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?

£5 a week???

I prefer to treat my dd like an equal. She works incredibly hard on her school work towards getting into a very competitive uni course, as well as doing volunteering and work experience. So she gets a generous allowance (she saves most of it). There will be plenty of time for her to work hard in a paid job in the future!!

My 17 year old has £15 a week. I also pay for his phone, xbox subscription, bus pass, as he is learning to drive I also pay car tax, car insurance and petrol.
Neither me nor my brothers had jobs until we finished university, I intend to do the same for my children they have decades to work and I can comfortably support them.

I did 12 hours a week at 16 while doing my GCSEs - definitely wouldn't recommend that! A few hours a week (e.g. four) might work well - some work experience, but not impacting on studying. I think having a job at a young age helped me budget, and made me see shopping differently e.g. something I wanted was no longer £x, but x hours of work.

Maybe it depends on what else they would be doing at weekends? DS, just turned 16, would like a job in theory, but he has a sport which takes out a lot of random weekends, is starting on his A-levels, and is also trying to keep up some musical commitments as well. We'd like him to keep going with all of those... if he were just on his PC all weekend, we might feel differently.

School is already enough of a job and a responsibility. She doesn’t need a little, piddling job that’s just going to add more stress to her life (menial, unskilled jobs are their own special kind of stressful) and take away from her schoolwork. School itself teaches her responsibility. No working while in school.

She doesn’t need a little, piddling job that’s just going to add more stress to her life (menial, unskilled jobs are their own special kind of stressful)
Nice to see how you view many many types of employment, horrible comment to make

All my friends had Saturday jobs in sixth form. I think it’s actually extremely important to have been out at work before you start making big life choices.
If nothing else it shows them what options they may or may not enjoy.
I leaned that I liked working with people and that I didn’t want to spend my life shelf stacking if I could avoid it! Useful motivation to do as well in school as possible!

Pocket money and a job are 2 different things. Main aim with both is the same - ie some money to use and save. A job can also be work experience for ucas form but should stop immediately if it has negative impact on grades or schoolwork. I firmly believe that equating chores with the receipt of pocket money is wrong as pocket money ought to be gifted money. Now, if they can’t get a job there might be additional arrangements for doing jobs for you for money.

I think it depends really. Ds1 is about to start 6th form. I dont think he is ready for a job for lots of reasons. We are happy to pay for his meals, transport etc. He isnt social ( we are hoping this changes but he may always prefer not to have a social life) He doesnt really spend money so has plenty of savings. I buy him clothes but he doesnt care about them so primark or supermarket clothes are fine. He gets a tenner a week pocket money. I am hoping he comes out of his shell a bit in the next couple of years so that he can get a job but im not pushing it as he is low in confidence.

Ds2 is the opposite and would get a job now if there was one available (he is 13) and whilst he will get the same as ds1 for 6th form, i will expect him to get a job as he is a social butterfly and likes branded clothes and sandwiches from waitrose 😂. He is frivolous with money and i think it will be beneficial for him to have a job asap.

@SuperiorM I don’t get the chores thing.

Chores are part of normal life. I expect my teen to pitch in, things like emptying the dishwasher, helping with the pets, cooking dinner once a week. There’s only the two of us here and I expect pitching in, working at school and being respectful as part of the bargain. It’s ok, it all happens but I wouldn’t ‘gift’ £175 a month on average without strings.

Gifts are without strings, a monthly allowance is not imo even if the strings are not too onerous.

Agree @HerMammy .

What a nasty, sneering post @MichaelAndersen

Wow, this is an awful comment in so many ways.

My DH was Head of Finance for a large company before covid, he got made redundant and lucky for us he's not an utter snob and happily got a job working in a supermarket during lockdown.

School definitely does not teach responsibility in the way working does, far from it. Way to teach your kids to become entitled snobs though.

That depends on the school. Many children like doing a Saturday/holiday job whilst still at school in order to supplement their allowance but I would agree it is not essential.

I give my daughter 40 per month but pay for toiletries, travel and top ups. She’s now got a Saturday job and I’m not sure what to do about pocket money, it seems a lot to have wages and pocket money. Was thinking of giving PM and saying it’s for bus fairs and food, wages for whatever and saving and I still buy toiletries and clothes that she needs. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do 🤷🏻‍♀️

I recommend starting a new thread for a start, as this one's well old.

16 is the prime age for maturity in my eyes, pocket money stops and work starts.
As soon as i left school i got myself a parttime at the old bakers

Even if shes in full time education, she can still get a saturday job

Thanks for your support, came on here today for the first time get advice

I have 3 teens and they all worked at 16 - luckily very locally (kitchen porter, farm shop and vineyard). It’s been really great for their mental health and confidence. Don’t underestimate what working with adults and being appreciated does. A very troubled 16 year old DS worked very hard all summer and it changed his life. My other 16 year old is a driven high academic achiever and it has benefited him too- and he will be putting his skills from it in his university application. In his case 5 hours on a Sunday isn’t affecting his studies

I would pay for clothes, toiletries, travel, lunches and give £60 pcm.

Also https://www.instagram.com/breakroomhq?igsh=OTdwZGh3djd3Znk3

on insta share companies that hire 16 year olds as well as the pay rates. Waitrose pay brilliantly for instance

And notwithstanding your apparent sarcasm, that WAS good advice I gave you. Best to start your own thread as it will drive traffic. You're liable to get posters biting your head off for reviving a zombie thread.

I prefer mine to focus on their studies so have no expectations of DS getting a job when he is in college next year. We will pay for his phone, clothes etc and give him around £25 per week.
If he wanted to get a job though I would support it.

Our 16 year old doesn’t have a job but we live rurally and there’s no public transport, so it wouldn’t be simple logistically. We give him £50 a month and extra for college lunches. However, he is expected to help around the house so he does his own washing, puts the dishwasher on etc. We run our own business so he does come to work with us sometimes to earn some extra money.

Job.

My dd2 has just started her first Saturday job age 16 (17 in August). She's on the tills at a local family run garden centre and omfg the stories she comes back with about the rudeness of SO many elderly customers.

I've never been able to afford to pay pocket money regularly but GPs gave them the odd £20 here and there and they saved birthday/Christmas money to have a small fund which was eked out carefully. We live quite rurally so there's not loads to do, generally seeing their mates is a fiver on sweets and hanging out at someone's house.

Dd1 got her first job bussing tables in a pub at 17. She works (part time) in uni holidays and does some babysitting while at uni.

I still buy all essentials for Dd2 (her dad doesn't contribute so it's tricky), phone contract etc, but she's super excited about having a bit more of her own money. She has a Vinted account and keeps all the money she makes from selling clothes (and spends it all on more Vinted stuff, as do I).

I worked from 13.5 (different times) at a local harvester, bussing tables then waitressing/bar as I got older. Absolutely believe it stood me in good stead, of course it depends on their studies/time management etc but if they can get a few hours somewhere, I think it's good for them. Even if I could have afforded to give them pocket money I'd have wanted them to work to top it up.