To expect my 16 yr old to get full time work for the summer?

[whatthewhatthewhat]

At least 8 weeks until they go back to school for A-Levels. I worked full time at that age. AIBU to think they should get a job for the summer?

I agree with others- let him have a summer while he still can..

My daughter is 17 and in her first year of college. She has 2.5-3 hours work a week on a Saturday helping at kids drama classes in term time. She told me yesterday she has applied to loads of retail & cafe/restaurants. She’s in a tourist city near to a big retail shopping outlet. She’s had just 1 reply and that’s Saturdays only. Nothing going for the summer. Everyone wants over 18’s who can commit to the whole year.

You can either let her relax and have the summer free to pursue something she loves or you can spend it ruining her confidence by nagging her to find non existent jobs. Probably ruining her confidence too as she wonders why no one wants her.
Next year she can do camp America, YHA or national trust roles but she 2ill need to apply well in advance.

Think FT would be hard - the new GCSEs are incredibly challenging & they have lived through constant target setting. They need some rest I would say. Things were different in the 80's /90's - less pressure.

A cousin of mine is 16 and managed to get herself a part time job a Clark’s shoe store it’s not impossible!! 🤷‍♀️

That's how we end up with so many entitled kids who don't value money

Where is the evidence that we have many entitled kids who don't value money?

All the people who don't expect 16 year old to work at all.... don't your teens want money for things with their friends? Holidays, activities, festivals, phones etc

I pay for my son's phone, it's as much in my interests for him to have a phone so he's contactable as it is for him. And it's only £8 a month with giffgaff. I wouldn't let him go on holiday with friends at 16. He's not interested in festivals and if he wants something like a computer game he can use his pocket money or savings to pay for it. However, he is doing a lifeguard course this week and that is likely to lead onto some part time work (as long as he passes the assessment, that is).

A cousin of mine is 16 and managed to get herself a part time job a Clark’s shoe store it’s not impossible!! 🤷‍♀️

OP was talking about full time work; so it's not the same either.

You are almost guaranteed to create workshy young adults if your attitude to them working as teens is that a job would ruin their childhood.

Neither work nor the income that it generates is a curse.

You are also making GCSE exams into far more of a big deal than they actually are and risking the creation of huge anxiety problems in your teens if you build the exams up to the extent I see here, where teens allegedly can't do anything but study beforehand and need weeks to recover afterwards.

Quite a few of my kids peers are finding that they are getting less shifts than normal in their part time jobs as university returners are getting the shifts. It's a shame as they'd actually like to up their hours rather than reduce them.

I guess the hard part is getting the job on the first place but then hopefully they'll be retained later on once they they've proved themselves and go to uni.

Part time work to pay for stuff they want or a trip away. Help around house. That’s it.

I just can't feasibly think of a single business in my area that would take on a 16yr old for only 8wks FT. Generally any summer work goes to uni students who tend to have longer off and tbh I don't even know if that's the case anymore as there just isn't a demand for summer work here now. I think you're being v naive about the work landscape! It's just not really in an employers interest to spend effort onboarding and training up new staff for only 8 wks. Temp work still requires training.

My kids knew from the age of 14 that they'd be expected to look for pt work from the time after their GCSEs. They both wanted to work, the eldest for extra money, the 9teur just because he gets bored otherwise and wants to work.

The eldest got a job in the sporting club she practice to, and worked close to 30 hours a week. The youngest has an interview to work for a supermarket.

I am a strong believer that the earlier teenagers are faced with the reality of real life, the more mature and prepared they will be when they fall into it. What I ve told them both is one of the most important things in life os to try to find a career/job they actually enjoy as they will be there for a long time. The earlier they can start and gain experience, the more choices they will have.

Different perspective

I had the most spoilt indulgent childhood / teenage years you could imagine. Utterly mollycoddled and not a whiff of money concern
Rocked up at uni and i has never even made cheese of toast before
I’m now a single mother of two young children in a professional job with absolutely no family support (parents deceased)

I love fact I had long lazy summers seeing friends, holidays, reading, lazing around - and no work.

Didn’t impact on me in the slightest. Formidable work ethic and now entirely independent and supporting two children.

Just wondering where the mystical jobs for 14+ (that are legal) come from when much older experienced people are struggling and you have a summer birthday..