Would your 15/16 year old want to do a few days (paid) work in the holidays?

[firefirefire]

Our son (15) has the opportunity to work a few days in the holidays if he wanted within my husband's business. He could work a few days or full time if he wanted to (when off school)! He is offered well over minimum wage for a day's work.

However, whenever he is offered it, he acts as if he would rather pull his own teeth out, and always says 'i'll think about it' and inevitably chooses not to. The few days he has ever worked, he moans and says something hurts/he's tired etc and has a pretty bad attitude.

I am just wondering if your teenager would want to work for about £50 a day or if we are expecting too much in thinking he would be excited to earn £50 ?!

I am sure that as a teenager I would have jumped at the chance?

Crikey, my teenager is desperate for a job to earn some extra money. He applied to McDonald's and was turned down, there's nothing else out there for him. He's had a delivery round since he was 13 earning about 50 pounds a month. We don't give him any other money but pay for his phone and bus pass. Do you give him money?

So strange...I had this exact conversation with my friend today! Her DH offered their son some work...welding. He would teach him to weld and pay him to help out. The lad acted like he'd been asked to dig graves!

My DD is 14 and apparently "desperate" to earn but when I asked her to tutor her little sister...NO WAY!

Yes my 14 year old would bite your arm of for that opportunity. Do you give him a large allowance?

No, he gets £5 a week, his phone and bus pass paid for.

It's so frustrating!!

I had two jobs at 16: one tutoring children and the other working in the village shop.

I'd be unimpressed if my 16 year old DD didn't want to work unless she was massively committed to something else (like playing a sport or musical instrument to a high level that involved a big time commitment).

I certainly wouldn't be giving lots of pocket money to a teenager who had the opportunity to work put on a plate for them and declined it with no good reason.

Gosh yes yes yes! I have an 18/16/14 ( almost 15yo) they are desperate for work and have been looking for sometime! Anyone have work for them? In Glasgow .. jeez what my kids would give for an opportunity to earn their own money!

My two would absolutely jump at it.

He is incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to work in a family business earning more per hour than some adults do.
Even if he just does a couple of days a week.

Sorry - he sounds a bit spoilt and entitled.
Maybe a bit of volunteering might show him how privileged he is?

Sadly not.

I was desperate for cash at that age so would have jumped at it.

I too find it disappointing that DS is just not bothered. He has sufficient cash in the bank from Christmas/Birthday for anything he wants, which, frankly, is not much. I give him very little money.

I've decided not to force it for now and hope that when he wants cash, he will be motivated to work.

Yes my dd is now 20 and at uni but has been doing a holiday job as a lifeguard since she was 15, firstly at the swimming pool but since she was 18 she's been a fully trained RNLI lifeguard.

You need to find a kid with a smoking habit. Teenaged smokers ALWAYS work hard - they desperately want that money.

My DD is looking now. But she's 15 so struggling.

Def - my 16 yr old would love to. Not easy to find a job like that as companies want too many hours in term/time.

I had a part time job from 13-21 (when I finished my degree. Bar work, waitressing, accounts, shop work, cafe cook, retail... you name it I did it. I was a lazy piece of shit but if I wanted money I had to work. Teach your son the same (and this was 2009-17 so not 40 years ago)

He might be nervous and not want to pretend. Maybe dh could reassure him he would be trained etc. Often its shyness

I second shyness, or confidence. If he actively has things he enjoys and goes out/does sports etc then I’d say not lazy, just with different priorities to you. I know my 15yo wouldn’t be interested either because he doesn’t ‘need ‘ it enough yet.

My dd (16 in April) would happily take that job. She's planning to get a job after NCS in the summer like her older brother did at the same age.

16 y/o DD will happily work in our family business if we need the help, but definitely isn't motivated by the money. She does quite a lot of hours usually over the summer when staff are off on holidays, & I pay her because I feel bad not doing so when I'd otherwise be paying someone else to cover who wouldn't do as good a job - but she's not bothered either way.
Again she's just not a big spender - the teens I know who do work really hard have active social lives & need the money for buses / coffee shops / etc etc

Yes, mine all would have at that age - and most of their friends from the conversations I hear.

Mine would want to earn £50 a day, but not working for me

Maybe he doesn't want to work for his dad? DH was his dads apprentice when he was younger and they argued a lot - I don't think it was especially conducive to a good relationship to be honest. They were in each other's pockets and both of them found it very hard going.

Would he consider getting a job elsewhere?

My 16y works for free under the guise of work experience. All through choice. She does two afternoons a week helping at the local infant school (where I work) and pretty much works as a TA in class, plus runs her own after school drama club for year 2 once a week. She also often stays for a staff meeting, or Twilight INSET if we are covering something interesting and/or useful, etc. When she has the odd day off school when I'm there she often comes for a full day too. All unpaid. She wants to be a primary school teacher so it's all very beneficial experience for her.

What does he want to do? Is it that he doesn't want to work with dad? Or doesn't like the specific work? Or wants to do something else at that time?