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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

jobs for 14/15 year olds??

18 replies

bobbismum · 31/05/2011 18:07

Shockingly I have a teenage son who constantly asks for money.
I do feel for him because the area we live in is quite affluent, his peers have a lot more cash handed to them and "they don't even have to do chores to get their spends!!" Unfortunately for our teenage boy he is the eldest of 5 and only dad works so money is tight.
Other than a paper round, which he hates the idea of and will not even contemplate,what jobs are there now for teenage kids? I had saturday job in a newsagents but believe that no under 16s can work in retail now?
How do everyone else's teens earn their cash?

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 31/05/2011 18:08

Why not advertise his services for mowing lawns, trimming hedges, walking dogs, pet-sitting, etc?

turningvioletviolet · 31/05/2011 21:03

why won't he consider a paper round? my 14 year old ds has just started and is now earning £25 a week for a 7 day a week round. It's great, he's learning all about responsibility and is managing his evenings much better as he knows he needs to have all his stuff ready for school and needs to be in bed at a reasonable time. Apart from anything i really don't think there is much more than a paper round that they can do at that age.

cat64 · 01/06/2011 00:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Goblinchild · 01/06/2011 07:48

'Other than a paper round, which he hates the idea of and will not even contemplate'

So he doesn't need the money enough to contemplate being practical then?
Why not a paper round? My DN has one, despite the family being extremely well-off. Is his ego the only reason he won't contemplete it? What are his talents?
My DD has done pet sitting, gardening, flat-pack furniture assembly and proof-reading for one of my friends before she was 16.
DS has done similar things, he's a fantastic painter and has helped friends with serious house renovation, but he'll be looking for something more substantial once he's done his GCSEs.

EduStudent · 01/06/2011 21:06

He can technically work as a waiter (over 14), although a lot of places can be reluctant to take anyone on under 16 as they can't work in the kitchen.

cyb · 01/06/2011 21:09

Helping out for a couple of hours cash in hand on a stall or something? Sweeping hair up in a trendy hairdressers?

Original poster

bobbismum · 01/06/2011 22:39

He had a paper round last summer and he really struggled with the weight of the bags, I must admit after stepping in for him on saturday morning when he was at a football tournament I finally understood why he'd been complaining that the bags were really heavy!! He's down on a waiting list for delivering the local papers as you get a cart rather than a bag and it's twice a week not daily so wont clash with his football commitments at weekend. Unfortunately the local papers are generally delivered by pensioners for extra cash and pensioners dont generally quit easily do they? The guy who has been doing our route has done it for 5 years now,can't see him giving up anytime soon.
He does odd jobs for relatives now and then, but I was hoping he'd get something more regular. Going to send him to market this Saturday morning but once football season starts up again he may struggle to commit
Thanks for the help everyone :)

OP posts:

webwiz · 01/06/2011 23:22

My friends DS did a refereeing course when he was 14 and he started with the under 10 leagues earning about £20 a game. I think he has some flexibility over which games he takes and now that he's 17 he can quite easily earn £100 over a weekend doing several matches.

Original poster

bobbismum · 01/06/2011 23:35

Webwiz that is a fantastic idea....will suggest it to him in the morning, thank you very much.

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 01/06/2011 23:47

He could buy a trolley for the paper round. I used to have to go round twice because I couldn't carry them all with mine. For a measly ten quid a week! Slave labour! Did make me move fast as soon as I turned sixteen to get a proper Saturday job though.

Milliways · 02/06/2011 18:28

DS has a regular paid job, but they didn't twig he was only 15 (despite DOB on the CV and 2 interviews!) until after his training finished and they asked for his non-existent NI number

Once the Manager had recovered, they restricted his hours on schoolnights, which suits him as GCSEs are on, but once the summer holidays arrive he can do lots more.

sue52 · 03/06/2011 14:57

My DD (15) has a voluntary job in a charity shop. She enjoys it and she thinks that she will have a better chance of a Saturday job next summer if she can show she has been responsible. She also does a bit of babysitting and horse grooming.

Butterbur · 03/06/2011 15:14

The local YMCA shop has been advertising desperately for volunteers. DS2 (15) went in to ask if he could do something (he needs to do a "service" for his DofE).

To my amazement, they turned him down as he was under 16!!! Which is slightly ironic as they are the YOUNG Men's Christian Association, "committed to helping all young people etc etc..."

And seeing as they are right next to an enormous school of 1200 boys, a huge percentage of whom do their DofE, they are missing out on a huge pool of labour.

Anyway, none of my family will be donating anything to them, or volunteering for them either.

sue52 · 03/06/2011 16:05

Butterbur That's a shame, charity shops usually have quite a few teenagers who are working towards their DOE. The YMCA obviously have different rules to other charities.

Butterbur · 03/06/2011 16:53

Well he went to the local hospice shop, a few doors down, and was allowed to do his hour a week there. So their loss really.

Countryhousewife · 06/06/2011 14:24

Try cancer research for d of e. They welcomed my DD with open arms and she is only 15.

tinkgirl · 06/06/2011 14:32

Local garden centre usually look for people to bag up soil, stone, prick out seedlings etc, might not be regular work at first but could always lead onto something

Batteryhuman · 06/06/2011 20:14

Babysitting? If he is the eldest of 5 then he has experience of small kids and you will have friends with younger kids he could contact. My DS earns good money babysitting for his little brother's friends.

He also helps out at kids birthday parties and now will organise them himself. Eg football parties and mixed sports and games. The parents rent the school field or hall and provide the tea and he and his friend do the games. They usually get £20 each which is not bad for a couple of hours work and its fun! Maybe put a card up at your younger DCs' school?

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