Is it worth kids doing a levels getting a part time job, or would you prefer your schedule to concentrate on their studies ?

[GingerKittenTail]

? The balance of a teen wanting to earn some money
but also having a lot to do work wise

what are your thoughts ?

Grad recruiters are generally not impressed by candidates who have nothing on the CV. Spending a couple of years doing bar-work, or waiting tables shows a good work ethic

But having a good CV is not dependent on having a low paid job in a shop! You could argue that volunteering demonstrates more character than some jobs- effort without financial reward. I would similarly argue that a batch of 9s and A*s also demonstrates a good work ethic/resilience/commitment etc etc. Some people talk as though school/college work is of no value!

No one is saying that. They are simply talking about the benefits of working a few hours a week.

Volunteering is more indicative of having rich parents and being able to afford to work for free instead of for money.

Oh and also one eye on personal statement

That was why I volunteered at 17 years old!

It doesn’t have to be an either or , our son had his PT retail job but also volunteered as an assistant with our local cub group and when he was at uni he also volunteered with a childrens charity that provided holidays for child carers etc in the holidays . Alongside that he got a 1st in computing science .

D1 volunteer at his tennis club fir 1 year training young children for the gold DoE (before you say oh tennis! Expensive and only for the wealthiest! Our tennis club is a small community club - cheap and accessible. Not David Lloyds and the likes)
Also did quite bit within his running club ((a sport he competes in)
dc2 has done some volunteering in another club (with his own sport).

Volunteering doesn’t always mean parents. It might just mean a child involved in a club following his own interests.

Or having a hidden disability and only being able to give an hour or two a week of their time because they aren't able to work for several hours a week and study.

Grad recruiters are generally not impressed by candidates who have nothing on the CV. Spending a couple of years doing bar-work, or waiting tables shows a good work ethic

Whereas travelling to an Arab nation alone to do work experience is probably even more impressive in terms of initiative, independence, confidence.

Anyone (well nearly anyone) can work in a shop. Bar work only applies to over 18s and ours were too young but we'd not have allowed anyway. Something requiring a bit more effort, that offers additional qualifications and higher prder skills has worked very well for ours.

I guess it depends what your aspirations for your children are. We understand that 'just wanting them to be happy' isn't a particularly effective long term strategy.

No, not really it just suggests rich parents. As does the sailing in Switzerland.

Whereas travelling to an Arab nation alone to do work experience is probably even more impressive in terms of initiative, independence, confidence

Yes that just screams 'funded entirely by parents' to me.

There seem to be a few "chip on the shoulders" posts on here.

I'm glad that DD managed to get some work during her gap year because working during her A levels was not possible. It helped her walk into a job within days of moving back to her university city.

The kind of jobs most teens have might not be directly related to the career they wish to go into....but that doesn’t diminish their value.

When they apply for grad training scheme jobs which are highly sought after, when applying and in the various interview and group exercises, talking about actual experiences where they have been challenged, dealt with a difficulty etc are so important. It won’t be the fact they operated the till in Tesco that matters for them getting on the scheme but the fact they dealt with tricky customers, persevered with new skills, worked within a team etc that count. Those things also mean they gain confidence in a way you just don’t when always only in an environment with students or people similar to yourself.

Getting a job in a shop means applying, being interviewed, doing training, facing some awkward customers, possibly dealing with a tricky manager, having to ring up to request absence, finding ways to re-arrange life and other things to fit in with work. It’s all really valuable.

If all you do is go to school and study and perhaps do a couple of school based activities, life has been very narrow and sheltered. It’s not impressive in a competitive world.

Weaker students might find that working many hours impacts their ability to do well at Alevel. Good students find 6th Form is the time to thrive with study, extra curricular, a social life and a few hours of paid work. The weaker student might need parents to intervene to manage their time, but bright kids working a shift per week thrive and learn to manage their time and study efficiently. Getting A* at A level shouldn’t require studying every hour God sends and if it takes that, really things don’t bode well for the future.

Yes, keep a balance. No jobs wanting 13+ hours in term time, but one evening shift or a weekend day should be fine. Even doing 3 months and then quitting in the run up to exams delivers huge benefits. People think ‘shop work=not relevant to future lawyer” but they forget the skills and experience gained and transferable benefits.

