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?

15 year olds might be capable in some ways but they are also young and inexperienced and can be open to exploitation by others.

Technically they are children, and have particular protections in terms of working hours, but these can be ignored by bad employers.

Why the rush? We are all working a very long time. Do we need children to be working?

My daughter works in a cafe on a Saturday morning. She started by washing up when she was 14 and now waitresses at 15. Not paid much but for a teenager, money is money. She also babysits. She was the one who wanted a job and it has been very good for her.

my 14 year old has a friend who does a paper round but there aren’t that many rounds in my area. My 2 oldest both worked at Waitrose from 16.

There are also a couple of pubs that employ pot washers from 15– but it is in a remote village and also has a very high turnover of staff so I wonder how good they are to work for……

Yes, babysitting and tutors younger kids in maths and English and teaches singing, strings and piano. So makes a lot of money for their age.

Mine did, but school got wind of it and put a stop to it. Here there is a by-law regarding the working hours of under 16s and what hours they can work. She was glass collecting, and the hours permitted in Saturdays and Sundays just didn’t work at our local WMC. I was threatened by safeguarding if she didn’t stop. She’s 16 now and got her own beauty business. It’s such a shame people put such harsh restrictions on those who want to work, especially when school doesn’t always work for some.

Several local school kids round our way are quite entrepreneurial, putting around posters and WhatsApp messages looking for small jobs, car cleaning, weeding, pet sitting, dog walking etc. also collecting unwanted stuff from neighbours for car boot, eBay, vinted sales, presumably through mum's account. A couple of years ago someone delivered Sunday morning croissants, another picked up and delivered weekend takeaways. Obviously a bit of input required from the parents but the kids drove it for pocket money.

When do you suggest they start? Both mine started working part time at just turned 16 ( they couldn’t find anywhere to work pre 16) as did many of their friends. All went on to do very well at uni and had no problems getting jobs post uni. It instils a good work ethic.

Yep, soft play centre. All above board ☺️

I did, dd did and dgd did and still does at the same place, around her A Levels. Pot washing and waitressing. Very good for learning a work ethic.

DS2 washes cars and cuts grass for a few people locally. It's not regular though, just when they ask or when someone new is told about him.

He's mighty pissed off at the world. All three of his older siblings (9/10 year gap) worked at a local tourist attraction from 15. It was almost a right of passage for local teenagers. Now they mostly employ older folks who've retired from them career but can't afford to retire completely. It's less hassle for them in terms of working hour restrictions and also they don't have people going off to uni each year. It's a massive change locally.

DD4 is hoping that when she's 15 she'll be able to get up a babysitting round like DD1 had, but I'm having to manage her expectations as very few people hire teens anymore.

Yes he works for a family friend doing catering for events and he bloody loves it! The work is ad hoc as he can obviously only work in the weekends and school holidays and they do a lot of funerals that are during the week. In summer, he does a couple of county shows too. He gets paid £8.50 an hour, which I think is a lot and his boss always rounds it up. It’s a family business and he is basically one of the family now.

I think working is great for him as it’s taught him so much about working with people and managing his own money. He has over £2k saved up 😵.

Meant to add, at this age it’s not what you know but who you know! We live rurally and all the teens are employed by family friends.

Op if your looking for volunteering for DfE try local sports clubs (if she has an interest in one) or they can volunteer as young leads in scouts/guiding they don't have to have done scouts beforehand to do explorers and Young leaders. Scouts do a comprehensive training programme for young leaders as well.

In reply to OP original post, there are very few jobs around here for under 16's. The only ones I know of do odd jobs or work for family.

DD did her lifeguard qualification at 16 and got a job at a local leisure centre. They always seem to be after staff.

Not me personally, but within my family & friends I know three 14 year olds and two 15 year olds who work in either cafes or restaurants. I also know our local supermarkets take employ 16 year olds.
Theres a young guy (looks about 12 to me, but I assume 14/15) who helps out at my son’s football training.

A friend of mine is looking for kitchen staff - dish washers and would employ young’uns happily.

Would she consider dog sitting? I would happily hire a responsible teen to look after my dog for a couple of hours on a regular basis and I know others who would too.

Helps out on a few boats. Things like washing, sanding, painting, cleaning etc. Not loads but here and there when he wants to earn a bit and little jobs are available (me/partner and/or friends supervising).

Is this a wind-up?

Not at 15. My oldest did some GCSE tutoring from 16 after his GCSEs and then did other part time work from 18. It was pretty much impossible to get jobs here until 18. Youngest is 16 and won’t work til after her A levels at 18.

No, my 15 year old does not work - he is most definitely broken 😬😬😬

My father works weekends at a busy farm shop and they still have 15yr olds, especially the shortened Sunday hours. I was working in a cafe that age and feel confident the jobs still exist round here as kids I know were working in a cafe and doing birthday parties aged 15 this summer.

To be honest with the shortened hours it's much easier work then the long days filming my 12 year old is currently choosing to do. All licenced and safe, with tutoring within the daily hours but still long old days.

Oh and I don't believe for a second that working stops you pursuing academic qualifications unless you weren't that academic to start with. Many people I worked with back then now have post grad qualifications like me and the ones that didn't go to college were never going to. Or would have spent a couple of years retaking maths until getting a job.

Not in my experience.
Most of DS's friends had jobs young and they all decided that they didn't want to deliver papers/wash pots forever, The money helped with their social lives as well. The ones who didn't work are less motivated and finding it harder now as they lack experience.

At 15, options here are paper round, leaflet delivery/monthly local magazine delivery, football referee and some informal building work/tidying sites and gardening.
DS also had a business on Vinted, made a fair bit in a short time but then (he said) the market got tough.

@Pollyanna87ive only just seen you replied, but no, why would it be a wind up. I’ve taken pictures of our by-law. Children are not permitted to work after 7pm, which didn’t work for our WMC as they only required glass collectors on an evening. And on a Sunday they can only work for 2 hours when they were busy for about 6 on a Sunday afternoon. We had no idea about this by-law, neither did the landlord/committe and due to the involvement of the school and potential consequences for the council, she had to stand down from her job as did another girl. I tried to explain that many of her friends were working the food stalls in the town centre and also working in the local pubs and fairground, but I was told nothing could be done about these unless names were given - which of course, I didn’t give. So it’s clear many other establishments in our town don’t know the rules either.

My DD worked in a restaurant at 16. No family connection, she just went along to their recruitment meeting when the restaurant was getting ready to launch.

DS didn’t have a job at 15 but he made quite a bit of pocket money washing neighbours’ cars and mowing lawns. He initiated and organised it all himself and had some very happy customers. At just turned 16 he got a job as a pot washer at a local cocktail bar/restaurant. We live in a seaside town and we do have a lot eateries so we’re lucky. Aside from various eateries, DD also worked at a pottery painting place and at a garden centre.

My eldest worked at a local gymnastics club at 15 - coaching and working in the cafe. My son did work experience at a local cafe with school, and they were so impressed that they gave him a job. He's been there for a few years now, and loves it.