What age do teenagers have to be to get Saturday jobs with big chain stores?

[Appletreeblossom123]

My understanding is that big chains will generally require someone to be at least 16 before employing them for a Saturday job. However, I'm not sure whether the requirement is to have started sixth form or simply for a teenager to have reached age 16. For me these two things were almost the same, but as my DS's birthday is in the Autumn he will turn 16 early in Year 11. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

My Ds also 16 in Autumn term. He has applied for numerous jobs but been told that although 16 they will not employ him until finished year 11. Some have said this will not be until August!

Any friends who have got jobs other than paper rounds or cash in hand type jobs has been via family or friends.

All mine have got jobs a few weeks after turning 16, so all still in year 11. One at Waitrose, one at Tesco, one at a local v nice hotel. Loads of their friends work too - Legoland takes them on as soon as 16 with no problems.

I was just going to ask the same question!

What about smaller independent shops? Can they employ under 16 year olds? I worked in a bakers when I was 15 in the late 80s.

Dancer they'd need a permit from the council. It's worth asking but I don't know if the permit costs money. If it does it might not be worth it for them.

Thanks re age 14. I can't see her doing a paper round!!

I live in a small town where all but the 3 supermarkets are independent traders. There are loads of cafes, restaurants and hotels. They actively employ local teenagers for waiting on, washing up and pot collecting all under 18, some as young as 13/14. They then graduate to bar work on turning 18. Ds1 worked at the local cricket club from being 15 and ds2 works at a local garage every night for an hour after school sweeping up and helping with services etc. It is well worth checking local facebook pages as loads of kids put their names about on these asking for work and people tend to be very helpful.

How much do they get per hour out of interest calamity?

It depends really to be honest most teens of that age are just grateful for the work. Ds2, gets twenty quid a week for working about an hour a night after school.

JustDanceAddict Does you DD participate in any sports where she can go down the refereeing or coaching route.

My DS did a football refs course. Have to be 14 and the course did cost.

DD got McDonalds at 15 but not until she was school leaving age. She applied in the May; they interviewed her and got it all set up but they wouldn't let her actually start until 1st July. She is an end of August birthday so had done her GCSEs - it's the first time in her life her being in the older school year has worked for her! She started with friends who were nearly 17 but weren't allowed to start any earlier than her due to being in the same school year.

She asked round loads of places re jobs and "have you finished your GCSEs?" seemed to be a much more common question than "are you 16".

Not having a NI number was a pain as McDs struggled a bit with getting her on their systems but we phoned the NI office and they said it was perfectly legal to employ her without it and actually irrelevant until she actually turned 16.