Teenage "Saturday jobs" - did you have one? What do you think?

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Last night some friends asked us whether, if, as a teenager, dd is asked to model, we would let her do it. Trying to be sensible (instead of kneejerk & negative) about this, I thought I wouldn't ... reason being that it's so hard anyway to keep your perspective & feet on the ground as a teenager that you would have to be a very extraordinarily grounded child not to be in some way muddled up by that world.

It made me realise though that I have a principle for teenage jobs - that they should have a definite purpose (other than earning) - they should in fact put your feet more firmly on the ground - give you a sense of wider, but realistic, horizons.

My job was in a local fishmonger, and it taught me about micro-commerce (tiny profits adding up) and (especially) about elderly people's budgeting. As well as smoked mackerel. (Though I always wish I'd held out for a job in a bookshop.)

I'm interested: what did other people do? What sort of things did you learn from it? Given that I've ruled out modelling for dd [please insert "ooh Get Her" in your head there], what do you think would be a good Saturday job nowadays?

i used to wash dishes in a chinese restaurant, started at 14. Also did waitressing.

Friends helped coach gymnastics, waitressed, ice-cream shop, etc.

Fab to get a small job-teaches value of your own money, and how people get money.

I cleaned hotel rooms and tbh didn't learn a thing, other than that people are so messy and how to fold the edge of the loo roll to make it look nice

I used to have a paper round

and then one day said I wanted some clothes and generally moaned about not having money

so my mum said 'well stop moaning and do something about it then' and picked her magazine back up

so I went out and asked at the local supermarket and got one

I earned money and that was it, no groundbreaking visions

I worked in the local Boots for two years. Learned quite a bit on the pharmacy counter, but also the general bits about turning up on time, politeness even when you're feeling tired/hungover, be nice to people and they very often are nice back, working with people you might not otherwise have had to get along with.
It also gave me a permanent dislike of shop assistants who gas to their mates whilst serving customers - how RUDE.
I really do think they are a good thing, especially nowadays when any teen thinking about going to college / uni needs every penny they can get and also good budgeting skills. The earlier they start, the easier it will be for them. Even if they aren't planning on FE or HE, work experience will always look good on their CV.

My sister worked in an old-fashioned haberdashery shop from 15 to 18 when she found it a bit much having two jobs. I don't know what she learnt there but my Mum got her tea-towels and bedsheets at staff prices for a couple of years . She only earned about £10 a day as well .

I didn't work as a teenager at school since my siblings gave me pocket money and my Mum let me have the child benefit for my own. I started full-time work at 16 so my halcyon days of spending other people's hard-earned dosh didn't last long .

I worked in a fishmongers too

Best job I've ever had.

Got some funny looks and sniffs from folk on the bus home though

I worked in a hairdressers and in a jeweller's shop.

Ds1 did his Lifeguarding course and worked as a casual lifeguard which he still does occasionally now.

Ds2 has passed his footie refs course and will be doing that from September for the local Youth league.

Both of these are more 'useful' I think than the generally run of the mill jobs - in terms of CV building I mean, needing responsibility and a certain levelheadedness. But both have mean't inital financial outlay from yours truly.

I never had a Saturday job as such as I was at boarding school, but during the summer holidays my parents refused us any allowance unless we got a job, then they matched whatever we earned so we earned double, which was incredibly generous. I spent one summer, aged 15, in a bank, stuffing envelopes, which was dull as ditchwater. Then I spent the next 2 summers in an old folks home, cleaning the rooms, changing the sheets and whatnot. I can't pretend I enjoyed it and I was very shy and found interaction with the elderly residents a little difficult, but I learnt how to do splendid hospital corners! Some of the residents were charming, others absolutely vile, and they weren't always great at getting to the loo on time so some of the cleaning required was a bit but prepared me for motherhood!. Sometimes they'd tip me, usually a few pence, but on one occasion an old chap gave me £500! I handed it to the warden, rather hoping she'd say that he really meant it, but of course she took it from me. My mum always said she probably kept it for herself which is a bit .
Anyway, I think jobs for teenagers are a great idea: it gives them some responsibility and independence and hopefully prepares them for adulthood in a different way to school education. Earning some money is good for them, as is having to interract with people other than family and friends. I would definitely like my DDs to have Saturday jobs when they are old enough, although I understand they are not that easy to come by these days.
I'd react to the modelling suggestion in the same way as you though, TBH. We've been approached on 2 occasions by people scouting with regards DD1 but have turned it down, much to DDs's chagrin!
Apologies for the unintentionally long post - still awake?!

I was a waitress at 14 and worked at BHS from 16. Don't believe it served much purpose except to earn money!

