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 :)

I made my 16 year old DD a cv, found some jobs on indeed that required zero experience and she got given 3 waitressing jobs! To be honest I did most of the hard work getting her job and if it was left up to her she probably won't have one.

So she works at one of them during the week and also has a weekend job at M&S (who pay 16 year olds £9.20 an hour which she is over the moon about obviously).

But then we are in Cornwall and hospitality have been crying out for staff so will probably take anyone.

My DS has been fortunate in that he's had part time jobs since he was 13 - starting with a paper round (delivering those naff free papers on foot). He progressed into cafes and even a very dodgy pub where he was responsible for locking up at 17 . At Uni he got a great part time job in a football club, during the first strict lockdown he went out washing cars ... he's now going back to his third season at a very nice riverside pub (not the dodgy one!). But it takes a lot of slog and confidence to find part time work (and it really helps if you know the right people).

What about babysitting? Many parents are always wanting help in the holidays ... I know it was easier 'in my day' but I spent many years babysitting and doing ad hoc childcare.

She's made a good start. As countless others have said, it's a hard slog at the best of times.

The one thing that worked for me was jumping on my bike and going door-to-door around the surrounding industrial parks clutching a wad of printed CVs. I lucked out and one boss really liked the entrepreneurship of it (his words ) so hired me then and there even though he didn't have a vacancy.

Other times I signed up to a temp agency but that was a horrid experience - I didn't know if I had work from one day to the next, or where it would be.

Yes exactly this here too. I saw a post on Facebook that M&S had part time weekend work which would have been ideal, but it closed to applicants within 24 hours.