To think if you are that short of staff you should employ 15year olds?

[SunsetandCupcakes]

I'm not that old, still old but in the v late 90s I had a job in the kitchens, my brother had a job selling ice creams at 14.
Catering near me is struggling to fill vacancies, it's the summer in a holiday town, two kiosks have had to close as no staff and yet my 15 year old isn't allowed to work.
How can working be more detrimental than sat at home on the PS4, we've ended up with a funny view on teenagers

Yeah throw 15 year olds under the bus... Not like their futures haven't been already fucked

So many speak of feckless 18+year old not wanting to work. But a 15 year old in the summer is exploitation?

@SunsetandCupcakes

I get what everyone is saying about 'The Rules' but how can this help anyone?

Is this a serious question?

It can help kids to not be exploited.

@Demelza82

Yeah throw 15 year olds under the bus... Not like their futures haven't been already fucked

Not sure exactly where you are coming from but my db got an apprenticeship from working at 14.

Even in the late 90’s I couldn’t find anywhere locally that employed under 16’s, so it’s not really a new thing. (The only exceptions were paper rounds and people helping out in a family business).

The laws might be a pain if you’re a keen 15 year old wanting to earn some extra cash, but they’re there to stop dodgy employers exploiting child labour. Im not sure what the alternative would be, despite the frustration it might cause.

It can help kids to not be exploited

But when do we accept they are not kids? They can have a baby at 16, and a moped, in some parts of the world they would nearly be middle aged.

I get where you're coming from but there are so many restrictions on the hours and jobs that under-16s can work that it makes them difficult to hire, especially in hospitality. For example I worked in McDonald's and I think there were rules about what age you had to be to work in the kitchen; I'm sure your DC are responsible and so was I, but I still ended up with second degree burns from the grills and oil spitting up from the deep fat fryers – if that happened to a child people would (rightfully) be up in arms. If they're 15 they'd be getting paid next to nothing anyway: when I applied for jobs in high school the going rate was about £3/hour.

@Sparklesocks

The laws might be a pain if you’re a keen 15 year old wanting to earn some extra cash, but they’re there to stop dodgy employers exploiting child labour. Im not sure what the alternative would be, despite the frustration it might cause.

See I think if you are already dodgy, age wouldn't make a difference

DS is 14 so I had a look up on the laws (UK) to see if he could get some kind of Saturday job in hospitality thinking there'd been lots of opportunities. He could barely do any hours so can see why some places might be reluctant sadly. It's a shame though. Particularly as the high street continues to suffer so there won't be the same part time opportunities for him that me and friends had in the late 90's.

It’s honestly not worth the effort of employing under 16. You firstly need a child employment licence from the council which also requires the approval of the headteacher. They have to have regular breaks and can’t do lots of work like use a coffee machine or handle sharp knives. They can only work 2 hours on a Sunday or 4 on a Saturday. They have to have much longer breaks than over 16s. It really isn’t worth it.

You can employ 14 & 15 year olds but there are strict regulations and tbh in my experience they can be very unreliable & not worth the hassle during the busiest period of the year.

It is a bit silly - especially if they are at the tail end of 15. My work employs several 14 and 15 year olds with no issues. DH and I run an online retail business and have been employing DD and her friend for the summer and they have been very hard working and helpful - it isn't working with the public though. When I was 15 I worked in a London 5 star hotel in concierge and was more than mature and sensible enough to be trusted to do so!

I don't believe that an entire generation has regressed so much they can't wash pots

They’re all washed by machines now, aren’t they?

But equally when does this end. Are we the generation of the never ending childhood?

Err at 16 when the legal requirements are easier ot 18 when they're adults and can be asked to do stupid hours for NMW. Bit of a leap to a never ending childhood isn't it, just because your kid can't get a job

@21Bee

It’s honestly not worth the effort of employing under 16. You firstly need a child employment licence from the council which also requires the approval of the headteacher. They have to have regular breaks and can’t do lots of work like use a coffee machine or handle sharp knives. They can only work 2 hours on a Sunday or 4 on a Saturday. They have to have much longer breaks than over 16s. It really isn’t worth it.

I get this, and completely understand why employers don't want to, I just find it so sad, we've extended childhood beyond what is acceptable and we've continued to repress those that need to work. For me working opened up a freedom that was previously unavailable.

To employ under 18's there's strict rules and extra paperwork. Unless you are big enough to have a business manager and hr back up (eg McDonald's) many companies just avoid. Neither of our DD's have managed to get work despite being over 18 and applying for lots who claim they are short staffed, employers don't want holiday cover

@SunsetandCupcakes

It can help kids to not be exploited

But when do we accept they are not kids? They can have a baby at 16, and a moped, in some parts of the world they would nearly be middle aged.

They can have babies at 10 or 11 ffs, that's hardly an indicator of adulthood. They're adults at 18. What's the issue with that.?

@Blossomtoes plates, cutlery etc have to be rinsed before they can be put into an industrial dishwasher, that's usually what dishwashing in restaurants entails

Better to have manageable limits for a 15year old
It’s not about “limits”. It’s about child protection. For example if there’s a changing room at work the employer would have to provide a child changing room that’s separated from the adult changing. They’d have to ensure that no adult was left alone with the child unless they were DBS checked by the police. They would have to keep track of working hours because a child can’t work more than 4hrs without a 1hr break and their working hours are limits depending on their age. So many restrictions that it’s basically too much hassle to employ anyone under 16.

So you don't think childhood should be extended beyond the age of 15? Okaaaaaay......

@SunsetandCupcakes well yes but with that logic theres no point having any laws is there? Because some people will always break them.

Of course I have no doubt that there are children out there forced to work by exploitative adults but that doesn’t mean I think child Labour laws are pointless. Yes relaxing them would mean some teens could make extra pocket money but it would also mean opening the doors to the threat more exploitation - especially for those without adults in their lives to advocate for them. I’m not saying willing teenagers shouldn’t be allowed to work, just that it’s complex.

gogohm

Over 16s are fine.

I think 16+ is fine. It's too much hassle to employ younger kids and they don't really need to work when they're younger anyway. 16 is plenty old enough to start getting work experience IMO.

There are limits on how many hours kids can work for good reasons, and I wouldn't want to change that because some children would definitely end up getting exploited. However, I can see that the limited hours aren't of much use to employers, so most kids will have to wait until they're old enough to do more.

There are plenty of other constructive things that they can do with their time before they are 16. The options aren't limited to work or gaming!

It's the licensing laws that cause issues. And there's lots of kitchen equipment they can't use under 16