My lot all work at McDs. They are paid well and treated well. It gets them out of the house

at 15..sweep up and hair wash saturday girl at the local trendy hairdressers
got fiver a day (early 80's) plus tips and could buy my own records, clothes, gigs etc..

was good cause i realised i should do my exams properly as i really didnt want this...long hours little pay constant holiday talk and smarmy barney (owner) snipping his 'tache in the mirror during quiet moments...yeuk...

got my exams got to art college at 17! ...phew...

I worked in a small local greengrocer's shop at age 13. I learned very early to make sure the shop owner wasn't behind me when I went down the dark cellar to bring up boxes of mushrooms And the bastard only paid me 50p for four hours!

When I was 16 I got a Saturday job doing the veg prep for lunch in local cottage hospital... it was just me and the cook and I operated the tattie rumbler. Ace fun.

I worked in Debenhams and I think it taught me how to get on with adults of different ages in a more equal environment. I had always been quite shy with adults and very respectful etc to teachers and even aunts and uncles so this was great for me to see that I could interact with my colleagues and I was well liked by them etc so it gave me lots of confidence.

It also taught me to manage my own money and that I really didn't want to work in a shop for life!!!

What si the youngest you can work at all these places then? Is it usually 16?

I worked in Burger King for my first saturday job and started at 16. Before that I raked it in with babysitting.
Until I stopped working to be a SAHM I have always had a job ... I worked my way through Uni (pubs and nightclubs) and through all my Uni holidays (temping and pubs). The only Uni holiday I didn't work was the Easter before my finals when I was stuck in my parents' attic cramming.
Even after my exams, when all my friends signed on the dole for the summer before their jobs started, I went down to the local temping office and got a job that lasted the summer until my first teaching job. I always feel proud of that really - that I have never signed on, not even for a few weeks.
In my first 2 years of teaching I found jobs in the school holidays too - worked for a friend who was a painter/decorater for 25 quid a day to help pay off my student loan and over draft ...

I will expect my children to get jobs when they are old enough. Absolutely vital to their development IMO ....

Paper round - taught me it was really cold in winter and that life really isn't fair. The other paper round person used to get his dad to drive him round his half of the village !
Babysitting - this taught me that it was far easier to sit on ones behind eating biscuits than getting up early in the morning and trudging round the vilage. Also, it taught me (with hindsight) that i would never want a 14 year old looking after my pfb. Heaven only knows how I would have coped in an emergency back then - And I was one of the "good and sensible" girls.
Sat girl in M&S. Learned to measure for bras (lingerie dpt) and that old women (at least 35) still wanted to look sexy - real eye opener that one.
Pharmacy assistant. I learned that if you work in a village shop, you get to know all the village gossip. Also a similar lesson to the moon and her greengrocer.
Barmaid - brilliant sixth form job (and worked all through college) - this taught me how to banter and how to hold my tongue.

Oh yes - decorating a friend's house for £3 per hour - that was a great job.

I used to work as a florist from 14 to 16 i loved it!

Spent my early teenaged years working for my slavedriver dad in one of his shops. It taught me the value of hard work and not to work for one's family.

Worked in Bally in Knightsbridge for about 2 years which was a blast, and I earnt a fortune as my basic pay was good, but the commission could really bump it up, especially when a group of wealthy Americans would come in half an hour before closing and spend £1200! Worked during school hols too, and spent all my money in Harrods

Went on to work in a trendy coffee shop in Kensington which was mega busy but great fun. The day would fly by and at the end of the day we could take home the unsold pastries....excellent perk. We used to get famous people come in, and my most embarrassing moment was when Dustin Hoffman came in and all I could say was 'Oh My God! He's just been in a film with Tom Cruise!'. He was well within earshot, and he looked over at the counter, which killed me. As though he didn't have enough to his credit and working with Tom Cruise was his greatest achievement!

My DDs will both get jobs - there's alot to be said for it.

Message withdrawn

Miss selfridges _ was the envy of the school! Remember this was the 80's when fashion was important

I had a saturday job behind a cheese counter in a supermarket from age 16-18. It taught me to work hard enough at college not to have to do it for a living once I left home, that was about it!

I will encourage dd to do similar when she is older though, I think it's good for teenagers to earn their own money.

14 - 16
Hairdressers
Chemist
Shoe Shop

I learnt from an early age that some folk are just plain rude and hane no mammers (some are lovley). I am still to this day extra considerate to anyone that works in shops or public service jobs, especially if they are young and therefore not very experienced.

hane no mammers - lol
have no manners - doh

I put a card in the Post office asking for Saturday employment.

I put "anything EXCEPT GARDENING considered". My mother was outraged. She said "you cannot put that. You must take anything you are offered."

I said "I am not doing gardening."

The only things I was offered were gardening.

Did gardening for 6 weeks. Eventually ended up running the bloke's newest tree down with a sit-on mower and being sacked.