16 yr old daughter can't find a Saturday job.

[Gilbertine]

My daughter insists that saturday jobs are hard to find at the moment - but I don't believe her. She spent a few hrs last October going into shops and handing in her CV. No one contacted her.

I think that she is old enough now to be earning a bit of money and not relying on me all the time. She goes to college only 3 days per week. I think she should be doing much more in finding a job. What do others think.

I suppose that saturday jobs for teens are not advertised anywhere, even on shop windows?

Most of the 16 year olds that I know are either doing a paper round, working in a shop or in KFC/McD's. I think she needs to get a bit more proactive, and follow up on the CVs she hands in. I think it's easier for 16 year olds to get a job than older teens, because they don't even get minimum wage.

TBH, if she's only at college three days a week, I'd be wanted her to volunteer and work to fill up her time.

They're harder to find now because a lot of the big chains now use Workfare workers instead of employing p/t staff

KFC/MaccyDs still employ youngsters and if you live near a beach the burger bars and ice cream parlours will be hiring closer towards summer. Social clubs often take on young glass collectors for weekends.

If it's not a matter of her really needing money, then she could volunteer in a charity shop to gain experience and try again a few months later.

It's not what you know it's who you know. Do you have a family friend/acquaintance/ neighbour /school friend who could help find her a position somewhere?

Thanx for your reply. What do you mean about following up on the CV's she given out?

Most places won't accept CVs any more - you have to apply on the websites.

And I've been looking for DS2. There are precious few jobs available for anyone, never mind those who want a Saturday job, so I don't think your DD is lying to you.

It used to be that Retailers would employ 16/17 year olds to work at weekends because full time staff didn't want to do it, and they were protected by their contracts. Now days retail staff are hired on more flexible contracts and weekend work is seen as part of normal working hours - shops don't need to hire kids to work unpopular hours. On top of that it is now more common to see adults working more than one job, I work with people who have two or three part-time jobs. I know a few big stores that just won't hire people that young anymore - we rarely hire anyone under 18.

I struggled to get a Sat job about ooo.. 14 years ago I ended up working in a charity shop to build up some experience - yes even at 15/16 they want experience and a reference. I ended up with a job in a sandwich shop across the road from the charity shop (I much prefered working in the charity shop :( ) they'd advertised in the window.

You can do much more interestng things with volunteering oportunities than charity shops though - I ended up being a drama workshop assistant working with young people and adults with learning disabilities - and even that led to paid work that put me through Uni.

We have a place called Community and Voluntry Services CVS here I'm sure there must be other things like it aroundthe country - and they have most of the volunteering placements available in the city on a database and you tell them what you are interested in and they match you up to opportunities. Looks good on a CV and gets you used to 'not education'.

Well "Saturday jobs" just don't exist any more, weekend shifts will be covered by staff who probably work during the week as well. Some shops insist on a minimum number of hours spread over several days eg Sainsburys will expect 12 hours over several different days. When DD1 was 16 (2007) and in the sixth form all her friends had part time jobs by the time DD2 was 16 (2009) hardly any of them had jobs. After some fairly grim experiences - a three hour group assessment with people who had been working in shops for years and queuing with hundreds of people to register for interviews when a new shop opened she finally got some waitressing work through a friend of a friend.

If she wants to find work she will need to think a bit beyond CVs in shops because its tough at the moment.

It's also ahrder becuase last eyar's saturday kids are far more likely not to have moved on to FT jobs so may well be still holding on to their PT job- that is a BIG issue at our local university, heck some of the 2008 gards I know are still working their student Tesco PT jobs simply becuase something is better than nothing.

A lot of big companies now will not get back to you if you drop a cv on spec everything has to be done over the Internet.
As for Saturday jobs themselves. Asda and Boots I know for definite have exclusively weekend hours. Boots in particular hire for Monday to Friday jobs and weekend jobs. Most of the weekend staff in the boots I worked in were still at school or students including the team managers. But again both those stores will only take online applications.

DS 16 has had two "saturday " jobs.

He worked as christmas staff at comet until after christmas and now is a casual life guard at the local leisure centre

October is a good time to get work but it usually finishes after christmas.

My ds is the same He is 17 and all of his mates are looking too.

Most supermarket jobs are on line. They don't seem to employ as many teenagers. He appled for loads of supermarket jobs and some of them had such lengthy on line application forms (yes, you Waitrose) asking about what his life experiences would bring to the role. Fine for an older full time employee but for a four hour a week role.

Ds1 got his Saturday job by going round stores and handing out his cv. He then went back a few weeks later and pestered them. I think they realised he was serious about it and he got the job.

Ds2 got his paper round again by pester power. He got a bog standard no vacancies in your area email, he wrote back and said fine but put me on your waiting list. A vacancy came up within a week.

Good luck to her. It is tough out there now.

Would she be interested in babysitting - easy money if she's willing to give up her nights out!

It was me who said she needed to follow up on her CVs. What I meant was that she should phone a week or so after she'd handed it in, or pop back into the shop and just keep asking about vacancies so that they know she's keen. DS's 16 year old friends work in Boots, Debenhams cafe, BHS, BK, KFC, a local bakery, a garden centre cafe, a riding school (but I don't think she gets paid) and waitressing in a hotel at functions. Some of these are 12 (or 8 or 6) hours a week jobs, and not necessarily only on a Saturday.

Hope this helps.

Any holiday camps nearby? Or seasonal places?

Thanks for all of your great replies. I know the job market is poor at the moment but I didn't realise finding Saturday work would be so difficult.

DS1(17) has applied for about 30 jobs and has had one interview. He didn't even get that.

We live in the back end of nowhere and there are precious few jobs for anyone. He and his mates want to work but there just isn't the jobs. I am hoping once spring comes, the local garden centres might start taking people on.

It is very hard to find a Saturday job these days. DD3 has been trying firth last 3 years and has got nowhere. She had been doing a voluntary jobbing a charity shop for the last 15 months. She went into town to give out her CVs again not one shop would take them. Curry's told her to apply online and another shop said cone back inna month as there might be something then.

I got Saturday jobs by phoning round. My friends did the CV drop thing, but it never really worked.

Do any of her friends work somewhere that's recruiting? That;s how I got all my part time teenage jobs..

tbh - whenever anybody walks in with a CV nobody knows what to do with it - it just gets stuck in a file somewhere. They need to be seen to be more proactive - ask to speak to the manager, ask what hours they would need to work.

Babysitting or volunteering would be a good way to get a reference. Another could be from one of her teachers.

Agree that she needs to be persistent and pro-active. Dress smartly when she goes round, ask to speak to the manager (if necessary make an appointment to come back when they are around) and follow up.

A lot of getting a job is being in the right place in the right time. If she gets turned away once, don't write that shop / cafe off forever. Always worth going back every few months at least.

Put the word out among your friends and family that she is looking for work - that's always a good way of hearing about things! What kinds of jobs do her friends have? Could any of them put in a good word for her?

Have you had your head in the sand since about 2008 ?

Look around you, ffs

Bit harsh AF

All my teenage cousins have Saturday jobs, most if their friends do too. Depends on area I think