Interesting that some think their big aspirations for their kids don’t fit with basic shop/restaurant work.

Medics always benefit from doing some Carework when they apply. And the more competitive the industry the graduate goes for, the more lengthy the application process. The top A Levels and degree from a top uni help them get through the first sift. Being clever will help them do the isometric tests. Some life experience will help them answer paper and interview ‘scenario’ questions. A sense of a privileged life where paid work or experience of the normal world doesn’t look impressive.

Think about what builds character. It’s life experiences and facing things where choices have to be made and you are tested. That can be through basic situations that take you out of your comfort zone. For many teens, simply the real world of tedious work many engage in all their lives can be that ‘out of comfort zone’ thing. Doesn’t it also give some empathy for others not destined for high poweeed careers and character and soft skills which are actually important in all jobs?

Who really wants their kids to have only ever spent time with the highly educated and prosperous? Perhaps some parents unwittingly do wish this. They don’t want their kids to mix with shop assistants or the odd customers they might encounter. Perhaps that would make them feel very uncomfortable, never mind the kids. It’s probably what everyone needs a bit of....not sweeping in to do an hour of charity work and watching from outside, but simply living a bit of life....even if quickly they might be back in the bubble.

My dd has had some sort of paid employment since the age of 13. I think that part time jobs help young people to develop all sorts of skills that they won't pick up in the same way at school. I feel that one of the most important is that they learn to work with adults outside their family/school environment and who may be much older than them.

Work, 100 per cent. So many additional skills.

I've seen thousands of graduate/ new entrant CVs over the last couple of decades and those with a history of real world jobs are always more likely to end up in my yes pile. I rarely look at the education section at all. But all those jobs that some are shuddering their middle class bones at here - bar work, shop work, waitressing, cleaning etc - all tick a load of boxes for me.
My industry - TV production - is usual. It's almost completely freelance, rates of pay are not great at entry level but increase hugely as people progress, it's very hierarchical. Perhaps if I was offering £50k grad scheme jobs to 'Russel Groups Grads' my criteria would be different. But for our new entrants we tend to be looking for grafters, who are adaptive, who work smart, who are prepared to get stuck in with whatever madness that day brings and without thinking something is beneath them. All those part time jobs during education are such a good learning ground.

I think if I saw on a CV that someone had worked a Christmas or two in retail that would be give me an idea of their strength of character. 😄

DS Saturday job did more to help his confidence, maturity and social skills than anything else.

That helped DD get her job. At her interview she told her employer that she worked until midnight in the run up to Christmas.

My daughter has been volunteering at Brownies for the last couple of years. She has planned and led sessions, worked alongside a wide range of adults and learned to manage challenging situations. She spends a couple of hours a week doing this and does it all off her own back. I'm not convinced a part time job in a cafe would offer her any additional skills that this doesn't. It would cost her considerably more time however.

I'm wondering how many people on here who have a full time job already fancy getting a part time one in the evenings/at weekends??

Nobody needs to do paid work during a-levels. It's good if you can manage it, but studies should be the priority.

Anecdotally, I never did any paid work in sixth form or university due mostly to personal circumstances, only volunteering which allowed flexibility. And yet, I managed to get into my ideal graduate job and a masters programme, and had other interviews too.

Had plenty to talk about from volunteering, university projects and a short internship. Working in Zara was not necessary (though it is beneficial if for some people).

Volunteering, for instance, allows you to choose something that is directly relevant to your degree, too. So it's more relevant in interviews.

I got a job during my A-levels. I worked really hard on my studies during those 2 years but still didn't get the grades to do my first choice course at uni.
Maybe I would have if I'd had 9 o so more hours a week to be able to study.

There's only so many hours you can study during the week and still take it in. And there's 168 hours in the week. Doing 10-20 hours of work, maybe less in the run-up to exams, is more than doable for most students.

We are in a nice area and dc at an academic grammar 6th form. She and most of her peers have a pt job. It’s seen as a good thing and encouraged by parents.
Mine tends to do one 5 or 6 hr shift a week. She’s definitely benefiting from it - interacting with managers, public.
She is predicted top grades, does extra curricular, a weekly hobby and a volunteer role too. Obviously if it was affecting her academically then yes job would go but so far into yr 12 she’s fine.