Paper round is slave labour!

[CoffeTastesGreatToday]

DS took on a paper round in January. I posted about it at the time because we couldn't tell if the pay was £13 per day or £13 per week.

Well... turns out it was actually £12.50 per WEEK!

So, he was getting up early, cycling off at 6:40am to get the papers at 7am, completing his round - which took him miles from home and up a main road. Then was getting home after 8:20am and having to rush off to school.

I did the round a few times with him. It was freezing and horrible in the rain, and the houses were so spaced out. Not many papers to deliver, to be fair. Just the route was a bit rubbish, and included a block of retirement flats which took a long time to walk around and navigate

We decided it wasn't worth giving up other activities in the evening just to get up early for a job that paid v little, so he handed in his notice! He then got really ill so I did the last week of his round for him to help out the post office and allow them time to find someone else during his notice period. Even in the car (it was cold! and hec, I wouldn't have chosen this job! So allowed myself some comfort!!), the route took me a good 45minutes each day!! I was truly counting down the days!!!

AIBU to think £12.50 a week is complete exploitation? That's £2.50 a day - for an hour cycling around delivering the papers, plus the getting up early, working in the cold, cycle time to get to the post office to collect the papers etc..

Who is actually working these hours for this money? DS really wants a job, but I just don't think the time and effort for £2.50 a day is worth it! My brother got paid more for his paper round in the 80s!!! What happened to pay rises in line with inflation etc...???

I'm late 40s. At the age of 12 I got a work from home job that paid £2.50 an hour. So same wage, but in the comfort of my home and this was over 30 years ago. And even then, I thought it was a poor rate of pay, but accepted it (because I wasn't old enough to have got a job legitimately, so was in no place to complain!!)

I am genuinely gobsmacked that a legit, well established and national company, the post office, is exploiting kids in this way!

I recall you earlier thread OP. At least he has a months worth of work experience as a start.

-At 14 I started working in a pharmacy on Saturdays. We had delivery boys who used to drop regular meds off to the elderly on their bicycles. This was many years ago, and likely not allowed now, because I'm sure the boys were only 13
-car washing was another idea
-Bin cleaning? Apparently people do pay to have their wheelie/recycling bins cleaned out.

My son was 14 when we started and we live in London. He did a paper round 7 days a week for 18 months and never missed a single round! He got paid £3 for a week day and £5 for a week en day so £25 a week, £100 a month, and he minted it in at Christmas (about £150 in tips). He loved it but gave it up when he started GCSEs. My daughter then attempted it and lasted 4 days. It all depends on the child!

My 14 year old did the FA referee course and earns £30 a game. He made £120 last weekend! Would that be an option?

I did a paper round in 2004 and got £14 per week. It wasn’t many houses but the cycling kept me very fit.

I also worked in a sweet shop, £20 for a Saturday shift 8-5.30 and did a free paper round too once per week, that paid about £5 for 160 houses!

It wasn’t amazing money even in 2004. It was quite character building though. But I’ve always been willing to do pretty much anything for some spare cash!

I had a job, aged 13, in 1976. I was paid £2.44 for four hours hoovering, dusting and cleaning the windows of the pub next door, at the weekends.

That would be £22.44 a week or £5.61p.h in today's money.. My commute time was 30 seconds. When I was 16, I managed to get HP on a moped on the basis of it. 😊

Maybe your dc could look for something much closer, cleaning patios, car washing, dog walking, mowing lawns etc. Do you have any elderly ladies nearby who need some help?

Another thought:
Visit neighbours and ask if they will collect any aluminium cans for him, or on bin night, ask if he can look through their recycling bin. Squished can can be taken to scrap yards. It might only be 80p a kilo, but would add up of the street knows he is collecting them.