AIBU to encourage my daughter to get a part-time job while in sixth form?

[mumbunz24]

My daughter just started sixth form this September at a grammar school, and I’ve noticed that not many of her classmates seem to have part-time jobs.
I’m wondering if it’s a good idea to nudge her towards getting some work experience, or if that might interfere with her studies. I know balancing A-levels can be tough, but I also believe that part-time work can teach valuable skills and responsibility.
AIBU to think she should consider a part-time job, or should I let her focus solely on her studies?

I think the retail industry is in such a poor state that young people are more vulnerable to exploitation.

They are less vulnerable to exploitation if they have parents who have their back. If someone treats them badly at work you can help them with it and to know what their boundaries ought to be.

I'd likely tell my child to just leave the shitty job because a 17 year old isn't going to take on H+M head office. But then they have a patchy work history.

My DS was at a Grammar doing IB and I preferred him to concentrate on his studies during term time. He got a PT job in the summer at a local park and that taught him the work ethic and life skills, then he concentrated on school work the rest of the year. constantly being tested at school and the stress I think would've been too much as most pt jobs are not that flexible. Now he's at Uni and will get a PT job and work more again in the summer.

I don’t think there is a one-size fits all answer. If she’s very academic, doing more than three A-levels and aiming for Oxbridge, a part-time job could genuinely impact her studies enough to spoil her chances. But if she’s comfortably coping with the work, not super-stressed, then a job is a good idea.

Theres loads of part time work out there for students.

People always say this, but my kid at university really struggled to find something. I looked at all her applications by the end as I was wondering why she wasn’t getting jobs. Her forms were fine. Then she looked on indeed and there were sometimes 600 applicants for one job at superdry. And it was the old trap of because she did not have experience working in a bar or restaurant, they prioritised people who did. It may be the city she was studying in, a very large UK city but there certainly were not lots of jobs for students. They wanted a reg commitment of at least 20 hours including during working days, which was incompatible with lectures.

Yes I think my local waitrose will only take people who can commit to 20hrs atm and it's near 2 big universities.

I think it's important for kids to have that bit of independence, both financially and socially.

My DD has a part time job and she's nearly 15. It's in a local cafe/bar, and as others have said, it's done wonders for her confidence and also her purse!

She's academically very conscientious and a high achiever, and she has other hobbies too. We are a fairly high income household, but I think it's good for her to know that money isn't always easy to come by!

I always had Saturday and holiday jobs, from being 14 right through sixth form and uni. It didn't ever affect my studies.

I agree with this. I’ve told dd not to get a part time job but she’s very academic - studies very hard and is doing 4 essay based A levels and an EPQ. She is aiming for Law at Oxford or another Russell group. Something has to give and I’d rather it not be her grades.

I've had a job since I was 16 and I still managed to get great grades and complete a masters degree.

OP YANBU, getting a job is more than just earning pocket money, it taught me work ethic, getting up on time, independence, the value of money. I would always encourage teenagers to get jobs contrary to popular opinion on here.

I worked on a Saturday and Sunday and then more during the holidays.

Both my DCs worked whilst at grammar school. DD got top marks and is now in 2nd year at uni. She worked full time for 10 weeks over the summer in a factory so she doesn't have to work in term time as her course is very full on. DS in sixth form and works 8 hours a week in the same fast food place his sister worked. Absolutely no reason not to get a job.

Part-time job all the way! Great for time management, not just getting there on time but also timetabling with studies etc. Has made DSD grow up a bit too, there were a few places she wanted to apply for for had no idea how she would actually get there/back. Funnily enough, we weren’t going to extend the taxi service to this! Same with washing and sorting uniform if working consecutive days.
DSD enjoys it so much and is hoping to transfer to a branch in her uni town next year.

I think part-time jobs can be fantastic for students, but it depends on the job and on how they get to school. If it's working in holidays, great, if they don't have a long commute by bus, great, so they can study in the week and do a day on the weekend, that works well.

If they are in a grammar, have to travel two hours a day, then no. If they are doing their school work on weekends to keep pace with four A levels (which many still are due to Further Maths, languages) then no. If they have a health condition which means they find studying plus a small amount of socialising exhausting, no.

I think some exposure to work, like doing temp work for an agency in the holidays, or one day a week Sunday, is good.

Beyond that it takes over their lives, I have a friend whose son worked weekends, weeknights, loved their job but has just got much poorer A level grades this year. Perhaps they would have done anyway, but they can't know that now.

It also depends on finances in the household, if you need the money, needs must, but if you can support them to make A levels the priority, and a part-time job to fit around that, I think that's better. No-one is impressed by a job as a washer up if they have been to uni, and they are better off getting strategic work or internships at that point.

Definitely it does them so much good. My dd worked for 7 hrs per week through sixth form. She did 1 day at the weekend in a high street shop.

Uni students get a lot of time off so although there will be periods when it's tough balancing both, at other times, not so much.
I babysat and worked in kids holiday camps when I was a student.

@JaneAustenshandbag in that scenario I would not let them get a term-time part-time job unless needed, but there are voluntary work or holiday options that might open up in the summers/holidays. I didn't make my grammar then Oxbridge student work, but she did do volunteer work and temp a bit in the summers.

Uni students usually have far more time available for work than a grammar school pupil, or one that has to commute to school.

She definitely needs a part time job at 16. Both mine did and found it much easier when they had finished A levels to get a 'proper' full time job as they had had 2 years of part time working which taught them various skills and made them more more employable. Most of their friends did too.

Both DC only finished in the last 2 years and neither wanted to go to Uni. 1 DC is in a business type apprenticeship and the other is working full time in the civil service.

From looking at their social circle now, the only ones that have struggled to get a proper job after 6th form are those who didnt work whilst studying.

It will teach her so much that 6th form cant and she will thank you for it when she is older.

Because in her first paragraph she clearly was talking about people and not directly the OPs daughter. Don’t go on to threads looking for ways to find offence.

Well, yes, that's certainly one option. DD1's employers have been great but certainly her friends have been paid far less and taken advantage of also. I don't think 16/17 is too young to learn these lessons.

I kind of do. Women especially are likely to have a hard time in the workplace until they retire. I say shield them from those kinds of encounters for as long as possible. It doesn't build resilience, it builds anxiety, low self esteem and resignment.

My eldest worked as a lifeguard and swim teacher and got 4x A levels (2 at A* and 2 A’s, all maths and science based). My middle one is also working as a lifeguard and swim teacher, he is also doing 4 maths/science A levels. His projected results are all A’s. I am ‘low income’. It’s a great way for them to learn how to organise themselves, vitally important before heading off to uni where they will be left to their own devices.

Of course she should be doing part time work. To not be is lazy and unmotivated. It’s great for her cv and will give her life experience.

Definitely worth encouraging. Even just a 4 - 6 hour shift on a weekend. My sixth former did this and it made a difference in confidence and ability to get work quickly when they then needed it. Their school even had sixth formers do a couple of hours reception work after school for decent hourly pay.

@PettyPaperwork She could do market/social research interviewing from home. They do flexible shifts, like evenings and weekends. They supply the kit as long as she had a computer and internet.