Part time jobs whilst in 6th Form

[Horsemad]

DH doesn't want DS1 to have a weekend/holiday job whilst in 6th form as he wants him to be able to concentrate on his studies more.

I disagree and think apart from the money, it equips the student with time management skills, social skills etc.

DS is quite happy to take DH's money and not work!

School didn't help; at the 6th form open evening they advised against them having jobs.

[Horsemad]

titchy - my husband is crazy...

[Mumzy]

I train undergraduates who are do clinical placement in my department and you can clearly see the ones who have never worked. The ones that have on the whole can turn up on time, dress and act appropriately,are more proactive don't need telling every 5 minutes and are much more ready to take on more responsibilities. When vacancies arise in our department it's these students we call

[exoticfruits]

I think he will manage better at university( if that is the aim) if he has had a job, had interests and learnt to time manage for himself. Those that run into difficulties are those who have been on a narrow treadmill with parents organising time management- they can't handle the freedom.

[MrsBartlet]

Can he get some casual work where he is not committed to regular hours? Dd (starting 6th form next week) is on a team that does children's parties and is called in on an as and when basis. She probably only does 2 parties a month maximum and she is able to say she can't work if she has too much homework on. It still gives her the experience of working and how to behave in a work environment but without the regular commitment.

[andadietcoke]

How about considering a Christmas temp job as a compromise with your DH? Your DS will be off school so will have more time to work and save, whilst still getting the experience. I worked for Our Price as a Christmas temp during 6i and 6ii at a high pressure private school and it worked really well, then when I started uni I worked at the Our Price there at weekends and Wednesday afternoons. I loved it and am still friends with people I worked with when I was 16.

[racingheart]

If he has time to play computer games 16 hours a day he most definitely has time to do jobs. The screen time won't build any skills at all. But the same amount of time used to earn, develop interpersonal skills and time management will be invaluable. I agree with you - a lot. The people who impress are those who can manage their academic work load as well as extra-curricular stuff.

Babysitting is good, lawnmowing for elderly neighbours, pet-sitting while others are on holiday. Even delivering those free sheet newspapers keeps you fit and pays a (tiny) amount. He could also apply to catering companies who need serving staffs for one-off big events. That way he's not tied to a restaurant shift every week. Or he could get a job in a restaurant one or two nights a week. Can he get a job related to one of the subjects that interests him? I used to work as a theatre usherette when I loved drama, and saw all the local shows for free, including the RSC. A friend's son is applying to study nautical engineering and worked the summer in a boatyard. What does he want to do at uni?

At his age I had a hobby that took up about 10-12 hours a week, baby sat every evening for two hours until a working mum got home and also had two other occasional jobs that took up about 24 hours a month. Still got good grades and into first choice of uni. But it meant getting up at 6 am to do homework and revision.

[Horsemad]

racingheart - he wants to do Computer Sciences! His ideal job would be working in PC World

I'm going to get him to do a C.V. and then get him to drop it in to places.
We live in a very rural area, so opportunities are few but that said, most of his peers have some kind of job.

I've just sagely mentioned to both DH & him that many straight A students get knocked back from uni 'cause they're not rounded enough. Water. Off. A. Duck's. Back.
Aarrggghh.

[Busybeingbusy]

Slightly off topic but relevant to your PC World comment...

Just dropped off phone to be repaired in new PC/ phone repair shop that has just opened up. The young proprietor is about 22 or 23. He told me he has a BSc in Games Software Development. He said his interest started off during a school work experience week, then he gained experience in a Saturday job while still at school and then all through Uni and now he has opened his own place. Maybe a CV to your local mobile repair shop...

[racingheart]

Then he could get a saturday job at PC world or a similar place. Or join one of those geek clusters. (Yes, they really exist. DH took DS1 to one the other day when his new computer was broken and they all sat round mending it for him, for free, for fun.)

