My 17 year old struggling to find any work

[Missypuddingchops]

So im really at my wits end atm, my dd is 17 and attends college 3 times a week, shes so she has 4 days where she is literally just at home, shes broken up from her 1st at college so now its all week apart from a driving lesson, she needs amd wants a job...not alot to ask but my god its sooo hard. Even for older people its hard but how are our youngsters meant to set themselves up for saving etc? Everywhere is all 'hand your CV in...basically just dumped on a pile with all the rest from 16/17 year olds desperate for work. Shes costing me a fortune! She must've applied for 15 jobs and handed in so many cvs in the last month and NOTHING! Even the supermarkets arent getting back to her...ive even asked in the town I work in...we are both so deflated

Look for volunteering opportunities, to get experience, then keep looking for paid work.

It is hard, but there are volunteering opportunities.

It is not an exaggeration to say my daughter applied for about 150 jobs in a four month period before she secured her PT role.

She needs to apply for everything going.

I hear you, DS (16) is in a similar situation, all he wants is something for the summer that maybe goes alongside college afterwards.

Its so tough out there.

Do you have friends or family that could help her into the world of work? DD got hers through a friend working at the same supermarket - a few years ago. Not much luck for DS...

Does she know anyone who already works for a company like tesco? Myniece was guaranteed an interview with Tesco because of their friends and family policy and that's how she got a student contract that means she works at her home store during the holidays and uni store during term time

Sadly I don't think 15 is that unusual. My DD volunteered regularly from 12 and got a zero hours holiday job at 16, so she's been really lucky, but she still did about 10 applications before she got an interview. Encourage her to do some volunteering and keep trying.

If she's a half decent swimmer, she could look into doing a pool lifeguarding qualification. That's a good foot in the door for some YPs' first jobs. You have to pay for the course but there's often then zero hours casual work available that pays a little more than NMW.

My DD18 has been looking for a part time job for two years. In 14 days she applied online for 55 jobs, not one reply. Eventually our local pub said they would put her on the roster. She got three hours on Monday, not nearly enough but it's a start. She also made €30 in tips.

It's so hard for teenagers to get work. I will add that my DD has volunteering experience and it didn't make a difference.

I genuinely never understand this. Waiting on, bar work, office temp, warehouse temp, cleaning...all jobs you can start almost immediately.

Yes when you actually get offered a job.

The issue tends to be that most employers require/prefer prior experience.

15 applications is not that much at all and I think if it's a summer job she wants then she is too late anyway as those positions gets filled earlier in the year.

Four years ago, when the job market was a lot better, my DD applied for 285 jobs in a 5 month period before she got her first interview and job. She was 17 at the time and it was at a fast food place. She had volunteered with animals before that so had some experience, but nothing relevant to the job she got.

OP, my DD ended up volunteering in a charity shop as she couldn’t find anything else. Hard at the time, but stood her in good stead and helped her to get a “proper” job later on.

Not so easy to get when only 17. Definitely can't do bar work. Office temp with no experience is hard too.

These were jobs we got at uni students in the early 2000s. I've not come across an under 18 doing office work or warehouse work recently.

We struggle enough to find things for a work experience student to do for a week in our office. Why would we need to employ a temporary random 17 year old in 2026?

I think she should have started applying much earlier for a summer job. My daughter applied for literally hundreds of jobs last springtime - absolutely anything and everything that could be even a remote possibility. She heard back from 2! She got a 4 hour a week temporary retail contract , starting last August. Now she has an 8 hour permanent contract and is working most of the week filling in for sickness and staff holidays before she starts uni.
She is very reliable, punctual and competent and she was the only temporary person kept on out of 20. She has been shocked how many of the others just didn't turn up for shifts or turned up late and were hopeless and lazy. She works for a very large retailer with excellent pay and fair working conditions.

Well maybe you wouldn't. I obviously wasn't talking about your specific office 🙄 but a temp agency could place her as a receptionist covering the phones for a week or filing for a week. If I wanted to get a job, I could literally get one tomorrow. It wouldn't be interesting or exciting but it'd be a job. Agencies are constantly advertising for cleaners. Go and do the jobs others don't want to do, like office or pub cleaning. The work is out there if you're prepared to roll your sleeves up but I'm guessing she wants a cushty job and of course they're harder to get.

I've never known it this hard, I'm so sorry.

If it's a money issue and you think she has ADHD, then that could be a good route for income?

If not, then maybe an Amazon warehouse job?

How’s her swimming? The pool lifeguard course is 5 days, my son did his as soon as GCSE’s were over last year and has fairly regular shifts.

Unfortunately the dire situation is in part down to the increase in minimum wage, which seems a great idea on paper, but actually isn't. Businesses can hire more skilled workers for not much more than hiring absolute novices.

I wonder if it's area dependant? My DS(18) has worked since he was 15. First as a pot washer in a restaurant, then in an ice-cream parlour. He's got a full time summer job just started too, labouring for a marquee company.
DD(16) does waitressing in a restaurant on a Friday and Saturday night, with some extra shifts on weekdays over the summer.

We're in North Yorkshire. I couldn't afford to fund all their extras, so it was get a job or do without.

If she's interested in working for a larger organisation (ie some coffee shops/pharmacies/grocery shops), might be worth looking online for jobs/recruitment. My last job was online applications only. Are there any festivals in the area? Worth trying there as she could clean/serve coffee.

DD really struggled to get a job while she was at uni first year. Covid hit, and all her friends were trying the obvious like Tescos. She decided to try Co-op, and got in there, so worth trying to think out of the box.

17 year olds can do bar work under adult supervision.

We sell alcohol. We don't put 17 year old on tills as although they can sell with supervision the supervision required means its not cost effective, its taking up the majority of the time of a supervisor to authorize every sale.

We do employ 16/17 year old but only in support roles,most pubs won't need someone to that extent.

I understand your reasoning, but the pp seemed to be saying that at 17 one cannot do bar work, period which is not true.

Filing and answering phones!? What is this, 1995? Those kind of activities just don't exist anymore, let alone for an inexperienced 17 year old!

OP, do any of her friends have jobs? That seems to be the best route in amongst my DS's friend group. One of them gets a job at a cafe etc, then recommends a friend etc. They all, DS included, work in hospitality (restaurants, coffee shops etc). Part time retail jobs just don't exist in the same numbers as they did when I was a teenager.