To think that by financing our teenagers lifestyles we are creating a generation of people that don't know how to work.

[Sunshinegirls]

We own a business and when we employ a young person (18/24) we struggle with them. They have no idea how to work, they are lazy, they are entitled.
Reading another thread just now it has occurred to me that it is the fault of today's parents.
When I was a teenager, I had summer and weekend jobs to pay for anything I wanted. My parents still fed and clothed me for school, but fashion items, possessions and leisure activities were financed by myself. It seems these days that (some) teenagers get everything bought for them and as such are growing up to be entitled and work shy.
Surely if a teen wants a gadget, they have to get a job to pay for the gadget?

My parents paid for everything, including full Uni fees, a rented flat for 5y and food/utilities/pocket money. They bought me a car. I did my first internship at 22 and they continued to pay for everything even though the internship was paid (min wage) and told me it was to enable me to save to start my "adult life".
Since then I have worked full time and have never asked them for anything.
My DH and several friends could say exactly the same.
It is not about what you give the DTeens, but about what you teach them. When I was studying, my goal was to be one of the best, and I worked hard, all night sometimes. I saw my parent work hard and that was and still is the norm for me.
YABU.

The amount of jobs available for teenagers does seem to be if there is lots of competition from the above 18 at minimum wage. I live in an area of high rents and hardly any social housing. so the coffee shops, fast food and restaurants are mainly staffed by women returning to work or students. My hometown is completely the opposite and high competition for any job. So my slightly well off teenagers can find work very easily, my nephews who are in more need have very little opportunities. The unfairness of life and post codes.

I remember I got criticized on here earlier on this year because I accepted petrol money of my 17 year old dd2 for driving him to work and picking him up because he works at a fast food restaurant that is inaccessible by transport. He is on very good money there for his age and at the time was earning more than I was..I was pt myself and money was tight.

Apparently at 17 I should be still buying his clothes, paying his mobile phone, driving him everywhere for free and giving him money and never charge rent ever no matter how long they live at home

Couldn't believe it. No wonder some teens grow up to be entitled adults.

I don't charge ds rent..yet but as hes now a crew trainer he's on more per hour than I am I think he can pay for his own shit!

What's your industry OP? Do you pay enough? If you offer a proper long term career you should be targetting top A Level students (or top BTEC/Apprentices) and offer them a real alternative to uni. My guess is you can't do that & so get the crappy kids.

Nutty that attitude irks me.

We pay more than the minimum wage but not much more as the business wouldn't stand it. We produce something most people eat on a daily basis.

We have a few part time staff of shifts that fit in school hours and weekend shifts.

Why are jobs that aren't "careers" so maligned. There is pride to be had in doing a manual job and doing it well.

"There is pride to be had in doing a manual job and doing it well.

Only if it pays a living wage, which for many adults even full time on NMW doesn't.

nutty Not every job can offer a high flying career. My H has a manufacturing plant and has real staffing issues, it's a nightmare with the utter rubbish some of them spout to explain why they didn't come into work. One of then even said he got arrested, as if that was totally not his fault then!

These workers can't expect to get high wages that aren't in line with the business or frankly, disproportionate with the work they have to do but a work ethic should style exist.

"I didn't generalise, if you read my post I said some teenagers and UserX, where did you get that i have met 1 teenager and made an assumption? We have employed a lot of young people. I'm opening a discussion not tarring a generation."

But you are generalising because your opening post was "AIBU to think that by financing or teenagers' lifestyles we are creating a generation of people that don't know how to work".

I don't think you can comment on a whole generation like that, I think that is a generalisation.

I would also say that it goes against my experience. I teach at a large sixth form college in a working class town. I would say the majority of my students (and I teach about 200 or so in any academic year) work. One of our biggest problems is that they work too much - some have jobs every evening and they struggle to fit it all in.
Where I only worked 4 hours a week whilst I studied my A levels, the majority of our students work over 15 hours a week. Most of my friends did a maximum of 12 (sat + one evening). It's not uncommon for my students to work every evening after college in one of the local call centres etc...

One Problem I think is the expectation is for students to have the phones, the driving lessons and the car. Although, I don't think we can entirely blame students for that. Our students can travel from over an hour away, When I was a student we had college busses to take us to / from college. These have long since gone, public busses are cut to shreds, so students have a much greater need for a car than I did in my generation. I got everywhere on the bus, but my hourly bus service has been reduced to 3 busses a day....

