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Original poster

Do your teenagers have jobs?

75 replies

TheQueenOfDreams · 16/10/2021 10:00

My 16 yr old ds has been trying really hard to get a part time job but has had no luck whatsoever. Not even an interview. His cv isn’t bad for a 16 yr old. He has done quite a bit of voluntary work including working in a charity shop.
Does anyone hire 16 yr olds?

OP posts:
MrsRobbieHart · 16/10/2021 11:57

Yes my 16 year old does but it’s been pure luck that a large local employer has been recruiting solidly for the last couple of years. (The business is just growing and growing) so he was able to walk into a job on a very good rate of pay.

GoWalkabout · 16/10/2021 12:04

Yes, its easier once they reach end of year 11 and are school leavers age. It took about six applications. Round here teens work in
Country pubs
Theme parks
Waitrose
Golf club
Wedding venues
Fish and chip shops
And they are welcomed because minimum wage is super low for them.

Babyroobs · 16/10/2021 12:04

My 16 year old daughter has just got a job at her school cleaning. It is ideal as it's just a couple of hours each day after school term time and occasional deep cleaning in the holidays. Can your son enquire at his school or college if there is anything like this available. My older two sons also did the job, it is really well paid. The school seem to have a policy of offering it to students, all of those who applied were sixth formers.

RosesAndHellebores · 16/10/2021 12:13

Mine never had problems picking up work. DS caddied from about 16 and it was very lucrative, then did some holiday childcare for families with sporty boys. DD was never short of babysitting for neighbours or families from church. TBF DD was earning £60 to £80 pcm through the summer months as she was a chorister and the choristers were paid £10 per wedding. Also £1 a week for choir practice. Better than sending them up the chimneys really!

MrsLargeEmbodied · 16/10/2021 12:15

pub washing up
paper round
waitering

Babyroobs · 16/10/2021 12:17

@clockover

McDonald's is the one for 16 year olds according to my teens.
Yes agreed. Very fast paced and need to be good at multi-tasking. My ds has worked at MacDonalds during his Uni years.
LynetteScavo · 16/10/2021 12:25

McDonalds is a popular employer around here- DD was offered a job on Argos, and her friend was offered a job at an independent burger restaurant and the both chose McDonalds.
Sainsbury's/Tesco's/Asda all have 16yos working there. Pretty much any 16yo who wants a job in this town can have one, especially at this time of year. Some of the contracts are only until Christmas though.

DillonPanthersTexas · 16/10/2021 12:32

I thought collecting glasses and working in the kitchen of the local pub was a standard teenager job.

berlinbabylon · 16/10/2021 14:31

@Ivy48

If applying for a supermarket etc you’ll have more lucky applying to work within a department like chillers/veg/clothing if under 18 as being on the tills is tricky as you need approval for any age restricted item.
Doesn't seem to bother the supermarkets - they seem entirely happy to put 16 and 17 year olds on the tills and inconvenience all the customers by making them wait for a supervisor to come along. Even more stupid is my local Waitrose, where they thought it was a great idea to put an under 18 year old on the cigarette counter!
steppemum · 16/10/2021 14:48

ds got a job at 16.
he went round town with his cv, calle dinto every shop and business.
2 of them came back to him and said they would interview him, and one employed him. Independant phone shop. He worked there weekedns and holidays for 2 years, earnt loads eventually left in charge of shop, and saved up for car, insurance etc etc.

dd1 is now 16. She got a summer job working with Clarks shoes (we have an outlet store and they employ loads fo summer temps for the school shoe rush) she was asked to stay on at the end of the summer, and works there weekends and some evenings now.
She didn;t do the CV thing, she went onto a website they offers temp jobs.

I think a lot depends on where you are though, dd can travel to quite a few places easily on the bus.

Original poster
TheQueenOfDreams · 16/10/2021 16:56

Good to see that teens are getting jobs. Ds has applied mostly on Indeed. We’re in Greater London so maybe there’s more competition for jobs? I’ll get him to try handing his cv to some independent businesses.

