaurant/cafe job by the end of today, the majority of them are advertising for staff.

Local activities like trampoline parks , theme parks always need staff . Holiday sports camps may need people . My local Morrison’s has very young staff . Wetherspoons will let 16 year olds do food service. Independent ice cream kiosks and dessert shops tend to take young staff and of course McDonalds.

God it’s fucking impossible.

My dd is 18 and has also been looking. She’s very proactive and self motivated but hasn’t secured anything yet.

She’s been for interviews, they don’t get back to her. She went for one interview, the interviewer ‘forgot’ and had to rearrange.

She did an unpaid trial shift at a restaurant, they didn’t even have the decency to let her know if she’d got the job.

She had a good CV and presents well in interviews.

Any supermarket job requires lengthy online application including situational analysis where all the answers are very similar.

@Slimmingstar

Hospitality are crying out for serving staff. He needs to go to all pubs/cafe/restaurants and ask for the manager and hand in his cv. He’d have a job within a day.

Errrr no! Dd did this - she was told either they have no vacancies or to look online.