That said, this is just my experience of one town in a pretty working class area. Where I live, is much more affluent so whilst the students have jobs, they tend to work less hours and their cars tend to be newer and bought for them rather than being self financed. As a previous poster said, I think it is how it always was - more affluent parents paid for such things, and less affluent parents did not - just there are more affluent parents on mn these days.

I had this conversation with some girls I know who are 14. I was asking because they all have acrylic nails which I think at about £30 a pop. They told me most all the parents finance them. I asked the main girl I know and she gave me a withering look and replied 'god queen I have 3 jobs of course I but my own!' I like her...

Also we sat in a cafe today and I listened to the owners moanibg like mad about their staff being unable to commit to a shift - who were 17! I think that's a better example of entitlement

I believe you OP I really do believe you when you say that the 18-24 year olds are lazy and entitled and have no idea how to work

BUT

have you thought about your recruitment procedures? On what basis are you interviewing and offering these people jobs, what sort of jobs are they? is the pay good? are the prospects good?

This makes a huge difference in my experience

can you be a bit more specific about what the problem is with a couple of examples?

ssd that is completely different to being handed everything on a plate as a teen. In terms of deposits etc things were easier then and thankfully no inheritance as yet and long may that continue

I would help my DC with a deposit for a flat, education but not designer clothes/ buying a car at 17 while they are still at home and can get the bus/ paying for flashy mobile phones. Getting a part time job is beneficial in lots of ways. Working 25 hours a week while trying to study no but there is a middle ground that I wouldn't have thought required explanation tbh.

My 18 year old really struggled to find a job that fit around his college course.

He has found one now but they can't offer him the hours he would like but it's good experience. Most jobs he went for wanted him to be available pretty much every day and needed someone who could be flexible. Impossible for someone who is still in education. My 16 year old is coming against the same issue.

I know many teens and the ones I know do know how to work. It isn't as easy to get a job now as it was when I was a teen but the ones I know are either job hunting or working hard.

I have to finance my 18 year old . He is in education and doing amazingly well. His wages are a pittance and he is really great with money. I like to help him out with some nice stuff occasionally when I can. He doesn't have an entitled bone in his body.

I do not believe today's teens are any different than what we were.

I feel that me working as a 16-18 year old to pay for piano lessons and driving lessons and essential clothes (I paid for my own school uniform even! And even bras, underwear, all other clothes) cost me a grade per A level.

There is no way I would put that burden on my own teenager now. She can work in holiday time, but not term time.

Will that make her entitled? I don't know. But better than her saving the taxi fare and walking home at midnight like I did.

I agree.

Will read the thread later but my initial gut reaction is I agree.

As I said ginandtoast it's about balance. Clearly your work was way too much and having to pay for essentials like school uniform must have been really tough.

It's the idea on MN that if you can afford it DC should be given everything they want that I don't agree with.

"Most jobs he went for wanted him to be available pretty much every day and needed someone who could be flexible. Impossible for someone who is still in education. My 16 year old is coming against the same issue."

This! I have even had employers phoning up my students when they're in lessons to demand request that they leave their college lesson to go to work! And yes, these are all part time jobs in shops, bars, cafes and call centres. It really winds me up. Some employers are really entitled particularly with zero hours contract which is almost always to the benefit of the employer.

My parents paid for the basics, food, clothing and I got pocket money for helping around the house from a young age. As I got older, 13 onwards, I obviously wanted the social life, clothes makeup, mobile phone top ups etc and my pocket money didn't cover all that so I got a part time job waitressing, my parents were fairly well off as well but I'd have my money off them and I had to top up myself for luxuries etc. It didn't affect my academics as I only did a few hours during the week and a day at the weekend and I'm not old, 28

Hopefully my DC won't struggle too much as I still live near where I grew up which is also near a very busy town full of hotels and shops including a big shopping complex so I'll likely do as my parents did

And as I got older and started driving lessons etc I got the first 10 paid for for my birthday and a cheap little run around, I paid for everything after that, rest of lessons, tests, insurance, parts, petrol etc

increasingly, you helping your dc's with deposit for a flat, education etc is the reasonably well off equivalent of the less well off who had designer clobber/ expensive hairdos etc....!

Hello Daily Fail!! 👐👋👐👐👐👐👐👋👋👋👋👋👋👋👋👋

No it isn't. People need somewhere to live, they don't need expensive hairdos. Maybe if that money was saved they could also help their DC later on....?

Oh yes the Daily Mail will love this. They will need to know all of our ages and the value of our houses of course. Who is going to do the sadface photo? Or will they just use library pictures of teens in designer clothes?

Watch BBC .2. Right now and you'll see what some teens are doing

There will be no pictures of me as a teen in designer clothes