[secretscwirrels]

I think you need to get the balance right. A friend of DS worked every hour under the sun in the run up to his GCSEs and got much worse grades than he was expected. His family were in financial difficulties and he had never had any money before.
DS1 did five subjects at AS level and I would not have wanted him to do more than a few hours work. Having said that I think that some part time work is good for them in so many ways.
We are also very rural so have to be prepared to ferry to and from work if necessary.
Financially it's not necessary for DS1 to work but I think it would be good for him. He is not bothered about money, it's not that I give him too much. he wouldn't care as long as he was fed. He finds the whole thing very stressful and is painfully shy. He managed to land a job without trying at a local takeaway. It was 4 hours a week and he hated it. It didn't last long as they shut down.
Just by chance again he has got another job. It's his dream, he's a square peg in a square hole. He teaches Kumon maths 4 hours a week and he absolutely loves it. Supports his choice of degree subject (maths) as well.

[Horsemad]

Totally agree Secret about overdoing it and you are right, it is important to get the balance right.
I wouldn't mind ferrying him around, it goes with the territory when you live in the sticks, doesn"t it?
He doesn't need much money as he doesn't do anything! It's more about his social skills and gaining experience/confidence.
I'm going to keep plugging away at this one as I feel DH is doing him no favours.

[Horsemad]

racingheart - I've never heard of geek clusters! They sound good though. Will ask DS if he knows of any.

[Horsemad]

Agree Maryz.

[motherstongue]

Watching this with interest. My DS has just turned 15 and wanted a summer job so he could build his own PC (we refused to part with the cash for any more technology) but he couldn't get anything. I encouraged him to do some volunteering with the schools summer active kids programme for 5-10 year olds and he really loved it. I was so impressed with him because like others on this thread he would happily be on his games console all day and all night if he could but he got organised every day he was scheduled to help and turned up on time and all in all made a very good impression to the group leaders. They have therefore agreed to put him through his coaching certificate if he volunteers again over Easter and next summer so that he can get paid work once he is 16 as a coach. He's now really excited about this as it means he can work on a casual basis during most of the holidays and will be able to continue with it at Uni if he wants to. We had the discussion with him too that on his Uni application it looks good that he has volunteered since he was 14 and not just the last year before starting Uni like so many others have.

[Fairdene]

My DC have all worked part time since Y9, though admittedly it's seasonal work, so April - Oct, and it's always been a plus for university applications. In fact his part time job was the subject of a number of DS1's med school interview convos rather than his more directly related GP and hospital placements and the tutors were all very positive. He got several more offers than he needed and is now in the top ten students at his first choice uni, which is also the highest rated uni in the UK. Apart from being valuable in itself it also brings independence in terms of money, which has to be good. I recommend part time work very strongly. All my DC have managed a social life and A or As at A level and their first choice uni, so it's clearly possible not to compromise on other fronts.

[Fairdene]

Cross post. Agree Maryz. My DC only do a low level waiting/ kitchen job but it's served them well on all fronts: managing time, earning independent money when I've been squeezed myself, interacting with customers, working in a close knit team, working under pressure, uni apps etc. Can't recommend it too highly.

[TallulahBetty]

When i was at 6th form (not that long ago!) it was normal to have a weekend job. Any friends that didn't were viewed as lazy

[Fairdene]

Also agree with motherstongue that length of service counts. My Dc have been employed by the same employer from Y9 to Y13 (and beyond in fact). That in itself speaks volume for uni apps.

[Fairdene]

Quite. Most of the DCs' friends have had weekend jobs. It's more unusual not to have one.

[lade]

I teach in FE, and the research (although, I have not actually read it myself) suggests that having a part time job is beneficial to students. However, it becomes detrimental when it goes over 15 hours a week for AS year and 12 hours for A2. Students who work but do less than that tend to do better than students who have no job.

Not sure what the research was where they got that from, but I have seen it quoted and referenced at work.

[secretscwirrels]

Any friends that didn't were viewed as lazy
Absolutely not that easy here to get part time jobs. DS1 (17) is one of only two out of all his male friends ever to have found a part time job. The other was the one I mentioned in previous post who actually worked at least 30 hours a week so not part time enough for most.

[secretscwirrels]

The workload at AS is much, much higher than GCSE. In the 3 months before exams DS was easily doing 8 hours a day at weekends and 4 on weekdays. He had no room for anything let alone a job.
His new job is 2 hours twice a week so hopefully will fit in ok.
Oh and Horsemad he can drive now. major step forward when you live in the sticks. (One of my early MN nicknames was inthesticks, perhaps I'll resurrect it )