Thoughts on 16yr old having a job

[youareadarling]

My 16yr old daughter has an interview on Fri for a fast food establishment. I'm unsure if I'm happy that she would be working some nights a week until 10 when it's her GCSE yr however I don't know if I'm being ridiculous. What's the consensus?

Absolutely fine, it's a good thing.

Thanks for your reply. I would be happy for her to enjoy some independence and have some money to spend on herself. So maybe I'm just being a dinosaur

Mine didn't get jobs until after GCSEs for the reason you state. They still do a couple of clubs so were busy and I wanted them to feel relaxed doing revision and still enjoy clubs!

Work can wait in my opinion

I would support her. But if she's tired and feels it's not working for her make sure she knows that she's not a failure if she leaves it till exams are over etc.
Also I would make sure she doesn't waste her wages and saves for things worth having.

You can't dictate what someone spends their money on! She's worked for that and she's earned it!

I think it’s fair to set some boundaries on how many nights she can do. And if she gets behind in her school work she has to resign. Talk to her about your expectations before she accepts an offer. Make sure she understands she will have to say no if they want her to do too many shifts. And work out how she plans to get too and from.

DDs college suggest no more than 12 hours a week, although that is a level, btech age.

You can talk to kids about how they spend their money and how they can buy better stuff if they save their wages and what a good feeling it is when you've grafted and bought something you couldn't have had without working for it.

Some real work experience now will put her ahead of the rest of the 18 year old when she is looking for work when she is older.
Obviously be careful she isn't over doing it snd neglecting her schoolwork but around here we have a lot of shitty teens roaming around and causing havoc and assisting younger kids in groups and generally being total pricks, and apparently its because 'there is nothing for children to DO around here'
So if you have a kid that wants to fill her time with constructive activity and not piss about in the streets with her friends or online then I'd be thrilled. Congratulations on the parenting job!

My dd started waitressing at an Indian restaurant when she was about 13 and carried on throughout GCSEs and A levels apart from Covid closures.

It didn't affect her school work and had plenty of positives.

Teenagers have a different body clock to children and adults so are often awake until late - they might as well be doing something productive like working.

edit to add
My only worry (and same at 18 tbh) would be to make very sure she understands clear boundaries and isn't going to be subject to inappropriate behaviour by older staff. Give her the confidence to stand up for herself if she needs it and keep the lines of communication open so you know she is safe.

A rather bleak and unfair assumption to make. Yes, there can be creeps - I encountered a few in waitressing jobs in my youth - but it wasn't the norm at all and this was back in the early 90s and the culture was very different and more disinhibited.

Both dc worked from 15. They would save half their wages and enjoy the rest. They were able to buy second hand cars at 17. It has taught them both to value money and to save for things they want. I do agree she may need to do less when GCSES are in but she needs to chat to them and let them know.

Not saying it WOULD happen, or even likely. Just a 16 y/o is vulnerable and I would have it in my mind how to best protect them.

Does she have hobbies? I’ve told DD to wait until after GCSEs to start job hunting as she spends 3 evenings and one morning a week at her hobby, as well as school finishing an hour later for Year 11 every day. If she didn’t have the hobby, she could work during those hours I suppose.

Even though she is 16, your child is still compulsory school age, so your local authority may have restrictions on when she can work - check the website of your local education authority under "child employment" (this is assuming you are in the UK). This may mean your daughter cannot work beyond a certain time on week nights, and there will be other restrictions on what she is allowed to do, e.g. round serving alcohol, using certain machinery.

Have you and your daughter got any idea how many hours she wants to/ is able to work? Once she is employed, there may be pressure on her to do extra hours. Make sure she knows how to say no, politely and assertively. She may also want to take time off during the GCSE exam period. It will be up to her to communicate with her employers, so make sure that she is confident to do this. E.g. if she needs to call in sick, she should do this herself, not expect you to do it. That said, it is a good idea for you to gen up on employment rights, in case there is something you/ she are unhappy about, you can signpost her to more information. Your local authority information on child employment is a starting point as is the CAB website (again assuming you're in the UK).

For my DS, working as a 16 year old and through sixth form was a positive experience. As well as earning money, he was learning life skills and how to relate to other adults. All of which are better to learn when you are younger and not dependent on your earnings. And having employed 15-16 year olds in a previous job, it is great to see them gain their confidence in the working environment.

I had 2 jobs when I was 14! Fri night to Sunday night. Meant I had no weekend but was fine during the week. A good work ethic isn’t a bad thing

Hi OP, ex year 10/yr 11 teacher here. Lots of my students used to have pt jobs, and can honestly say that it didn’t negatively affect their school work. If anything they benefited from being organised. I think encourage and support her. The world won’t end if it proves too much, she can quit and get something else post exams.
It’s the students that don’t want to work in school that worried me! Real life skills, mixing with others are so important for her future. My kids had pt jobs at her age, no problem at all.

Mine got a similar job but quit very quickly to concentrate on her exams, when she was forced to work until midnight.

I taught in a local college for a short time and the difference between those who had jobs and those who didn’t was stark, it almost divided them into adults and children. They learn so many skills and it often helped them secure placements (I taught a vocational subject). I met children who’d never taken public transportation independently, couldn’t count change or find new buildings by themselves. It made me feel so sad for them.

on the flip side I didn’t do well at school as I had to work 15-40 hours a week from 13. I often cried from exhaustion and had to woken up in GCSE.

I got into medical school and then got a first having worked since the age of 14. I also played two instruments, did debating and mock trial, volunteered, and swam in a squad. This is actually the norm for high achievers. Work ethic was the most important thing I learned.

There was a very noticeable difference in maturity and work ethic between those who were accustomed to working for a living and those who were not.

None of mine worked until after final school exams
I wanted them to focus on their studies

It did not seem to hold them back at all

Absolutely fine. Most 16 y.o. in Australia get a few hours job a week in fast food retailers. It teaches working discipline early on, and will look good in their CV later on in a very competitive market.

My daughter started at 16. She was contracted to 8 hours but often did more. She found about 12 was tipping point of feeling it was affecting schoolwork.

I know her employers allowed someone to drop hours coming up to a levels.

She saves half her money for Uni / travelling.

It’s great but person dependant myself and my DS both worked during GCSE, well it was O levels for me. Personality wise both very high energy people. I needed to as my family were poor, I just wanted DS to have a good work ethic. He is on a degree apprenticeship programme now, very competitive, Some have dropped out due to pressure.