to think DD needs to try harder to get a job...

[postitgirl]

for those of you with teens, how did they get their first job? DD has tried - she walked round the town asking in shops and cafes. She got the app indeed.co.uk and applied for some jobs on there, but she's kinda given up now. I think she needs to try harder, but am I missing something here -what else could she be doing. She's 17 and has zero experience except a little bit of work experience from school :)

My dd same age same problem, have tried loads but nothing,

Unless you live in a tourist destination or within easy travelling distance of one most employers around here won’t take them until they are 18 especially in restaurants.

@HazyDaisy123456

Unless you live in a tourist destination or within easy travelling distance of one most employers around here won’t take them until they are 18 especially in restaurants.

We certainly aren't in a tourist destination here, but 16yos can and do get jobs. Not the majority, probably, but the ones who really want one and are determined enough to do what it takes.

There is an an element of luck involved for sure, but dd commented this evening that a lot of her friends who want jobs don't seem to have quite enough motivation to do what they need to get one. It isn't that they wouldn't be capable at all, but based on dd's observations, some of them are just a bit half-hearted in their attempts to get one.

I agree Alexa.
I definitely don't live in a tourist destination

But all 3 of mine have worked through 6th form (and younger, in a more casual way).
Of course, some people wouldn't accept some jobs - wouldn't be prepared to do cleaning or work outside, or (as I've seen recently) "work with people", or get up at 5am to get to their shift, or work late into the evening (or early hours), or work somewhere unfashionable, or do something that might involve them getting dirty, etc., etc.

Not saying this applies to everyone who has looked for a PT job and not found it, but there are a lot of people that aren't willing to work for min wage doing jobs others don't want to do, and there are some that will.

I have four teens/ young adults. First two ds's worked jobs doing paper rounds, then cleaning at their school after school each day. Ds3 is nearly 19 and cannot seem to get motivated to do anything - I think it is a confidence thing. There are quite a few pub type jobs where we are.

What about ECAs. Dd started by being a TA in classes for little ones. Generally just helping out.

Dd and Ds did (pre Covid) agency work. Service staff, cloakroom assistant, behind the bar etc doing weddings, sporting events etc

They could pick and choose their days/nights etc and it has got them amazing CVs as every job is different.

Things are starting to open up again.

Does she have any friends working? That may be more difficult if you just moved to an area. For first jobs it’s usually your friends that get you the connections. Barring that as you are meeting new people in the area when you are having that ‘oh hi I’m new to the area’ chat slip into the conversation that you love the town/city/whatever and that you and your family are getting settled and that your daughter is is busy looking for work.

I bet you’ll start getting tips about where she should look and who is hiring.

My 17 yr old is also seeking. Were not close to a town and she relies on me/DH to drive her to a job.

Tried tesco/Morrisons. Luckily my colleague passed a friend who runs a bar/cafe yesterday and mentioned my DD and shes off there tomorrow to see him about a few hours. Better than nothing!

Good luck to her, its not easy when they want to work and need that money

I paid for dd19 to take some care work courses so that when she was at university she could get some part time work, She did some voluntarily work in a care home in order to get some experience
She then got a job as a kitchen assistant in a care home and could also pick up some care work shifts if she wants.. She loves working with the elderly people and also loves the flexibility of the work

Anyone who has dcs looking for a job, tell them not to give up. If they continue looking they will get a job. Resilience and determination is the key

Local community groups on facebook are a good place to ask also. Word of mouth is powerful especially for local businesses.

Its often about luck and luck means being persistent until you are the one in the
Right place at the right time. I often found one job lead to another lead to another.

Are you over subsidising? Which means it is just a little bit too comfortable to be motivated for getting a job. I totally agree with her not being uncomfortable but there needs to be enough room for incentive. Can you try giving a set amount for the week-that she then has to budget with. Say £20/25. And you may find that as it thins at the end of the week (and if you are firm and dont top up) she may suddenly spring into action.

Jobcentre? Lots of local jobs and part time hours. Responsibility of walking in and finding out her options.

My brother is a manager in hospitality and cannot get staff. Neither can a friend in events.

Whats plan b? Do some nail courses? Do braiding and puts ups and charge? I have friends supporting themselves through uni and saving for ivf using these skills often supplementing other income.

Similar problem with my DD. She volunteers already, I keep saying apply even if you don't meet all the criteria. There was a job in a chemists who stressed they wanted over 18s ( in fact a lot of places here want 18+ and no students), one of the 16yr olds in her class has got it.
She is really picky, was offered a fast food job, but she struggles with strong smells and turned it down. Her preference would be working with children, but no one will pay 16yr olds for that (though they are quite happy to use her for free🙄).

