Should 16 year olds get pocket money or get a job?

[Dramatic]

My DD is 16, about to start a full time a level course at college (6th form) me and DH are having a slight disagreement on what money we should give her.

He's saying we should give her money for transport and food at college but nothing else and that if she wants any extras she should get a part time/Saturday job. I think we should still be giving her a bit of pocket money, say around £10-20 per week so she can go out with her friends, buy herself some little treats or whatever.

We still buy all her clothes/toiletries and essentials.

Who is BU?

Agreed @DivingForLove
I have a just 18 DD, she has worked in Nandos, Asda, a theatre since she was 16 as have all her friends. She's off to uni next week, so managed easily to work.
I don't know any teens who haven't worked and only studied, I often wonder if it's the best thing for life to be so concentrated on study and if it has to be,has the person got the aptitude for their studies.
It's only on MN I see this obsession about teens studying.

Still get child benefit and extra money in other benefits to support them (if entitled) if they are still in full time education so I'd give her money.

I suppose this is another slight issue, we live on the outskirts of a small town and don't have restaurants, theatres etc so there are very limited opportunities for a 16yo to find work. Plus terrible public transport.

The travel time to her college is just over an hour on a bus with a walk at the other end. It would be a similar story for most work places.

Both. Give pocket money as a top up after they get a job.

I remember having 2-4 hours' homework a night and more at weekends during A levels. I did work (babysitting once a week, then a Saturday morning shop job as well), but I was permanently exhausted, stressed and very depressed. My parents had very little money, so it wasn't that they told me to get jobs, just that they couldn't give me as much pocket money as they would have liked.

My DC had a mixture of both. It worked well as they were able to save some money to go towards uni and gain real world work experience from their part time jobs but did not feel like they had to work excessive hours as they had sufficient pocket money.

We're finding it a bit of a minefield since covid. My other kids had Saturday or holiday jobs with fixed hours, they were treated well. No problems.

My youngest is on her second job, the first they kept pressuring her to work late, she'd miss the last bus and I'd have to pick her up. Or they insisted she had to do extra shifts.
Her new job is 3 days a week over the holidays, she has a health issue and more than that is too much. But she has ended up working 5 days and just been told if she doesn't like it, she knows where the door is. They've also threatened her with other stuff, like having to pay back a lot of money for her uniform if she leaves.

We do give her £25 a week and pay for her phone, but it doesn't go very far.

I'd say if you can afford to give them a decent allowance, so they can concentrate on their studies, I'd do that.

DD 16 works and get 10 euros a week. She gets a clothing allowance and phone, toiletries are covered by me. DD was resistant to getting a job but I did push a little and most of her friends have one. She works 6 hours a week in a local supermarket a 5 minute bike ride away from our house. I think she has learnt some important skills in an environment which is very different to her school and home. DD doesn’t earn much, for me having a job is a life skill and I support her financially during it.

The impracticality of where you live probably makes it very difficult (but not impossible) to have a very part time job.

Definitely a job, surprised she doesn’t have one already.

i believe she should get a job
i am sure she would like to get a job

@DivingForLove
If everyone's grades were affected equally then the impact of everyone working would have been masked.

If few people are working then taking an action likely to lower your grades becomes more risky.

We won't be able to afford 25 quid a week....

So she really really could do with a job when the time comes.

I would expect her to get a very part time job. It’s a nice feeling earning so you can treat yourself.

My daughter has just got an 8 hour a week job. I am hoping that's a good balance with having enough time to study.

I have made it clear though that I want approx 50% saved for uni. That will still give her plenty for spending.

At 16 I gave mine a quarterly payment to cover their transport, clothing, some entertainment and essentials. It wasn't anything extravagant, just enough for them to get everything they needed. They also had a job to buy the things they wanted. While they are at school, we think it's our responsibility to provide their necessities.

£20 a week & you buy all her clothes & essentials? That seems a lot to me, what do they spend it all on? My 16yo only gets £5 a week & seems to have enough. We will be encouraging her to get a Saturday job soon & see how it goes in terms of impact on study.

Do you have any jobs or tasks that you need doing or she could help with and you could pay her? We have our own business so can pay our 15 year old to help with some jobs. Maybe stuff around the house? Just a thought?

Agree.

I don't expect my child to work if in full time education....she also does sport which I encourage.
If she wants to get a job she can
If I were you maybe switch from buying all clothes and toiletries and give her money to cover most personal spending and she can budget accordingly and use some of that to go out.

Similar. My school bus was free and they’d give me cash for school lunches, basic clothes etc. From 16 I worked 6am-2pm Sat and Sun.

Agree. I was teen in the 90s and was the same. Nearly everyone had jobs through school and the sixth form and then uni. All got really good results. I know there are more restrictions on children working now, but there are still jobs out there.

It's good for your cv, gives you life experience, provides some independence etc. My DD has already got her name down at the local coffee shop for when she's a bit older, and friends are already doing paper rounds here and there.

I think a Saturday job is great experience and a good way to take financial responsibility early.

Everyone I went to sixth form with, worked. There was a huge shopping centre open until 10pm nearby so lots mainly worked there a combination of evenings/weekend shifts.
I'd still give pocket money though, maybe £15 a week and she can top up with wages.
I always preferred waitressing at that age, you're busy so the time goes quickly and I made additional money in tips.

Back in 80s, it was a lot easier to get a job at sixteen. Around where I live, it’s harder to get a job until you’re seventeen.