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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you expect your 16 year old school leavers to get a job??

75 replies

Shootingstar1115 · 09/07/2019 12:27

My 16 year old sibling has just finished school. I casually asked if they would be finding a part time over the summer (as Most of them seem to) but the answer was no she doesn’t want a job.

I was surprised. I don’t live at home anymore but at that age I had to work else I wouldn’t have any money to do things I wanted to do. I really enjoyed my first job, meeting new people, earning my own money, gaining skills etc.

I don’t want to sound mean but personally I would expect my 16 year old to go out and earn some money (even just a few hours here and there if they were able to do so). It teaches them skills for working life imo and be somewhat financially independent.

Maybe I’m just jealous she doesn’t have to work 🤣 When I was that age. My parents weren’t in the best financial situation so to buy clothes, go out with friends, buy school books, pens etc I had to work but they seem more comfortable now so maybe she is happy living off mum and her dad.

My DC are a lot younger so I don’t have to worry about it yet fortunately.

OP posts:
sweeneytoddsrazor · 09/07/2019 12:31

Well as they have to go back to education or a training course in Sept then it may be very difficult to find a summer job. Maybe part time that would fit in with college hours would be worthwhile looking at.

PookieDo · 09/07/2019 12:31

Mine already had a job before she left school and she just does some more hours there during the longer holiday before college

She’s got 11 weeks off she would be bored shitless and skint, wheras today she has got the bus into town and gone out for lunch with her mates and it hasn’t cost me a penny!

I do not expect her to pay for anything school related and I also buy all the normal toiletries except make up and I do still buy her clothes and underwear but she has £150 a month or so to do with what she wants. She loves the money, doesn’t love the work so much but has also made a new group of friends which was my main reason for getting her to find a job as she was lonely and bored. I did have to push her to find a job as she isn’t very confident but best thing I did for her!

BertieBotts · 09/07/2019 12:32

They can't now, they've changed the law so she's meant to be in some kind of education until 18. Could be a paid apprenticeship, though.

MyOpinionIsValid · 09/07/2019 12:33

Your parent will be getting child allowance, the age of participation for school leavers is raised to 18. Whilst a job would be nice, it's no way enforcable. You are clearly older, where expectations were different. how your parent choses to parent really isnt your business is it? I detect a little bit of jealousy.

Incidentally, where are all these summer jobs for 16 year olds

Comefromaway · 09/07/2019 12:34

Dd did her GCSE's last year. She didn't get a job. For one, she needed some down time after the hard slog of GCSE's plus she had commitments (a big dance show mid July plus we wanted a family holiday. She spent the summer preparing for college and going to the gym to keep her fitness up which had dropped during GCSE's. (she is studying dance so thats important.

This year she is also not getting a job, partly becasue at age 17 there is nothing much out there. Employers tend to want 18 year old degree students who have longer holidays (mid June to mid September) and who arn't restricted in the tasks and hours they can do.

Original poster
Shootingstar1115 · 09/07/2019 12:34

I meant a summer job BertieBotts 😃 We live in a seasonal touristy area with a huge amount of seasonal jobs going for the summer holidays Which are ideal for school leavers ☀️

OP posts:
Apolloanddaphne · 09/07/2019 12:34

Do you mean a holiday job? They are not always easy to come by for 16 yo's. Many employers prefer 18 and over.

madasamarchhare · 09/07/2019 12:35

I think a part time job is a great experience for a school leaver over the summer and sure many employers would be willing to adapt hours to fit with sixth form or college come September. Teaches them independence, working with adults and dealing with customer and they get a bit of money which must feel like a fortune to them to do as they please. I will certainly be encouraging my children to find a job. On the other hand my friends daughter is 19 been at college and still at college for another year and has never done a days work. Had a car bought for her which is run for her and goes out when she wants at the parents expense. I don’t think this is a good example to set.

FamilyOfAliens · 09/07/2019 12:36

Have your parents expressed similar concerns or are you just poking your nose in for the sake of it?

quietcontentment · 09/07/2019 12:38

My two are 12 and 9 so like yourself it is a little way off for me. I do think its important for them to even just do the odd shift somewhere fit around full time college or A levels, more if obviously they go down apprentice route or part time study route.
I firmly believe that life/working skills and being financially independent is as equally as important as education, I have first hand experience of graduates who have never worked and their life/working skills are way behind their academic skills, so much so that I wouldn't consider their degree until life and working skill has caught up a bit and they can show me that they can be just as bright in the working environment as they can in academia.

I also believe that those who go straight to the work place do need to keep up their education mind, I dont think anyone should put all their eggs in one basket for to long.

So YANBU she should work to keep her skills and knowledge rounded and balanced.

