Dd earning £6 an hour cash in hand for a Saturday/holiday job

[wildfellhall]

in a hairdresser just doing very basic things, making drinks, sweeping up, general cleaning and answering the phone.

obviously it’s less than minimum wage but she is learning the basics of work.

Some of my family are a bit disapproving - but I feel as if it’s still good experience particularly as she wants to carry on.

AIBU to let her continue until she finds something better?

No just teach her not to be exploited by employers acting illegally.

This is just ridiculous. She is 16 it isn't going to have a negative effect on her future employment, even if she can't get a reference from them

@BurntBroccoli I don't see what sex has to do with anything.

Jobs are really hard to come by for young people at the moment. Ones with verifiable experience will do better.

I have had teenagers and my daughter had a Saturday job in a hairdressers when she was a teenage . That was a long time ago before the minimum wage for teenagers applied. But she was paid a reasonable wage . She had no intention of being a hairdresser so her experience sweeping up and washing hair didn't help her get another job . What employers were much more interested in was her voluntary work with a charity , her Duke of Edinburgh experience and the theatre group she was a member of. Those activities demonstrated teamwork, communication skills and resilience.

I'm on the fence with this. The employer is acting illegally paying less than minimum wage, probably no insurance etc.
They are getting a cheap employee, saving staff costs etc.

Your daughter is getting valuable work experience, but would they even give her a reference if she's not legally an employee??

It's money she has never had before and she will love that and it's regular hours ( not flaky zero hours) but they are really still taking advantage of her, so I think I would advise not to accept it and look for something else which is also a lesson in boundaries and a fair employee/employer relationship, sadly a lot of employers especially in service industry treat young people badly.

If she desperately wanted the job then, I would let her on the understanding it's short term and she actively looks for something else.
And if she needs a Saturday off then it's a non negotiable as they should not be refuse her a day off if she hasn't even got a contact and is paid less than minimum wage!

I think it's great she's willing to do this, it's all experience. As some others have said, some people volunteer to get experience.

My DDs used to get £4 an hour in a chip shop when they were 14/15.

Mine just turned 17, and the chip shop has been paying her £10 an hour for a few ad-hoc shifts. I think that is a good rate (in the north at least), despite disapproving slightly of the unofficial work. Still, we all have to start somewhere!

Pretty normal imo. She's just a kid earning a few Bob for helping out. Insurance? NI? Tell her it's not a career choice but it's pocket money. It's like being paid to babysit or wash cars.

If she doesn’t like the terms, she can tell them. For all of the reasons cited (cash in hand is, you know, morally wrong and illegal) anyway I think we know how that will go.

She’s 16, casual work is hard to get.

Not entirely sure why wider family have this level of interest. Going forward, be more vague.

Well obviously not if he was off the books, because there are machines and tools there that can leave you with life changing injuries and some mechanics are really fucking stupid when it comes to playing ‘pranks’ on the young lads who work there. I wouldn’t let a son work on a North Sea oil rig either. Or as a lion tamer.

But that’s not what she’s doing, is it? She’s sweeping a floor and making tea in a nice clean environment where there are no dangerous machinery and no stupid mechanics. It’s hardly the same thing, is it?

I'd tell her to get looking for something else, pronto. My DD is 16 and has been working at two part time jobs since her GCSEs finished, mid-June. As of yesterday, she's so far been paid a total of just over £1000. Both legitimate jobs where she is properly protected. Good luck to your DD in her search. She's sounds like a grafter!

A hairdressing environment can also present a Health & Safety risk. What happens if she’s walking with a boiling hot cup of tea. Slips on some spilled peroxide mix and spills the tea over herself or a customer? She may also insure herself badly from the fall.
Accidents can and do happen everywhere.

@BurntBroccoli But she will be covered on public and or employers liability.

Not that clear cut if OPs daughter is working cash in hand and not paying Tax or NI through proper channels.

Of course it is. That's the whole point of public liability insurance. There is no tac or NI to pay.

They are breaking the NMW rules, and the penalties are severe for the business but not for the employee.

What happens is that she goes to her local A&E and gets any medical treatment that she needs. What else would happen?

Do you mean who will she sue for compensation if she scalds herself or slips on something? Because that would be quite amusing, considering the moral outrage some of you have had about unpaid tax and exploiting minors, but perhaps it’s morally ok to claim compensation for accidental injuries that would heal completely within a relatively short period of time?

Thank you for all these responses! I can’t argue with either for or against. She has now discovered that her mate is getting minimum wage but is working much harder in a cafe. Dd is working hard but it’s not back breaking and she is now experiencing that comparison. BTW the work she has is not regular - it’s just a few Saturdays and weekdays.
She is thinking it all through.
The staff are very very sweet so she’s learning in a kind environment and I’m sure she will move on soon. She is getting really useful customer service experience. And notwithstanding all objections - I think this will help her get a better paid job.

Funny that, I also worked in a record shop Saturdays and school holidays, don't remember about how I was paid..Was in the 70's..
Could I add, a hairdresser is probably self employed and needs a hand doing menial jobs at busy times. One hand washes the other,we say. Where as the Record shop for example , probably belongs to a chain or bigger company. There's the difference.

She’s 16.

It’s earning her pocket money, gaining her experience in the work place and keeping her active and busy. I see no issue.

Proper paid jobs will come when she’s 17.

Scuse me , we'are talking about a Saturday job here...bit of pocket money.

You learn a lot from having a job at this age. Including that being exploited is wrong. I wouldn’t want my child to think that I thought treating workers like shit was OK.

Depends. Does your DD enjoy it? Are the staff nice to her? If it's short term till she fins something better I think its fine. Long term no!

Yes I have children, all grown up now and all had little jobs while at school. Of course a Garage is a different kettle of fish, as would be anywhere using machinery, but here we are talking about sweeping up hair and making cups of tea (at 15). Those that are banging on about NI and insurance and work contracts.... can't see the logic