Possible exploitation of under 16 in the work place, any one in the know?

[SPACEdoutzombieCADET]

dd (15) went for a job interview at a local shop and was telephoned yesterday and asked to come in for a "trial" today..however, they want her to work 4 hours and im pretty sure thats illegal for under 16's on a sunday, they also have told her that if shes not offered the job, she wont be paid for today, when she enquired if she would have a break today, they said, no, you are only working 4 hours but im sure that the law is different for under 16's.
also they have told her that her working hours would be 5-9 on a weekday and 6.30 am to 12 on a saturday, again im convinced that this is not legal but cant find any info on the net relating to under 16's, shes due to go to this "trial" very soon and i want to find some eveidence that she shouldnt bbe working 4 hours but cant find, can anyone help?
does anyone know anything about under 16 employment law?
TIA

CAB advice for you, spacey.

5-9 on a weekday can't be right - she's at school!!!!

15-yr-olds can do more hours than 13-14 yr olds but this does sound like a lot. They are right about no break in a 4-hr shift though I think.

Good luck anyway - glad to see she is trying

You are right - no more than 2 hrs on schooldays (and not before 7am), not during school hours, and no more than 2 hrs on Sunday either.

and here too

Oh durr, have just realised you must mean 5-9PM!

But that's still too much.

Loads of shops bend the rules though - DS2 is 13 and does a paper round, he starts at about 6.30 (but that's his choice, he doesn't have to start before 7)

blimey, she shouldnt even be doing this trial today then..well if they offer her the job i will be ringing up and pointing out the hours its legal for her to work, no doubt they will change their minds then..i find it hard to beleive that the shop owners dont realise they are breaking the law

i'm not sure if this is still true because it's a while now since i worked, but when i did work at a newsagents, if we employed school age staff then there were government/local authority forms and legal paperwork to be filled in.

we had regular contact from the school about certain employees, so maybe it's worth talking to the school too if they are approachable as they may know the ins and outs too.

"If you are below the minimum school leaving age, you may not work without an employment permit issued by the Local Authority where you will be working.
Different Local Authorities have different rules and regulations for their areas. If you or your employer do not apply for an employment permit,the employer may face prosecution and you might not be covered by
insurance for any accidents. You must have your parents? or carers?consent to work part time"
This is a quote from the Tyne & Wear connexions leaflet, which was the first one to come up when i googled. Connexions (that is the correct spelling) is the new name for the government careers advice service - it is very good on all things to do with young people's work & careers - you should be able to find the one in your area by googling & I'm sure they'll be able to tell you the rules of your local authority. The basic hours that Pretend Friend gave are the same over the whole country, I think it's only the exact format of the local authority permission that varies. I know my DD (in Wokingham)had to get a form signed by her school.