No more part time jobs for teens?

[PinkChaires]

My 18 year old has been applying for jobs since her year 12 summer last year and has gotten no where. She really started to ramp it up when her A Level summer started, but still isnt even getting interviews? She tailors her CV to each role,puts effort into each application and applies directly on the company website but no luck. Shes also staying home for Uni, and specifically says this on her applications meaning that they know she would be committed long term. Shes even tried handing in her CV in person, but we live in a major city where most places are either chains (who tell her to apply online) or family owned independents who would obviously rather hire their own. Is there something she can do to improve? I usually dont get involved in these things, but shes getting really down about it as money is becoming an issue

Check local independent garden centres. They usually take on young people for summer and/or their cafes and again at Christmas. Just walk in with a CV and speak to customer services. Now that she's 18 she might have better luck with retailers so definitely try again. Do you have M&S nearby? Keep checking their website and apply as soon as a suitable vacancy is advertised. And also, try local pubs and cafes. Walk in with a CV. It's so difficult these days. Once she starts uni, get her to check out local holiday schemes as they recruit for Christmas, Easter and summer holidays and if she's good and enjoys it could have a good run of employment over the next three years.

My ds is 17 and has applied for so many jobs at this stage. Most wanting them to him to be 18. Had a pt job last summer in a shop, but new owners and they didn't take him this year. Self service tills and national insurance are the issue

I grew up 60s/70s. I did the following paper round, film extra, grave diggers assistant, swimming pool attendant, sweeper upper in factory, I worked on a test production line for mash potato. I had to weigh sacks of potatoes that I poured into a hopper and then shovel the mash at the other end into a wheelbarrow and weigh that. Then calculate the yield. Chemistry A level got me that gig.

DS did Call Centre work - many places need people to cover unsociable hours (evening/weekends). He worked for NHS111 and then for a car finance helpline. Helped that he could drive, so I wasn't dropping him to work at 7am.

DDs both had hospitality jobs, but I realise these are rare as hen's teeth right now.

What is she tailoring her CV with?

I suspect she may be better to try less hard in terms of the applications when it comes to the academic or personal.

Most of these jobs don't care. They want to know if you can use a till, cash up, pull a pint etc.

As such she needs to show some of this in whatever way she can whether it's volunteering, some temping, helping one of your friends etc.

At 18 she's more expensive to employ but doesn't have additional experience over a 16 year old so she needs to try a change that - and even a couple of weeks doing things with relevant transferable skills would help.

DS's Uni offers a job finding support scheme. Could that be possible for your DD if she can't find anything this summer?

Hard out there op. My daughter in her dads office. My friends son got the friend some bar work its who you know isnt it. Feel for them its hard out there

For various reasons I've been helping DS (18). I find asking AI for specific CV help, then editing back to his own style has been useful. It gets him interviews (not loads, but some). He falls at that hurdle, which I can't help him with.

Right now is tricky as they have their summer staff but there's a window coming up soon when the students leave. I know you said she's been trying since last year but it's worth cranking up the effort in the next few weeks.

DS (16) works in retail and he says they'll be recruiting very soon for their autumn/Christmas staff and replacing students who are leaving for uni. He has quite a few friends who want jobs so he's keeping an eye out for them.

If she has no work experience, then volunteering is an obvious step if she can do that. Charity shop once a week, show you can work with customers and use a till.

It is a jungle out there at the mo.

I work with teenagers and they’re all really struggling to find any sort of job, however hireable they are. It’s a real problem

OP this is absolutely real and fairly recent. My DD now 20 and her friends all found opportunities from about 16. My DS two years older is in the same boat as your DD. People who think an inexperienced 18 yo can get bar work or waiting work in pubs (unless their parents are friends of the owners) are probably not aware of how tough it’s become. All she can do is keep trying and I’m sure she will find something eventually. CVs taken out on spec to businesses are usually binned, but if she goes round local businesses with her CV she will eventually find she’s in the right place at the right time. My friend’s DS walked into a golf club offering to do anything and he was lucky that several staff had all gone off to a festival and two of the staff left covering were ill. He got handed apron and was asked to start KP immediately and he’s continued to get shifts. My DS is not confident enough to do that but maybe your DD is? Good luck to her.

Look up local agencies in your area, many of them are outsourced to agency staff due to needing a variety of different staff for different roles each day, the company won’t recruit directly.
My work recruits probably 20 agency staff a week

The last two teens I spoke to with part time jobs had them at Starbucks (started in the past few weeks) and Sainsbury’s (worked there for about a year now).

These are also the only two teens I’ve spoken with in months and both had jobs, one aged 19, one aged 17.

Is training to become a life guard an option?
my dd is in her second year at uni and trained as a life guard and then swimming teacher. Obviously you have up front costs for the course, but pay is decent. Dd is 20:and earns £18 per hour.

It has always been tricky to get a first foot in the door. I was looking from 16 and eventually got one when I was 17, washing up in a pub, through a friend who just started there herself. That was in 1991/2 in a recession. Definitely better to try and get in somewhere a friend works.

dd also tutors online. She tutors maths and science.

I know several unemployed lifeguards (including my own son) so this does not work for everyone. Where we are there are way too many young people trained and as a couple of pools are at private schools, they give the jobs to their own kids first.

There is an outdoor summer pool where he probably would have got work, but that is not for the fainthearted, especially in this weather.

If she is staying at home for university she might get a job in September when the other students have left.

DD1 lucked out, turning 16 just when restaurants needed more staff again in 2021. Then she got DD2 in at the same place.

that’s disappointing, especially after paying for the course.
dd is lucky that we have three public pools near us and she works at two of them.

I do dotcom picking at a supermarket. If he has university on the application, I would consider removing it and really push availability on the CV, a little bio about just being available most of the week. When they interviewed me (and others) it was mainly down to who had most availability/flexibility and who looked like they would stay on.

Just wanted to say stay hopeful. There are jobs out there. My 17 year old walked into the first job she applied for post a levels and has been working a couple of months now earning £15 an hour and most of her friends have some sort of work. They just need to keep applying. Some form of work experience is really helpful - mine had lots as she is applying for a vocational uni course.

Can she volunteer at parkrun and the local library this year? It would give her CV a boost for Xmas and next summer.

Camp America? Working abroad for a summer will be good life experience if she's staying home for uni.

Along with the rest of the world
She'll need experience in those things and also insurance for dogwalking .

Is she involved in any sports where she could become a coach or instructor of? My daughters qualified to be sailing instructors at 16, and have done this work every summer (I appreciate this doesn't help the rest of the year). One if them is also a climbing instructor and does th3 odd shift at the local bouldering centre, and also got work via the uni helping at open days and answering queries via the uni website chat. Volunteering is definitely the way to go to start with though.

Where abouts do you live. We are in Berkshire and my 16 year old applied for about 25 places and got three interviews.