Teenagers (under 18s) and part time jobs

[Fancynancyclancy2]

Normally I very much agree that once a teenager is 16 that getting a part time job is important to teach them about money. However with everything that has happened due to COVID and unemployment getting higher with it expected to increase even more I’m taking a different view that these jobs should be given to those who now find themselves unemployed.

It just doesn’t sit comfortably with me that jobs just got for a bit of pocket money are competing with people who are trying to just keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

I have a DD who is almost 16 and I don’t think I will be encouraging her to get a job but to earn money around the house but wider family have disagreed with this view.

AIBU?

Yes, employers of 18 yr olds like to see teenagers who have been working in the real world gaining real skills. Your theory reduces the teenagers employability and career progression. Not to mention some families are so poor that they may rightly or wrongly slightly rely on the real income of a younger family member at this incredibly difficult time.

I can see your point of view.

However the alternative view is that in a competing jobs market, those with some work experience are more likely to get jobs, and thus she should still try to get one.

I wouldn't be getting a job in parallel with GCSEs though.

Yanbu.

Funny when I was 17 I arranged a part time job but my parents forbade me from going as they wanted me 100% focused on schoolwork. Everyone’s different I guess.

My 17 year old is trying to find a part time job and I lost my job due to covid and struggling finding a new , but reality is same shops can employ him for a lot less money per he than me if paying min wage , so who do you think will get the job?
But any money he earns helps us as he can then pay for his own stuff and driving lessons as well as preparing him for work

I see your point of view. However, it is both useful and rewarding for teens to earn their own money.

However, I suspect employers will prioritise older candidates at the moment anyway. Would you employ a 16 year old with no experience or a 22 year old with experience? I suppose it depends how much they want to pay - teens are easier to exploit.

DS did have a lifeguarding job but not much of that going on at the moment.

** per hour

Min wage jobs will play a huge part in who they want to employ and type job, shop job over xmas 17 year old will be cheaper than a 19 year old , but 19 year old will be cheaper than 25 yr old and if job needs little experience then most will go cheaper option

My 17 year old has a part-time job, that's temporary retail for the Christmas period. I am so glad that something has gone right for her, given her some semblance of normality and progression. She's saving hard for going to university. She's also doing some tutoring.

How much of our kids life experience should be sacrificed in the name of Covid?

It suits employers to have teens employed, they're cheaper and will do the late shifts and weekends/Christmas etc without much complaint whereas older workers have families to work around. Teens will usually be happy to swap shifts etc and that’s why supermarkets/McDonald’s have a lot of young staff. Let’s be honest the supermarket jobs etc are usually young people or part time workers, full time staff aren’t common. Therefore the job your teen is taking won’t have a huge impact on when you consider they work they’d be doing.

yeah YABU

16yo DS just started a new PT job in a chippy.
I am hunting for a PT job (covid slashed my hours).
I am glad he has his job. I wouldn't want it.
I could get benefits, DS can't get benefits.
DD works in care homes in temp/supply role.
I wouldn't do care work unless I was facing starvation.

Well lucky you OP that not only do you not need extra income coming into your home but you can actually afford to pay your teenager.

That's not the same for many families, so 'you do you' as they say.

I agree 100% OP. However what sort of job were you thinking of? I know of two large supermarkets who now require 100%flexibility with hours, meaning they can change your hours as much as they like. So that rather means students can't apply anyway. And will hospitality be employing new staff?
Regardless of that though I would normally agree with a small part time job but at the moment I think the jobs should be left for those who really need it.
There are other ways to show employers you work hard when looking for work. Volunteering and even getting good grades at school show you're a good worker, it doesn't need to be paid work.

My son worked in a local pub at 15, paid for his own 50cc motorcycle and was on the road at 16, then worked in local co op at 16, paid for his own lessons and passed his test 3 months after his 17th birthday and bought a car.
It taught him life lessons, those lessons still need to be learnt.

My 18 year old left school in June, and he is one of the few in his year who has a job. This is purely because he had a part-time job and was able to then get taken on full time.

The part-time jobs are different to the jobs done by more experienced staff and are tasks which can be completed in one short shift. It simply isn't true that if the teenagers they employ on a Saturday didn't work there, that someone older would have a full-time job.

It just doesn’t sit comfortably with me that jobs just got for a bit of pocket money are competing with people who are trying to just keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.
I have a DD who is almost 16 and I don’t think I will be encouraging her to get a job but to earn money around the house but wider family have disagreed with this view.

YABU. You are clearly in a fortunate position where you have the option to pay your child extra money. Many won't have this option. There will be teens in PT jobs who are contributing to the bills and easing the pressure on their families.

YABU OP, it's each time their own. If a 17 yr old wants a job then they are entitled to apply for it! My 17 yr old niece got a job in Tesco a few weeks ago and she is getting great hours!! I'm thrilled for her.

@Skysblue How long ago were you 17? Recruiters want experience plus qualifications plus volunteering plus a Duke of Edinburgh and a years unpaid internship etc etc etc to be a cashier nowadays.

I know the general wisdom is that teenagers having jobs makes them better people etc. But I sometimes wonder why as a teenager you're supposed to do a 30 hour week at school, another 10 hours a week of homework, and then throw another 10 - 20 hours of work on top of that. They're then doing about 50-60 hours a week of work in various guises, which is what a magic circle lawyer would be doing.

I manage a large apprenticeship program at work (higher and degree apprenticeships). I receive hundreds of CV’s and I only offer an interview to those youngsters who have had a part time job or done some work experience. They need to have a work ethic and know the difference between school/college and the workplace.

And .... make sure your son makes their own lunch for work. The ones who struggle to adapt from school/college to work are the ones whose Mummies still make their lunch.

Some businesses will let them do fewer hours than that though. My DS1 had 8 hours in 2 four hour shifts at Tesco when he was 17-18. He did Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, ideal. He took his holidays over exams and a couple of weeks beforehand - they were flexible with him. He’s kept the job as a student 3 years on now- works in the holidays when home. He got paid a decent wage right from 17 earning more than my 20 year old students were earning in clothes shops and they never messed him around cancelling a shift. And he and I get staff discount.

YABU, it is still just as important if not more so for teenagers to have PT work. DS got a minimal wage job in February and as it sells food they have been open throughout this year. It has given him structure when school was closed and gave him something to put on his UCAS form. He earns min wage and they are trying to recruit others (any age) for weekends and no one applies so it is not like teenagers are taking jobs adults want.

As an employer, when I have a vacancy I fill it with the most appropriate person for the job that I can find. I don't pass people over on the basis of age, nor do I give the job to a lesser candidate because they "need" it more.

It sounds like a nice way of looking at it, but, like most things in life, it isn't that simple.
See all the answers above.
Some families need their teen to be bringing some money into the house.

[quote ElizaDeee]@Skysblue How long ago were you 17? Recruiters want experience plus qualifications plus volunteering plus a Duke of Edinburgh and a years unpaid internship etc etc etc to be a cashier nowadays.[/quote]
That must be a regional thing, my teens have none of those things and have got part time jobs with no problem at all, one even started during lockdown and I know friends children have had the same experience.

It's a difficult world at the moment, different families have different situations, I don't think you can generalise