Working hours for my teen DS

[FooFightersFan]

DS is 17. Just started working at a local independent restaurant in their kitchen. He’s just got home after starting his shift at 5pm. It’s almost midnight. Judging by the time it takes him to get home, I’d say he finished around 11:30.

He’s due back in again at 10am for a shift until 5pm tomorrow.

This seems wrong to me. He’s due back in work 9.5 hours after he’s finished a shift.

Anyone know if this is normal? Legal? Or am I being ‘precious’?

Or every job I’ve had in hospitality had the post work social. Couple of drinks (non-alcoholic for the underaged) after work in the place to destress and chat about shit. As people finish their jobs for the night they grab a drink and join whoever else has finished. It’s really great for team bonding but wouldn’t count towards the shift times.

Apologies, it’s late and my thoughts are fragmented! Should have put all three in one post.

Spoke with son before his shift this morning.

He said, yes getting home and knowing he’s going out again in a few hours to start all over is hard. But he is kind of ok with that. It’s an industry he wants to work in in the future and he knows that that is how it is in hospitality.

it’s reassuring that he’s feels fine about it. So it is me being more worried than him. But I’m his mum, it’s what I do…

But my worries came from him being confident enough to stand up for himself if needs be.

And also from feeling he could be being exploited. He’s 17. Minimum wage for kids of his age is around £5 per hour. I think he gets slightly more than that tho. A 6.5 hours shift earns him approx £35. An adult over 23 would be paid approx £60 for the same shift.

@LaughingCat I suspect this is what was happening last night except no one invited him. He finished cleaning up the prep kitchen and came out to find all the chefs having a drink and winding down. DS was disappointed that they’d not all pitched in to finish together. But, I guess the chefs had been working before DS started his shift so…

He will learn how things work as time goes on and work on being included in this new team.

He worked (and lived in) a restaurant all summer and really bonded with the team. He’s not completely new to this environment.