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

@Manista

I was a 15 year old in 1975 working two half days every weekend in a paper shop. Just another member of shop staff, stocking shelves, dealing with customers, using the till and handling cash. Interesting how people's views of older teens has changed.

In 1975, I was only 11, my parents bought a newsagents and I worked in it every weekend, during school holidays, and even a couple of early mornings on school days. Obviously, it's different as I was family, not staff. But even at that young age, I was serving customers, using the till, answering the phone etc. After a couple of years, probably when I was around 13, I started to run the shop single handed, at first just for 30 minutes of so when Mum or Dad nipped out to deliver a paper or whatever, which grew to full days when they wanted a day off, around 14/15 years. Our paper delivery boys would typically start around 12 or 13 years old, stay 2/3 years, and then leave when they were 16 and got other jobs, usually in cafes, shops, etc.

I do think we're holding kids back these days.

I agree op, people on MN seem keen to treat their near adults like children and then wonder why they're so useless.The laws should be simplified and teens should be encouraged to contribute

My parents have just come back from a holiday in a hotel in the UK. The first thing they were told when checking in was that they didn't have enough staff to clean the rooms. The waiting staff were all very young and nobody had any idea what they were doing. There is nothing wrong with employing teenagers but you need someone in charge and a minimum of training.

It’s catch 22 though for the government/council. If they leave things as they are - people complain that their young person can’t work, can’t get experience. but if they change them and make it easier, then there will be people saying it’s exploitation and too young to working/what about their education. Both valid arguments!
The powers that be can’t win. So leave it as is.

Child employment rules are much more extensive now than they were in the 90s (when I was a teen). Employers will generally struggle to get insurance or have to pay higher premiums.
Even if that hurdle is overcome, there are employment laws that cause issues (children need more frequent breaks, can't work for more than x hours, cannot work later than x hour, need to have x hours between shifts etc.). If it's a venue that serves alcohol they can't do so unsupervised and so on. Often more of a hindrance than a help. In our area they (the children) also need a permit from the council which I believe has to be authorised by their school. Nightmare!

I wonder is insurance an issue? Say a 15 year old got burnt washing dishes and they sued would the business be covered or would the Insurance company use some loophole not to cover.

It's very very different these days. Very

Mental health plays a big part in the differences. Resilience isn't the same as when we were teens. Lateness and sickness absences are very high in our younger employees

Throw covid onto the mix and increased health and safety and. It's difficult

@HaveANiceFuckingDay

I know a15 year old that works in a chip shop they pay here £2.50 an hour as there isn’t a pay bracket under 16;

I used to earn that much washing hair in a hairdressers age 13 in 1989. I told them I was 15. They never checked. Worked there for a couple of years.

@IRanSoFarAway1

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

Agree. Lots of us had jobs in the local area, from sweeping up hair at the salon to clearing tables at the cafe etc.

It's nice to earn money at that age too. I think the law is the problem now though.

As I said, it's not really washing pots it's using large industrial dishwashers. It's not like doing the washing up at home in the kitchen.

I started work at a NHS hospital a fortnight before my 16th birthday. The pay scale didn't start till age 16 and l remember my mother saying it was a bit mean that l was paid less that fortnight. I attended classes at another hospital on Wednesday mornings and Thursday evenings. Gained qualifications that now require a University degree and worked for the NHS for 50 years. In past years we were considered to be sensible and soon learnt to take responsibility for what we were required to do. Surely young people have not changed that much?

Its a nightmare for an employer to employ under 16s in terms of the legalities of it. Also in hospitality its better you can have employees that can jump into any role as and when needed. Employing a glass collector is is not as useful as.employing a class collector who can also serve alcohol.

Can't your 15yr old do some babysitting op?

How can working be more detrimental than sat at home on the PS4, we've ended up with a funny view on teenagers

Does your 15 yo do anything around the house?

Or are you expecting the transition from sitting at home on PS4 all day to working in hospitality to go smoothly?

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

Bloody hell today's kids won't be able to retire & will be working till they drop, I think it's fine for them to start a bit later.

I don’t think 15 year odd need jobs, get him focused on his school work

My DS took a PT job the month after he turned 16 (summer birthday), up until that point he was studying for GCSEs and wouldn't have had time.

Maybe your 15 year old could play sports or volunteer for things instead of playing playstation. I had my first job at 17 and i was extremely lucky. I dont think alot of places hire under 16. M aybe a voluntary job will be helpful on his cv until he is a little older to work.

It’s illegal for them to work long or late shifts, which isn’t much good in hospitality.

I agree up to a point op, and I was working myself from 13 but the legislation these days is a nightmare. I manage a charity shop and we can take on any youngster over 14, obviously they are not paid but the rules and regulations are (quite rightly) very strict. Many of my colleagues won't do it because of the extra hassle involved, I do take on young volunteers- partly because I have a teenager myself so know how valuable the experience is, but it is a lot of extra work. Happily most of my 'young' volunteers' stay on once they are 18 & often return to help out in the Uni holidays etc.

I do expect him to contribute to the household, he studies hard and helps around the house . The PS 4 comment was more of a throwaway, he is much more competent than I was at 15 but the new rules don't give him a chance. As for babysitting he is a boy, life here is not progressive

@StressyWoman

It’s illegal for them to work long or late shifts, which isn’t much good in hospitality.

But why? The 15 year old I know are nocturnal, much rather work late than get up early

Why do you want him to work so badly?

@SunsetandCupcakes cos that’s the law. Might be based on them getting to school the next day or the negative effects of night shifts.

*StressyWoman

It’s illegal for them to work long or late shifts, which isn’t much good in hospitality.

But why? The 15 year old I know are nocturnal, much rather work late than get up early*

You really can't think why there are laws stopping under 16s working long shifts and late shifts?!