Is your teenager struggling to get a job?

[MrsJBaptiste]

Because DS is.

DS is 18 next week and since finishing college has applied for 15-20 jobs. He's had one interview (and wasn't successful) and heard back from one other (didn't get it) but nothing from any of the others.

Most are from indeed and so I appreciate there is a lot of interest but there are 100+ people going for each job! I did think DS was exaggerating but two of the jobs he's gone for have confirmed this in person. I thought retail and hospitality were desperate for staff but maybe not...

He hasn't got any experience, I get that but people can't get experience without a job and vice versa.

That sounds really tough on your poor ds. Not in the same boat yet but was talking to DH the other day about how easy we got jobs, it seems so tough for young people today. I do worry when my 2 start applying.

Can I ask how does your ds deal with this? Is he quite relaxed or is it stressful. I can imagine some teens would feel very deflated. Our young people have had and are still having a raw deal. Fingers crossed for some good news soon.

Yeah my daughter just got one after applying for loads. It took her longer than I thought it would. She says her friends had the same experience.

Small retail and hospitality don't advertise on indeed, it is expensive.

Mine go their jobs by going round pubs, bars and small shops when they first open up as not as busy then and asking if there were any positions available.

Yes my son is having the same problem although he is only 16 and has just left school. He wants a little job to fit round his studies when he starts sixth form and has applied for loads on indeed and has heard nothing apart from one which just said we have looked at your CV but then nothing after that? I understand they have no experience etc but they have to start somewhere, I wish someone would just give him a chance! It's so frustrating 😞

At the moment he’s being reactive - (responding to advertised vacancies )when he needs to be proactive. He needs multiple copies of his CV and he needs to approach businesses to ask if their hiring. I’d probably walk around the high street too and see if any businesses have signs up. I’ve noticed a few of our coffee shops with signs up.

Oh and I’ve also seen a young man looking for work on Nextdoor.com stating the range of jobs that he’d consider and he had a number of positive responses.

Thanks all, it's reassuring he's not the only one but it's rubbish. The way the media go on, you'd think every man and his dog could just walk into a job these days.

@Battlecat98 DS is very laid back and isn't prone to worrying about anything but yes, he is becoming a bit deflated as he thought he'd at least get a few more interviews. He also doesn't want to waste the summer doing very little and more importantly, needs to earn some cash for Uni in September!

Plenty of jobs in supermarkets, McDonalds, Dominoes etc. Start from there, its always easier to get another job while you have something to begin with.

Hi I have a DS (17) who walked round our local retail park handing in his CV and managed to get a 25 hr contract whilst still at college and they were more than happy to work the hours around his college course.

Supermarkets all usually advertise on their own websites, so I would advise looking there and setting up an email alert when they put new vacancies on.

Our large indoor shopping centre has a vacancies board that all the shops use.

No idea where you live but hoping some of the above helps

DC struggled with lack of experience, despite lots of volunteering etc on their CV. There seems to be a lot of automatic filtering and rejection with online applications for supermarkets etc.

They've picked up a housekeeping job with a well-respected company which will, if nothing else, provide work experience for future CV, and has already opened opportunities for internal recruitment to other roles.

Where we are hospitality are desperate. But best to go in with cv. During covid my son who was 18 at the time did hospital cleaning for 4 months. Got it through an agency, prioritised ringing those with telephone numbers. Good hours and pay but tough work.

My dd got a job in the next warehouse just to get some experience,is that an option?

Whereabouts are you based? Don't know if it covers the whole of the UK or just Scotland but at the end of last year there was a kick-start scheme through the government that was aimed at those un or under-employed. It pays their wages with an employer for a period of time which allows them to gain experience at little cost to the company and then the employer can choose whether to keep them on or not but the person has gained some good experience for their CV. Might be worthwhile checking if it still exists or if there are similar ones around.

If he's just looking for temporary work until he goes to Uni has he tried warehouse jobs?
DS has worked in one and they employed a lot of agency workers as they couldn't get enough staff. They were happy to take him on for 3 months each Summer. It wasn't stimulating but it was regular hours (10 hour days 5 days a week) so he saved up quite a bit more than if he'd got a retail job.
Retail are possibly looking for longer term staff so unless he's staying at home for Uni and plans to carry on working they may be prioritising others.

It depends where you live. Last year dd applied for hundreds of jobs. No-one wanted a student who could only work limited hours or who was only available for the summer. They wanted full flexibility.

She applied for a job in the city where she was due to move to for uni and got the first job she applied for. She ended up moving down there early. They adjusted the hours to suit her course once she started.

Not everywhere there isn't.

Yes my son is having the same problem although he is only 16 and has just left school.

I was in a large Wetherspoons recently which had a board up saying they were looking to recruit 16/17 yo school leavers.

(Awaits howls of outrage at the idea of working for Wetherspoons.)

nearly all the staff we encountered on that trip - hotel, restaurants etc - were very young. One young lady who served us said she had just done her maths A Level a few days ago.

Kick Start was only available to those who were claiming universal credit so not applicable to the majority of students.

It may depend on where you are in the country, but round here, there are hospitality and summer jobs aplenty. As others have noted, don't go through online, go out and about, go into cafes, pubs, hotels, golf courses, they all seem to have positions.

As your DC is going to Uni in Sept also look for national chains, who are flexible in where you work. Lots of DC work at home in the summer, and with the same company, but in their uni town in term time. National restaurant and cafe chains, supermarkets, and places like Boots and Waterstones all do this.

@comefromaway ah ok, i just suggested cause we got a great student through it, 1st class degree plus masters and had just been working P/T in a restaurant. It was definitely not who I was expecting when HR signed us up to it!

Would he consider working in a pharmacy? He could start off working the counter doing a counter assistant course and then if he fancied it move on to working in the dispensary gaining further qualifications? Some also offer apprenticeships.

They are crying out but there's loads who have been doing it before 18. I started working at 15 and didn't stop because I liked having money. I got nothing from my single parent and never actually resented them because by age 18 I was living on my own, had a good work background. So after uni I could walk into a decent job.

It will be these graduates who were handed everything who will be on the jobs scrapheap now that there is a surplus of workers. The self-service shops and automation has put so many people out of work.

Make up some bar experience and describe to him how to pull a pint and he needs to start winging it in life.

It was frustrating as I saw lads of good kickstart jobs advertised. When dd was living at home she wasn’t entitled to UC. when she moved to London even though she was also working she got it due to being entitled for the rent element.

it’s likely your person had already graduated so was claiming UC to top up their p/t job.

I second not bothering with job search sites and just going directly to local supermarkets, shops, cafes etc. Dd and her boyfriend walked into decently-paying jobs this way, one with Waitrose, one with a local ice cream maker.

We live in a seaside resort, though, so seasonal work is v easy to get. Nobody advertises!

I guess this is the difference between different areas. Where I live our towns are turning into ghost towns with all the shops and cafes coding down except for a few chain shops who only recruit online.

we also have transport issues. No buses after 5.30pm and none at all on a Sunday.