to ignore MIL's attempt at changing terms after signing them off

[JustCallMeBroken]

Her 15yo son applied for a work experience placement where I work.
He's been placed in my department under my direct supervision. Someone from the school and from their externally contracted company came out to check the place over, insurance etc, and handed me a list of dos and don'ts, along with the terms of the placement.
5 days, 9-5, normal work lunch breaks, and he's supposed to work (within the guidelines on their other list).
MIL was sent the same list and both her and BIL had to sign it to say they agreed, as well as me signing it.

This week she came over with the list and asked me to let him start at 10 and finish at 4, "because he's only a child" and "he's not used to working".
She also said that he "would be happy if I let him sit at a computer all day".

WIBU to ignore all of this and put him to work as I would any other apprentice in their first week?

When my son fid it last year, he worked from 9-6 for two weeks.
Was invaluable to his ' work mates' and made them a fortune!
I would have had him do less hours, if l could have done.
None of his friends worked so many hours.

When one of my colleagues asked me to look after her nephew for work experience, she told me to give him as hard a time as possible! I didn't, of course, but I did give him the same experience as I would a total stranger to the company.

He'd be on 8.00 - 17.30 at our place like the others

I'd remove yourself from this equation by getting HR to send her a short email stating working conditions have been signed off and no changes will be made (that is if it wouldn't cause too many waves at work).

Or I'd ring the school and have a quiet chat with them and get them to inform BIL that he's expected to honour what hes signed.

I would ask her directly how she thinks he is going to get the full benefit of work experience if he doesn't do a full working day, or all the range of tasks available for work experience students.

Ds1 did his in the MOT workshop of a local big haulage firm - he had an amazing time, and would not have thanked anyone for suggesting he work shorter hours, or only do the easy stuff! He did some welding (on scrap metal, I think - not on someone's lorry), and all sorts of other fascinating stuff (well - fascinating for a petrolhead), and even went to the MOT test station.

I did my work experience at 15 at a theatre. I was there all day and all evening most days! Your MIL is doing this child no favours.

I would love to ask this mother how she thinks children coped in the days when school leaving age was 14 and they went straight on to work.

Nope no mollycoddling the 15 year old especially after her comments.

It also doesn't matter if he doesn't like the hours or is happier at a PC make him do (within reason) what he's there for.

I've had to supervise work experience students and on the whole though we try to give them a wide range of work if they're admin side they will end up photocopying etc just as I do...

Can I ask has MIL worked a day in her life at all?!

If the work experience is more than just a week long thing, perhaps you could bring him in for the first few days from 9 - 5 to give him a flavour of what the full working day is like and then make an executive decision as to whether he need stay until 5 the rest of the time. I'd still have him starting at 9am as that is when the working day begins. There might be a little latitude on the time that he finishes up, maybe?

Why latitude?

I have changed hours when it was needed for transport etc, but not just because Mummy thinks her ickle wickle baby shouldn't be expected to work normal hours.

If you wouldn't change for any other child, you shouldn't because it's one known to you. This all sounds a bit weird - is MIL not supportive of the idea of work experience and thinks this is a good cop out and he's just going to come in and mess about playing computer games or something, and you've agreed a sort of fake work experience to tick the boxes at school?

Tell her to jog on.
Ask him what he wants? Consider the time he finishes? Really.. Not a chance.

There are two options. Work the hours or bugger off somewhere else and let a teen who really wants to be there have his place.

If this is her youngest (as suggested by the fact that he has an adult brother who is already married to the OP), she is probably struggling with the fact that he's growing up. That would explain why she is interfering and trying to baby him with all this insistence of him being 'still a child'. OP, I don't know what your relationship is like with your MIL but when you refuse to amend the hours - because you can't agree to her request, you just can't - you could perhaps soften it with a remark about how he's growing up and this will be his first taste of adult work, and isn't it difficult to see them getting so big and independent.

If you phrase it gently enough you can hopefully address her anxieties without actually saying 'back the fuck off you helicoptering nutter' (which I imagine would be bad for your ongoing relationship).

Are you going to be allowed to fire him for poor time keeping?

I am supposed to let the school know if there are any issues or if I, or anyone else, thinks there may be concerns.

I work 8.30-6, but 5-6 is just wrapping up the day and tidying my desk, 9-5 is the bulk of the action.
We get plenty of teenagers applying for work experience and jobs, his position would be snapped up in a heartbeat.

I won't mention it to him or the school, but if MIL says anything again I will make sure to remind her that he is expected by the placement and by the school to turn up at the time he ssigned for on the agreement.
She will probably huff, whine a bit and pull faces, imply that I am mean, and then punish me by refusing to babysit or something.