It really hard for young people to get a job, DS applied for so many, so I can empathise with your DD, he eventually got a job at a corner shop. As your DD is under 18 a small shop that sells alcohol won’t usually take an under 18 on. It’s really tough, but she needs to just keep on applying and hopefully she will get a job soon. Good luck

Dd did have a job for 6 months at an out of school activity but they finished her when lockdown happened and didn’t re-hire her due to much lower numbers when they re-opened.

Try Facebook;lots of local businesses where I live advertise on there rather than anywhere else.

Have you got some of the big chain pubs near you eg Toby Carvery,farmhouse inns etc?;they are usually crying out for staff.

It’s a numbers game. She needs to apply for loads and expect to hear back from maybe 10% if she is lucky.

Think of all the big branded shops that are near you - Argos, B&M, Homebase, Screwfix, etc. They all have websites so scroll down to where it says "Careers" to see if they are hiring in your area, ditto all supermarkets. Not all jobs are on Indeed so she will have to cast her net further than that.

I agree that it is a numbers game. Most of the online tests attached to applications are very similar so the more she does, the better she will get at them.

In my area there seem to be lots of jobs but most have hundreds of applicants so my teens don't get a look in. The last job my DS went for was a few hours a week in a big store and there were over 300 applicants, so it's a buyers market.

Keep going and something will come up, right place, right time etc.

I would suggest putting something on her CV to make it stand out from the crowd. My DS got a job in a restaurant because the manager said there was something about his personal statement that really appealed to him.

Does she desperately need a job? Unless she's expecting you to fund enourmous shopping sprees I would hope she doesn't really need the money. That said when she's at uni she'll want to work over the summer or if she's left school she certainly needs to be working. Until she can find paid employment she should volunteer in a charity shop. Even just a morning or afternoon a week will count as retail experience on her CV. If she has a particular type of job in mind she could do more volunteer work relevant to that field. If she wants to work with children guides/cubs/brownies/beavers are always desperate for young leaders and it's only an afternoon a week.

Supermarkets are usually a good shout. I work at one of the big ones and most of the staff there are 17/18/19 yo mostly doing home shopping trolleys!

I think its really hard to get your first job, often a sprinkling of luck is needed as well as a lot of effort.
It is demoralising.
Has she got a cv she can hand out to local shops? So they have a record of her interest?
Ask family and friends to keep an eye out for any adverts, apply quickly to for jobs she sees.
Maybe do volunteer work to give her a bit of an edge and to show some experience.
4 teens here, one is doing an apprenticeship and i basically had to research and apply with him otherwise it wouldnt have happened, he had no idea how to fill out an application form / cv so really needed help and he applied for loads before he got something.
Another found first job through a local fb page and has just got another through indeed. oldest at uni found one through word of mouth ( friend of a friend)

My 17 year old works full time ( evening hours) at McDonald's alongside sixth form. She just kept applying and applying. It took her 3 applications to get her McDonald's job.
My nearly 20 year old works part-time hours in McDonalds during school holidays and saves it all so she doesn't have to work at uni. She applied for loads of different jobs before getting the McDonald's one. She also waitresses for private silver service wedding/functions when she's home.
I saw on the news a couple of days ago that the hospitality industry are struggling to find staff so it might be an idea to go for that? Flood the town with C.V's, join all recruitment agencies and apply to everything, look on Facebook as jobs are advertised on there too. Good luck.

I'm presuming the op's daughter wants a summer/holiday job. They are like gold dust.

It sounds as though she is trying hard.

I went to a factory and signed onto their agency and woke up at 4, worked 5am-5pm every weekend. Maybe she could try an agency? I live very very rurally so there’s not many cafes etc round here

Jobs for teens are like gold dust around here unless they drive or are over eighteen.

From reading these threads, I can only conclude that availability of jobs must be very area dependent. I live in a very small town with no fast food places or coffee shops. There are two very small supermarkets but both require you to be over 18. There just isn't anything else. All the local shops employ adults and just don't have any part-time work available.

When part-time jobs do crop up, they disappear within minutes - normally filled by adults who are looking for evening or weekend work.

I saw on the news a couple of days ago that the hospitality industry are struggling to find staff so it might be an idea to go for that?

Every single hospitality job around here requires you to be over 18.