to think that DS (16) can still get a part time job

[outofofficeagain]

DS wants a job. He has applied for lots but has no experience.

I sent him the details of seasonal applications opening but he forgot to do it on the day and when he got to it a few days later it was closed. Lots of his friends got jobs and have earned good money over Christmas.

Half of me feels bad for not reminding him about application but the other half of me thinks it’s a good lesson for him to take responsibility.

but he’s now forlorn that ‘all the jobs are gone’ and there won’t be any more vacancies for months.

please cheer me up that a) there’ll be plenty of opportunity and b) missing out is a good lesson in the long run.

He’s 16. He probably deliberately forgot. He wants the money but doesn’t want to do anything for it. There’s no saying he would have got the job even if he applied.

However, if he really wants a part time job, he can still contact local businesses. Sweeping up in the barbers, washing up in the pub kitchen etc.

He has taken his CV to all the local businesses. They all either have nothing or want experience. He says he’ll go round again.

Friends of my son's either have jobs as kitchen porters, at McDonalds, or supermarkets. I would imagine that at this stage in the year, McDonalds would be the most likely. Supermarkets pay the best, but already have loads of Christmas temps to either keep on or let go due to not being as busy now. Pubs and restaurants are entering their quiet period for at least a month or two.

Some of the ones who got jobs will drop out for one reason or another.

I often see on the local community Facebook group people asking whether there are any jobs going for teenagers

You’ve nothing to feel bad about. You gave him the information and he didn’t do anything with it. Let it be learning curve for him. Having said that I do hope he finds something soon.

I don't think taking a CV around works as well as it used to, apart from in independent pubs and restaurants. For supermarkets he needs to check out Indeed every day, because the ad closes after about 5 people have applied, so it's mainly a case of being the first, not being the best.

Edited to add, for supermarkets he needs to be in Year 12, not Year 11.

I don't know where you are but I am in a big city and the job market is very tough at the moment. It must be even harder for a 16 year old with no experience and limited in what they can do. All the supermarkets cut hours in Jan as people have little spending money after Xmas and the same goes for restaurants, pubs and so on. I would say he needs to keep trying but also expect things to not start picking up until February

It’s incredibly difficult to get a job at the moment - I would keep encouraging him to apply but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he gets nothing. In dd and ds’s circle of friends (they are mid 20s) about half of them cannot find jobs and it’s not from lack of trying. There are v few jobs around for young people.

We're in a northern town with not much available. Dc is 16 got a Christmas temp job (after trying for 6 months) and most of the others were a lot older (25-30). The shop said they usually keep most on but this year were told they could keep 3 on temporary till end of January. Dc has been kept on for now but 8 let go. Its a hard time to get a job, even harder with no experience.
Has dc thought about volunteering? All 3 of my dc did and has helped them get part time jobs after. Dc1 was actually given a paid job where they volunteered.

January is not a good time of year for seasonal part-time work. Pubs and restaurants are dead quiet, supermarkets and other shops have a bit of a January sales bump sometimes but have plenty of staff from Christmas temps, then they're also very quiet. People aren't going on holiday, there aren't festivals or gigs. Do you live in a city, a town, or a rural area? As a student in Cardiff I used to do ad-hoc work at sporting events, but I was over 18 and we had an international stadium in the city centre.

It might be worth him looking at more informal friend-of-a-friend kinds of casual work, things like offering to walk dogs (not everyone wants to trudge out in the dark and cold), wash filthy cars, tidy up gardens. How is he with younger kids - again parents don't want to trudge off to the park and stand around in the cold. They may be happy to pay £20 for a responsible teenage son of a friend to take their kids out for a kick around and fun in the park for a couple of hours.

He did consider offering to help DCs with homework etc (year 12, 8s and 9s at GCSE) but lots of people put him off as not a qualified tutor etc.

How about signing up with an agency?
I did a couple of weeks of events. Handing out canapés and drinks etc

My daughter has applied for about 50/60 part time jobs with no experience and has got nowhere.

She is now volunteering at Barnardo's for some experience and something to put on her CV.

It's one shift a week and she is treated really well by the manager. Costa's, sweets Xmas presents even!

He might not have 'work' experience but he will have experience. eg Does he do the washing up? Lots of pubs employ a teenager to wash up on a weekend because it is quicker than the dishwasher.

Can he cook?

Can he garden?

Cleaning. Lots of businesses have cleaners who come in early morning to, well clean. If he doesn't mind starting work at 3.00 am.

Dog walking?

Taking Xmas trees out to collection points / chopping them up for disposal.

Don’t feel bad it’s on him to apply. McDonald’s is a good bet they recruit from 16. Suggest he gives it another try in January.

Yes, nobody is going to pay a Y12 to "help with homework", I'm afraid.

I agree with this, McDonalds. Two of my teenagers worked/work there. It’s great for flexible hours, a
can pick up more in school hols etc.

At 16 i just went around locally with my CV for a saturday job.

Small local businesses are a lot more helpful and flexible for first saturday job. Like a local nurseries to assist with planting, paper filing, independent stores, small coffee shops etc. Or local gardeners, tradesmen will give little assisting jobs on a saturday, even if its cleaning tools. Its all experience.

Big chains or indeed jobs generally filter out under 16s.

Does.he do any additional voluntary roles through school or a club? I volunteered in the school library & was a St John Ambulance cadet, including providing first aid at public events; both were valuable work experience to draw on for future applications and interviews.

Yes you probably should have reminded him, but it’s done now. He didn’t remember either so he needs to take responsibility for that.
Unfortunately the market for part time jobs for teens is difficult and realistically he might be looking at getting a summer job now - he should learn from this experience and start looking in June if he hasn’t got anything before then.

I was going to say, try local places eg cafe, Subway, Domino’s type places etc. My eldest son had his first job in a Subway, it was shit but it was good experience and he got much better jobs since. My youngest applied for loads once he turned 16 and never got any, but he got a Christmas temp job in John Lewis which was great and he has been kept on for a while. From what I can gather from young people is hospitality jobs are easy to get but there’s less they can do at 16 than 18.

Has he tried tutoring at a 11plus category tutoring company- the ones that are on the high street? My Niece got a job working at one and she must have been 16 17 as she wasn’t at uni then.
eleven plus exams are in September so if parents are going down that route they will be ramping that up. Worth a try if he is solid in English comprehension/ story writing and maths.

I think it’s really hard for them to get a job now. DD (17) has been applying for jobs for months and not got anywhere and she’s a bright girl with lots of volunteering experience.

She had an interview for one job that specified 16/17 year olds and they had had 80 applicants! They interviewed 8 and were offering a trial shift to 3. She got offered a trial shift, but couldn’t do that date so she offered several other dates that she could do and they never replied even though she politely chased them!

She’s going to go around with her cv to the independent businesses in our local town and is nearly ready to take her driving test, so that will open up more opportunities for her hopefully. Hardly any of her friends have managed to get jobs either.

DS worked for McDonalds from 17 and they’re great. A lot to be said for zero hours contracts at that age. He works there in uni holidays now when he’s home and just says he’s unavailable when he goes back to uni. He’s not keen on DD working there too, but she might have to apply if nothing else comes up!

Everyone says oh it’s really tough but my nephew easily got a job at McDonalds. My friends 2 sons the same. Nephew got sick of maccies because he got given the crap shifts at Xmas so quit and within days had got another job in a pub.
We live in a small town in the north. It doesn’t seem to be that hard here

It's actually very hard to get employment at 16. My ds tried for the summer with no luck. He got a Christmas job once he turned 17. Some of his friends had applied for 30+ jobs. He was lucky to get the first one he applied for! Much easier at 17.