OP posts:
Rshard · 16/10/2021 17:05

My dd is a lifeguard, she had to do a course to qualify which we paid for but she gets a good hourly rate

steppemum · 16/10/2021 17:15

@TheQueenOfDreams

Good to see that teens are getting jobs. Ds has applied mostly on Indeed. We’re in Greater London so maybe there’s more competition for jobs? I’ll get him to try handing his cv to some independent businesses.
interestingly, ds never had any luck with Indeed but dd got her job through them.

ds had more luck going door to door. He had basic CV - voluntary work, odd jobs etc. With a paragraph character reference (he dog walked a friends dog for pocket money the previous summer. They simple said he was trustworthy and reliable. )

Ds had much better response from the dropping off of CV. be prepared though, he did 50 CVs, got loads of out and out rejections, (go to head office) 2 replies, both of whom phoned him back and both offered him jobs. It seemed like the people in the shop responded to a polite kid taking some initiative. But both were not chains.

It did mean that he ended up being paid more veyr quickly. It also meant there was a lot of overtime paid under cash in hand Hmm

GoWalkabout · 16/10/2021 17:18

Dd applied through Indeed, which I wouldn't have encouraged, and she got a job - funnily enough no one else there has ever been recruited or taken on via an Indeed application apparently so no one is quite sure how or why it worked for her.

HemanOrSheRa · 16/10/2021 17:30

@clockover

McDonald's is the one for 16 year olds according to my teens.
Yep. My DS is 16 and works at Maccy D's. 16 year olds are paid £7.50/hour. He really enjoys it. It's a really busy restaurant so it's pretty fast paced and he learning to multi task and work with the public.
SirenSays · 16/10/2021 17:37

Yep loads of seasonal work will be starting soon. Mine always had more luck away from the chain stores. Charity shops, little pubs, alternative shops, family owned businesses...

episcomama · 16/10/2021 17:39

@Hoppinggreen

No and I would rather she didn’t, although if she wanted to I would support it. She does do some pet sitting to earn a bit of money
Why is that? Are you concerned about her schoolwork?
VitalsStable · 16/10/2021 17:40

DS does casual work on a local farm, pretty back breaking but he enjoys it and has got his tractor driving licence through it so will be in demand next summer and he also works for an outside catering firm doing weddings and big parties. He's a boarder so only works school holidays. He got the catering job through our village Facebook page and emailed all the local farms asking for work and was hired by one of them. Both pay him £10 an hour and he often gets a huge tip at the functions. He also looks after a friends kids a couple of afternoons in the school holidays so she can work without being disturbed.

He's got a great work ethic and saves most of his earnings. I'm bloody proud of him.

Hoppinggreen · 16/10/2021 19:38

episcomama it’s mainly due to her MH but also because I would rather she focus on her studies and we can afford to support her so no need for financial reasons.
As I said though, if she DID want a job we would support that

carlywurly · 16/10/2021 20:07

Ds had such a good job I was actually jealous this summer! In hospitality in a really cool venue. It will be a good talking point on his cv.

Jjacobb · 16/10/2021 20:45

They do.
They are all still in full time education either school or college
DS1 19 works in a supermarket
DD1 18 works in a card shop
DS2 16 works for a high end beauty retailer
DDs 2 and 3 age 14 and 15 have just started working for a fruit and veg supplier

ilovebagpuss · 16/10/2021 21:10

My DD has a job in a local pub in the kitchen and waitressing she is 14. Only does 2 shifts a week. She just rang round all the local pubs and cafes.
2 of her mates work in similar roles. I suppose it depends what he wants to do but I would have thought this sort of role was possible.

overthethamesfromyou · 16/10/2021 21:37

Mine is at the pub working at the moment. Very local, gastro pub, just 16 and does two shifts a week.

geogteach · 16/10/2021 21:48

I have 3 around that age. Paper round and working marking up papers and serving in shop, supermarket, tutoring, football referee, baby sitting, cleaning the scout hut, pot wash then front of house in a cafe. Youngest been lucky inheriting jobs from older brother.

Clarinet53 · 16/10/2021 21:50

My 16 year old works at Bella Italia, seems to really be enjoying it.

Lots of applications before getting an interview. The only one he got after multiple applications though.

Does 2 shifts a week and gets £180 a fortnight x