To make DD aged 13 come to work with me?

[CheapSausagesAndSpam]

I work in a very nice place...think arts centre slash gallery. It's full of lovely artists and art.

DD is 13 and really wants a job...she keeps going on and on about it...asking when she will be old enough to apply to local places known for employing teens.

I told her she needs to make a CV and that there's very little she could put on it as she's not a club type of kid...doesn't "do" sports etc.

So I told DD "I could ask work if you could come in for half a day and see how it works and do some little tasks" for experience... and she said YES!

So I asked my lovely boss who owns the place, and she kindly said "Yes! Bring her in, show her how to use a till and get her to do some little jobs and talk to customers and then we can put on her CV that she's volunteered there"

Great! How lucky is DD!

Except now she's said "Noooo i don't want to goooo!

Do I make her? My boss won't be there...I run it alone. So if she doesn't go she's only letting herself down.

My instinct says I must make her...she's a kid who is very chill...TOO chill and I get the feeling I'm going to have to do a bit of nudging in this sort of thing.

Yes I would definitely say make her go with you, at least once. If you're feeling very kind/soft, you could obviously bribe her with lunch afterwards or something that would appeal to her, but I wouldn't.

Very good experience. She is probably nervous. Tell her she only needs to go once to try it. No obligatons to stay. Sand she doesnt have to do anything she doesnt want to. She probably wants to earn a little money though. Can you increase er pocket money if she stays? Make sure it is interesting when she does go.

I did tell her she only needs to stay for two hours....I will offer her a bit of extra cash for helping me. She does love money...that should do it I hope!

Most work at that age is poorly paid and more boring than your job sounds. I would make her go but make sure that you don't give over the NMW for her age. Or say that she is on her own for finding other experience. If she doesn't do any clubs it sounds as if she values her chill/ leisure time. The world of work may be a culture shock for her.

Please don't call in work experience or you will not have Public Liability Insurance if something goes wrong. It is a while since I organised things like this, but seem to remember that, calling it, 'an experience of working' gets round the problem of her only being 13 years old.

I'm assuming your daughter wanted a job so she could earn some money to buy things that she probably my wants?. Your boss said about putting on her CV that she volunteered there, volunteering is unpaid isn't it? Maybe that is why your daughter has lost interest in working there

Really I was going to call it "volunteering" or just helping out...but yes, "an experience of working" sound good.

In the country I live, there's no minimum age to work...just the rule that children can't work during normal school hours.

Delish well that may be but with no experience, she's going to find it hard to grab one of the coveted paid roles in our area! A lot of kids here work on their parents farms or hotels.

It's a rural, touristy area. She can have some extra pocket money for it I've said.

Should I told her two hours is enough. It's only meant to be a taste...so she can get a gentle idea of what working is like.

Example...she'll need to not slouch about...and to smile and greet people.

I remember that being a shock when I was 14 and got a job! It seemed so much effort to stand straight!

I would tell her she made an agreement with you and you had to ask permission and arrange it with your boss. Part of working is not backing out of arrangements. I wouldn't even bribe her. If she wants a job she has to behave maturely and honor arrangements and not let people down especially her mother.

She's agreed to come now....probably she was just having an attack of the nerves!