Do your 15 year olds work?

[TropicofCapricorn]

If so, what are they doing?

Just on another thread,and others who just seem to think 15 year olds can easily get jobs.

Gone are the days of paper rounds etc so what jobs are they imagining the 15 yo will be doing? Odd jobs? Regular Saturday jobs? Where?

Most places won't employ anyone under 16. They could try doing odd jobs for people and getting cash in hand but I don't think there's much else.

Mines has had two jobs one working with the forager in a local estate so helped lift and carry, lots of riding around on the back of a quad bike and smoking the bees. Also as a pot wash in a kitchen both in the summer. First one because a parent works there and got him a trial. Second one through school they did a cooking competition, then cooked in a local restaurant and on the back of that lots of them got a summer job.

The only kids that age who have jobs where I live get them through family or close friends. Everything that's advertised is 16 or over - more usually 18 or over.
I expect it's different if you're in a touristy area though.

No I I wouldn’t want them to

No, no one will take her at 15. We are struggling in the volunteering D of E front too - the charity shops round here won’t take under 16s.

So although they can technically work there doesn’t seem to be any opportunity for them to do so!

Both of mine had paper rounds when they were 13-16, youngest has just had to stop hers as it clashes with after school revision classes for GCSE which we feel is more important.

however failing that, unless you are friends with someone who lets your young teen have a job there’s no way under 16s can get a job here.

When were they doing the paper round? Nobody delivers papers round out way.

DH and I both had Saturday jobs at 15. DD worked a few weeks in the holidays age 13 but for her aunty. She loved it!

My 15yo DS earns money as a football referee (you can do this from age 14 - my DD did the same for netball). He also works in the kitchen of a local pub for a few hours every weekend. He was lucky to get that job - his older sister works there and recommended him.

Neither of mine have jobs (14 & 15) but my friends 15yo has a paper round and a pot washing job in a cafe. They live in a large city, we live in a village but near a town.

Once eldest turns 16 in the summer she will hopefully be able to get a Saturday job.

When I was a teen everyone used to work in Tesco's or Sainsbury's, but that seems much rarer these days.

Most companies won’t employ 15 year olds and I don’t blame them.

My DS was a waiter from age 14 (now 18). We had been eating at the restaurant and asked if they’d employ him and they gave him a trial shift. He was much older looking and sounding, and had a vg work ethic. That restaurant generally employs 15-18 year olds as KPs and FoH.

No my 15 year old doesn't work. Around here you need to be at least 16 years old, even then it isn't easy to find a job. A couple of their friends help coach at sports clubs.

Mine has two little jobs. An hour and a half a week doing a local office clean on a Sunday and sticking up for a local skittles team.

I had no idea the local shop delivered papers until DS headed down there to ask for a job and came back with a paper round. Mostly older folk.

Sports clubs are a shout as they have to have safeguarding bits in place anyway if kids participate, so staff/volunteers will have been checked. For most businesses it would be a nuisance. I know a few teenagers get paid for coaching or lifeguards.

Dd started in a restaurant age 15
Ds at a builder’s merchant age 14

RS McColls (newsagent) still delivers papers. They pay £5 per round. I’d agree with PPs that being in a tourist area and who you know helps.

Has she got younger siblings or babysitting experience? I had a 15 yo do a mothers help type job whilst I worked from home.

Lots of playing in the garden, pushing on swings and arts and crafts, young primary school children, they liked it more than sports clubs. Obviously I was there in an emergency but meant I could get on with work.

Possibly put up a notice in the supermarket, or community Facebook group.

My 14 year old has done a paper round for 18 months and the two newsagents in town always have signs up looking for more paper delivery people. (I assume they have high turnover because it's 7 days a week for rubbish money. Luckily ds doesn't mind it and has saved up £1.5k.) He would like a cafe job or similar but may have to wait until he's 16 for that.

One of my olde children had a job in a pub under 16 but when my younger wanted to start the rules had changed hanged and the pub could no longer get insurance for under 16 and there was no way round it
Is your child fully covered in case something happens?

Dd1 has been babysitting since age 14 (started with people we already knew and then had references to give to new people).

Wow, £5 per round? That's low. I earned £15 for a Saturday round in the early 1990s!

I wouldn’t even want mine to work at 15, I’d want them to concentrate on their studies and social life.

Not at 15 but just as he turned 16, our local market hall have a bakery stall and he picked up a Saturday job there. He was asking around at 15 but we kept getting told to wait till he was 16

That must of been a big round. My mid 90s Sunday paper round paid about £4 my every afternoon plus Saturday paid £14 but you also collected the money and tips took it to about £20 a week.

My DC earns £20 a week coaching younger children at their athletics club so they only really got into it as they were part of the club. They asked to volunteer so weren't expecting to be paid as it was going to be for their DoE. They've been doing it since 14.