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Original poster

How did you get 16 year old part time jobs

128 replies

whenwillthemadnessend · 19/06/2022 08:05

My 16 is applying for part time
Work now waitressing. Sale assistant supermarket etc

No
Bugger has got back to her

How did your sixteen year olds get their first job.

She is bright and articulate so it can't be that. I thought places were desperate

OP posts:
LadyHalesBroach · 19/06/2022 08:07

i printed off dozens of copies of my CV and walked around my local town handing them in to the manager. I got a job at the local stationary shop, then Pizza Express. So I was a Saturday girl selling pens and envelopes and a Saturday night shift selling pizza.
she’s just got to be articulate, polite and pro active. Don’t let her give up.

LimesandClementines · 19/06/2022 08:09

First two jobs were from handing CV's into businesses (neither were immediate it was a couple of months between dropping it off and being called) and then third job was from a post on fb.

Minisarerustbuckets · 19/06/2022 08:10

My 16 year old has a job waitressing at a local snack place near the beach. She went round a few places asking if they needed people and left her number with a couple and this one phoned her for a trial . She has been there a few months.

ScarlettDarling · 19/06/2022 08:11

My son looked on the job search website ‘indeed’. He had his lifeguard qualification so that’s what he was looking for and he got himself a fantastic cushy part time job at a local health club.

tired17 · 19/06/2022 08:11

Is there a McDonalds near you? They are good employers for young people. Otherwise just keep going with the applying. She will probably have more luck in September when the existing holders of these jobs go of to uni.

One thing I would say is that she must do all the contact herself, places aren't interested if Mum/Dad are enquiring for them.

Original poster
whenwillthemadnessend · 19/06/2022 08:11

Thanks for reply's. I've asked twice in different restaurants I've been to about her popping in her cvs and they said they can't do that anymore do you gdp so it's getting very frustrating.

OP posts:
MistyFuckingQuigley · 19/06/2022 08:12

Tbf shops and cafes etc won't take paper cvs now. It's all done online, not much point trailing around the high street. Unless it's a pub and you know the owners.

Also, I think supeemarkets etc are inundated with applications from adults wanting a job, maybe that's why they don't want to train teenagers who'll only work there for a bit.

autumnboys · 19/06/2022 08:12

Posts on FB for their first jobs at a tutoring centre. DS1 found his second job for himself working in the local leisure centre, ad was on the council website. DS2 has started there too. Good luck to her.

moomoogalicious · 19/06/2022 08:13

Perseverance. Both older teens got jobs via indeed so worth getting a decent cv together.

Original poster
whenwillthemadnessend · 19/06/2022 08:13

She is doing it all herself with me keeping an eye on the emails as I've set up a dedicated email just for that so we can both look at it as she is lazy and will Miss stuff otherwise.

Do you think walking round the agency's when GCSEs are over is a good idea?

OP posts:
LeafHunter · 19/06/2022 08:14

Emailing or messaging via their website if it’s an independent company.

applying online if it’s a chain (ie next, Tesco)

2anddone · 19/06/2022 08:14

Both ds jobs have come from indeed

waveyourpompoms · 19/06/2022 08:15

Hospitality is desperate, but 16 year olds are a lot more work in terms of working time regulations, are usually lazier, harder to train, and a bigger gamble to take on.

Your best bets are places like McDonalds, KFC, Burger King who are used to employing 16 year olds.

Whorules · 19/06/2022 08:15

Ds is 17 now but has so far worked in a local cafe, Sainsburys and now has a job in another local restaurant - all applied for on Indeed. She needs to just keep applying for anything that seems relevant. DS has applied for loads and not heard back.

SunshinePie · 19/06/2022 08:15

Look online for jobs, don’t put her age on cv - they legally shouldn’t discriminate based on age but ppl do. Apply for everything. Seriously, I have a masters degree and have applied for more than 60 jobs with only 1 reply, for a rejection. trying to find a job is a full time job!

waveyourpompoms · 19/06/2022 08:17

Also, parents inquiring for (and even worse attempting to apply for) their teenagers are a HUGE red flag that said teenager is lazy/doesn’t want the job/don’t take it seriously.

If they want the job they need to do it themselves - employers are professional businesses. They won’t interact with mum.

UncomfortableSilence · 19/06/2022 08:17

Most places won't take CVs now. DD found this out the hard way. She got her job on Indeed but it took many months of applying and endless rejections/no replies.

curlymumof2 · 19/06/2022 08:17

Her friend was working at a food place and they were looking for more employees.
She had been on Indeed for months on end with not much luck prior

implantsandaDyson · 19/06/2022 08:20

Online - Indeed and local town FB page. She started looking as soon as she was 16, started McDonalds (wasn't for her but lots of her friends are grand there). She then started at a local bowling alley (absolutely loves it). Also word of mouth among her friends. None of them have supermarket retail jobs - mainly McDonalds, local convenience stores, smaller clothes stores.

Flamingoose · 19/06/2022 08:20

My 16 yo is paid to coach small children to learn to do a sport she plays.
She emailed a couple of private clubs and asked if they were interested in taking her on as a part-time coach. One got back to her.

frydae · 19/06/2022 08:20

She just has to wait until a job is advertised like anyone else. Handing in a CV isn't going to get her a job where there isn't one. Scour indeed and other job websites, also go direct to company websites to look for vacancies.

SpinningRoundRightRound · 19/06/2022 08:21

There’s a 16 year old doing a shift today where my son works. The 16 year old’s parents are friend of the boss …

Word of mouth, contacts, seeing a sign in the window at the right time - sometimes it’s just down to luck.

Are any of his friends working anywhere? What do they do? Can they keep an eye out for vacancies and suggest him for a trial? Some independent businesses do still work like that; it’s not all online metrics (although a lot is).

Cuphalffullor · 19/06/2022 08:24

Ignore people saying places don’t take CVS. Lots of hospitality still does. And going in smartly dressed with a CV can result in a job offer.
If you go on sites like Indeed, prioritise the agencies with a phone number and ring.

ItsReallyOnlyMe · 19/06/2022 08:24

Mine trained to be lifeguards at 16. There always seemed to be work for them. However you need to shell out for the cost of the course, and living somewhere with a few swimming pools helps.

frydae · 19/06/2022 08:25

Ignore people saying places don’t take CVS.

It was OP who said places are not taking them.