BarbedBloom · 09/07/2019 12:39

I wouldn't. They have a long time to work in the future and if they are happy not having much money then that is their choice

TwistyTop · 09/07/2019 12:41

I would expect them to be job hunting. Summer hols are long and surely a 16 yr old wants money to go out and do stuff? I can't imagine them having much fun over the summer with no money. And it will be easier for them to get a part time job at uni or full-time employment after A levels of training if they've got prior work experience.

However I think it's more difficult to find part time work these days. I remember walking around giving out cvs when I was 14, and I managed to get a job fairly quickly. I even managed to secure a second job for the summer hols with not much effort. Times have changed now. Depending on where they live they may not be able to get a job at all. There are also a lot more working restrictions in place these days.

areyoubeingserviced · 09/07/2019 12:49

Tbh, I think it is much harder to get summer jobs .When I was a teen, I would walk from shop to shop and ask if they had any vacancies. I always managed to find a job.
These days the way work contracts are structured have changed,. Therefore, companies tend to offer over time to their current staff rather than hire students for summer
My dd is seventeen and I have encouraged her to get a summer job. I want her to understand how difficult it is to earn money and how easy it is to spend.

PookieDo · 09/07/2019 12:51

My DD washes up in a food type place and sometimes does some cleaning. I live in an area where there are lots of these types of jobs but not everywhere is as easy to find work

Comefromaway · 09/07/2019 12:59

We live in a seasonal touristy area with a huge amount of seasonal jobs going for the summer holidays Which are ideal for school leavers

I bet not many of them will be available for 16 year olds though. Just to give an example of jobs which are not suitable, serving alcohol, working in an arcade, operating machinery.

Legally 16 year olds are allowed to work after the last Friday in June (which this year was Saturday 29th June) Many of these positions will have been filled by university students who broke up much earlier and who don't go back to uni until the middle/end of September.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/07/2019 13:02

Id hope my DD will at that age, 1. for the experience and 2. for the money
however if they didnt want to post GCSEs I wouldnt force them

LauraMontreville · 09/07/2019 13:03

No. She works hard at school and spends much of the weekend training or competing (sport)
We live rurally so no jobs nearby, poor public transport and I don't want to spend my spare time driving her to a lowly paid job.
She's got plenty of time to learn those "life skills" later.

Thisnamechanger · 09/07/2019 13:09

I'm quite surprised by the responses I worked on and off from the age of 13 and so did a lot of my pals.

mbosnz · 09/07/2019 13:11

Yes. I'd certainly be expecting her to be looking for work. I'd be a bit worried that the summer might slide into autumn, which might slide into winter. . .

HiJuice · 09/07/2019 13:12

Legally 16 year olds are allowed to work after the last Friday in June (which this year was Saturday 29th June)

That only applies to full time work. Children are allowed to do 25 hours per week 'light work' in the holidays from age 13 (12 hours per week in term time).

I think they should be doing some informal part time work from about 13 - even if only a couple of hours per week - sunday paper round or babysitting or saturday morning in a shop or cafe. It's not about earning their keep - although earning your own money even a small amount is hugely beneficial for self esteem. It just teaches you loads about the workplace, and how poorly paid some jobs are. People who get their first job post university are hugely disadvantaged in my experience.

adaline · 09/07/2019 13:16

I'm quite surprised by the responses I worked on and off from the age of 13 and so did a lot of my pals.

The working world is very different these days. I work in retail management which used to be "the" place for teenagers to get casual and weekend work. The last three people I've hired have all been in their 40's or 50's - why? Because they're more flexible, they generally have their own transport, and come September, they're not just limited to weekend and evening work in the same way 16 year olds often are.

I've had one U18 apply for work in the last eight months and due to her lack of flexibility the job wasn't suitable for her. People no longer really want weekend or evening staff because it's expensive to hire someone and train them up for them to only work a few hours a week. Much cheaper to offer overtime to existing staff.

Comefromaway · 09/07/2019 13:17

Yes, but before that magic date in June employers have to apply for a licence from the Local Authority for a young person to be able to work thre and the hours/tasks/rest breaks are more restricted. Many are not going to go to the hassle of doing that for a summer job when thre are umpteen uni students without that hassle.

adaline · 09/07/2019 13:18

People who get their first job post university are hugely disadvantaged in my experience

How do you figure that? Once you get to your mid twenties, employers don't give one shiny shit what temp job you did or didn't have when you were 14!

Comefromaway · 09/07/2019 13:19

One year dd volunteered at the local library as a summer reading challenge helper. That was good for her CV.

amicissimma · 09/07/2019 13:19

Definitely.

Mine loved having their own money, as did I when I had a Saturday job while I was at school.

I think the experience, the references and the ability to demonstrate willingness to turn up to work even as a teenager were a real help in getting those first interviews out in the full-time market later.

As unemployment in the UK is the lowest since 1974, unless you live far from an accessible town, it should be a lot easier to find a job than it was a few years ago.

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