Cost of living. Teens with no jobs

[monkeysox]

The whole COL crisis is exacerbated by huge supermarket chains (one example) who are making huge profits. They don't employ as many young people (automation) so the cost of the kid's needs falls on the parents who have huge bills themselves.
I always had a Saturday or evening job.
Businesses aren't hiring nearly as much as 30 years ago.
Aibu?

Yup, we all embraced chain stores taking over the High Street causing small independents to close. We all embraced huge out of town supermarkets and retail parks causing High street chains to close. Now we're all embracing internet shopping causing retail park chains to close. Likewise with restaurants, we are shunning local independents for McDonalds, Frankie & Benny, Wetherspoons, Costa, Greene King chain pubs, etc.

There really aren’t. Have you been asleep? It’s been well documented how difficult it is to get work if you’re young even in hospitality.

Apprenticeships are harder to get into than Oxbridge and no young people
shouldn't be flexible and go into the care sector. Vulnerable people deserve the best not bored teenagers who don’t want to be there.

Not really.
Not if you factor in how much explanation, instruction, possibly having to re do it yourself time teens often need.

We employ a lot of older teens/ young adults and it’s really depressing how little common sense and initiative they have at the moment.

They honestly get worse every year.

An example would be telling them to go and collect glasses and they go and get one and come back, instead of collecting as many as they can carry.

Most of them have had to be shown how to use a tin opener.

Just those little things we never had to consider 15 years ago now take up more and more time to instil.

This is about teens who should start to look to supporting themselves. Teens are expensive, and their parents would no longer be getting child benefit.

I think the op is finding it hard.

And while it's a parent's job to provide food, clothing and shelter, teens want a lot more than that. If they "need" Nike trainers or the latest iPhone then they need to get a job to pay for it, don't they?

It took my teen a year to get a part time job to do alongside her A Levels. She applied for loads, shops, restaurants, cafes and was turned down numerous times. She eventually got one in a restaurant thank god and has now been there a year. When I was her age there were so many part time jobs for teens, it was easy to get one. It’s a worry

I’d rather have earned a low wage than none at that age. I got paid £2.6 per hour.

Care home won't take under 18s.
My friend's 17 yo DD who is doing some sort of social care at college can't even get volunteer work.
We're not talking about apprenticeships - those are study/work schemes - but teenagers earning some money at the w/e, evenings, holidays.

Apprenticeships are harder to get into than Oxbridge
Is that true?

While I agree with a lot of what you're saying, things have changed in a very few years.
Most people won't hire a 14 year old for cafe work these days.

Things were easier for your now 20 yo DS.
My 17 yo can't do work experience on a farm due to the insurance.

I have a non-British name, as do large swathes of British people.

Some parents can’t afford to buy even the basics. Children’s wages help the whole family out. It’s not just savings and luxuries.

I had to pay a third of my supermarket wages from my Saturday job to the family account and I was expected to buy all my own clothes. I no longer received pocket money.

Not everyone can allow their kids to freeload at home once they’re earning.

Yes

https://bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/apprenticeships-harder-than-oxbridge-600m-600000-places/

My son got through to the final round of a IT one. He was predicted 3 A* and has some pretty impressive coding experience. All the other applicants were the same. The process was incredibly intense- they even had a round of speed interviewing!

Should add, he didn’t get it.😅

This is not in any way a pop at people born outside the UK, but I do wonder how employers are able to freely recruit min wage jobs from abroad when we have such a big youth unemployment problem.

I get that they are probably more capable, experienced or motivated, but its unfair on our young people (of all ethnicities/ origins) because they can't compete. 😔

Its always short term solutions to create longer term problems.

A part of the problem is that there are fewer jobs for young people as older workers are being forced to work longer as the pension age has been raised and continues to rise so even less jobs available for the youngsters

Nasty. You know full well what she meant. Parents are worried sick about the state of the jobs market for young people and all you can do is make petty comments.

What a pity.

So they shouldn’t be having children then. I don’t care if circumstances change! You get up and you provide! End of!

It was an observation not a criticism. It's interesting.

In the case of the former, a significant number were Indian having studied at Indian universities and then come to the UK to do a Masters.

With regards to agri, it has been mostly East European. The last 2 couples they had were Polish and the current ones are Romanian. They have never had any British applicants.

but OP is talking about teenagers who don’t even have jobs!

These are not small children we are on about on this thread who you should be providing for. They are older teens/young adults who should be beginning to contribute to the household.
Where is the cut off in your mind? My DM can't support me now, so should she have never had me? I am in my 40s 😅

Hospitality is always available in sports stadiums, just sign up to an agency!

As a student I worked at Cricket Test Matches, Horse Racing, Football Stadiums. Rugby, Tennis and Golf clubs, Galas, Civic Functions, Award Ceremonies, Company events, Weddings etc…. they also can find chambermaid work too!

There are non caring jobs in care homes available to under 18s such as porters, cleaners and kitchen porters.

Fast food restaurants are always recruiting new staff too!

Shoe shops and uniform shops take on extra staff during the summer holidays as it’s their peak season.

I have had a job continuously since the age of 14 - weekends and school holidays while at school and sixth form, throughout university at evenings and weekends, and after graduation! After graduation I have never been unemployed either!

You just need to be creative and think positively about using agencies to find you hospitality work. Just walking up and down a local high street won’t give you many options. Cast your net more widely!

Oh don’t be ridiculous. Teenagers since time began have been working and need to. Bar food and the very basics of clothes parents should not be funding teenagers for much else. It’s not how real life works. Funding their every need does not encourage a hunger for work

Yes it is really unfair

we should be investing in the people who are already here as priority. It drives down wages.

i

Look I’ve been working since I was 14 but my parents never asked me for a penny. It wasn’t expected of me!! But it’s not a new revelation that children grow up and become teenagers that need clothes and food! Age 6 or 16 I don’t care I am the parent…so I provide!! Age 26 is a different matter…but she said teenagers. Even at 26 I want my dc to know they can turn to me. I’m not a bank etc but you know what I mean!

Bar food and clothing…what do they NEED? At 16 let’s say?