Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Paper round, slave labour?

65 replies

dingit · 02/09/2015 13:47

Ds just been offer a paper round 100 papers £3. This doesn't sound too bad, but it's also the steepest hill in the village, and long driveways.

OP posts:
sooperdooper · 02/09/2015 13:50

Well he doesn't have to do it then

Original poster
dingit · 02/09/2015 13:51

No, he doesn't, but I'd like him to, I just want to know if he's being exploited!

OP posts:
Gottagetmoving · 02/09/2015 13:53

I wouldn't let mine do it for that. Depends how long it would take I suppose. Work out the hourly rate.

EponasWildDaughter · 02/09/2015 13:54

How old is he? Paper round money is always shit. 2 of my DDs shared a paper round when they were 14 and 15. They decided for themselves that the slog wasn't worth the money, left after 3 weeks and and it taught them something.

The following Thursday some other youngster was doing it. They lasted a week or two and then it was someone else ...... and so on.

Original poster
dingit · 02/09/2015 13:56

Thanks for a more helpful comment. I think it would take a while, at least an hour.
I want him to know what it's like to work for money, but out in all weather for less than £3 per hour, I'm not sure.

OP posts:
Egosumquisum · 02/09/2015 13:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

googoodolly · 02/09/2015 13:59

Paper round money is always rubbish. How old is he? If he's under 16 he's not entitled to minimum wage anyway, and if he is 16, minimum wage is only £3.79 an hour.

www.gov.uk/child-employment/paying

FattyNinjaOwl · 02/09/2015 14:01

Wow, that's seriously shite money. I got paid £2.50 a day for my paper round, I did two days a week, had around 30 papers to deliver each day and that was early noughties.

Original poster
dingit · 02/09/2015 14:01

He's 14. I think we might say we will try it, if it takes more than 1 hour, they can stick it!
I just don't want to give ds the wrong message, he's a lazy so and so at the best of times.

OP posts:
Egosumquisum · 02/09/2015 14:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Spydra · 02/09/2015 14:03

£3 is very low. Even in erm - early 2000's, my paperround was £20 a week (5 days).

Surely with inflation it should be better paid by now!

RachelZoe · 02/09/2015 14:04

The national minimum wage for under 18s is £3.79 an hour so £3.00 an hour is circa the "going rate". Mine got paid 3-4 an hour for similar jobs under 18, it's not slave labour (Hmm), it's in the realms of an appropriate wage. They should be paying the full £3.79 of course though. If it's an hours work (which 100 papers is really depending on house placement) then ask them if they can bump it to £3.79, I'm sure they'll be willing to negotiate on such a small difference.

Part of teaching children to work for money is then being paid the appropriate amount, if they get paid disproportionately, the exercise is semi pointless.

RachelZoe · 02/09/2015 14:05

By disproportionately, I mean being paid too much for the task/too high an hourly rate for their age/type of work.

Egosumquisum · 02/09/2015 14:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 02/09/2015 14:08

Our paperkids get paid better than i do, bundles are delivered to their houses already sorted and each has under 50 papers...

£20 for 5 days, between £25 - £30 if they also do weekends.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 02/09/2015 14:09

We have one round with 4 papers on it!

Original poster
dingit · 02/09/2015 14:09

Hmm, thing is I think it will take two of us an hour. I will help him the first couple of times!

OP posts:
Original poster
dingit · 02/09/2015 14:10

That's just it the weight of 100 papers is quite hefty with a hill involved as well!

OP posts:
Lurkedforever1 · 02/09/2015 14:12

Depends on what is actually a fair time to do it in. If he's mega fit and does it in 20 minutes, he still deserves the full amount. If he's really unfit and it takes him 2 hrs, it doesn't mean he should be paid double.

EponasWildDaughter · 02/09/2015 14:12

Mine did their stint during the summer hols, after tea in the light evenings. They had a choice of Thurs or Fri to deliver. Was an ok way to spend an hour or so which would have been taken up doing not much otherwise. (it got them out of helping with the washing up!)

I wouldn't have liked seeing them out freezing their arses off or getting soaked during the colder months for that small amount of money.

thehypocritesoaf · 02/09/2015 14:12

DS does it. It's shit pay but I'm (disproportionately) proud of him. He's learning about commitment, responsibility, reliability, he's outside (for once) being active, and hopefully, he'll appreciate money a bit more and the need to get a good education.

Chopchopbusybusy · 02/09/2015 14:13

Rachel, there is no minimum wage for under 16s. I think there should be though. 100 papers on a steep hill with long driveways will take longer than an hour. At least two I'd say. I think they are taking the piss

Theycallmemellowjello · 02/09/2015 14:13

I would discourage mine from doing it for that kind of money. Unless the child is already on track for all a*s at GCSE, extra academic study is almost certainly going to 'pay' more in terms of increasing future earning potential.

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 02/09/2015 14:13

If this is a freebie/local paper, the money is often improved with all the junk leaflets they get asked to deliver at the same time...

It's rubbish money, but in the grown-up world, a poorly paid job could be topped up with working tax credits or similar.

Give him a chance. If he does it without too much fuss, give him an extra couple of quid yourselves to make it seem more worthwhile.

Is that £3 a day or a week?

Some of the rounds by us are awful. Long steep roads with long steep drives.
And 200 papers to carry or drag. Used to take neighbours ds about 4 hours over 2 days. For the almighty sum of £6.

I think it got bumped up to £8-9 with the flyers.

EponasWildDaughter · 02/09/2015 14:14

Ours got given a trolly bag thing to put the papers in and pull along.