16 year old part time jobs

[LightandAiry]

Can I ask what part time jobs your 16 year olds have, and how they saw them advertised?

Dd seems to think there are small companies who will employ 16 year olds, but I don't know how to advise her.

Any pointers and advice is welcome

McDonald's was a popular employer among the 16/17/18 years olds that my teens went to school with.

Is this yr11 or yr12 age? Seeking little PT job or longer hours?

Current 16 yr old's jobs:

Delivering newspapers: big sis had the job & passed it on, but they often need new deliverers, now being passed down to younger brother.

Chip Shop: friend had a job there & recommended DS; chat to owner & he tried it & stuck since.

(volunteering) wildlife centre: they advertised for volunteers & DS rang up.

QD in nearby town routinely hires new staff, they advertise via Job Centre. There are apprenticeships advertised on job centre site, too.

I worked at a hairdressers at 16 whilst at school. Two nights through week (only couple hours) and a sat. I loved it!

3 teens here. Eldest started with paper round which has been passed down through all 3 and youngest is about to leave. Eldest trained as a football referee and earned good money refereeing youth football. He also worked as a tutor in year 12 and as in Waitrose in Year 13. 2nd teen has been work during 6th form as pot wash in a local cafe, after her exams she is moving to front of house and younger brother is taking over pot wash.
Need to keep an eye on local Facebook groups and find out from people in the year above what sort of jobs they do and ask for recommendations .

My daughter works part time in a little cafe and an ice cream shop! They do take the absolute piss out of her regarding hours and wages though, its all good experience.

My son worked part time at Alton Towers when he was 16 as well as being a steward at a Stoke football ground.

My 16 year olds worked in local shops (think newsagent/corner shop, and in independent shops in town. One also had a job in a takeaway

15 year old has had a Saturday role in a charity shop and will provide a proper reference when she's 16 and wants to get a paid role. However, I do pay her extra allowance so she does earn her money.
There aren't many local places here for teens to work, it's charity shops, hairdressers or nail bars. Tesco and Aldi insist on unsociable late nights here.

My dd picked up both part time jobs she has had through adverts on the local Facebook pages.

Dd had a Saturday job at Debenhams, until today. She really enjoyed it.

We live in a tourist area. Two eldest DC worked from 15 in local hotel as waitress/waiters, mostly doing Sunday lunches and the odd evening. Worked there all the way up to finishing A levels, so moved on to bar work at 18.

Next one down worked selling ice cream/hotdogs on weekends and all through summer holiday.

Youngest one has worked from 14 on a car park. Wears a high-vis jacket and waves tourists into spaces.

One of the downsides of living where we do means that teenagers have a lot of opportunity to work - whereas adults (who need to be paid minimum wage) find that its zero hours contracts and seasonal only.

My dd is in the first year of college and she just got a job last month at the theme park working 6 hours a week Monday and Saturday mornings (7:30am-10:30am). She found the job advert online

Thanks for replies everyone. Some good ideas for places to try.

Keep checking local big supermarket, DIY and retail stores recruitment pages as well as job search engines. The application process can involve a bit of work, including scenario questions but worth completing as much as possible rather than just uploading cv. Also worth checking social media of local businesses cafes, restaurants and bars as sometimes they advertise on their pages.

My son went on big company websites and found a vacancy for our local Home Bargains.

Where I am McD’s and KFC etc are good employees, also shops like Wilkos and Peacocks. Independent tearooms often take youngsters and of course supermarkets. Check individual websites regularly but if you’re looking at local independent places walking in with a CV is often the best way.

My son worked part time at Alton Towers when he was 16 as well as being a steward at a Stoke football ground.

Alton Towers is one of the few employers who don't use the 'youth rate' and pay everyone at least NMW.

Out of my nieces, nephew and teenagers I've know. These were pre covid.

Washing up in pubs, particularly on a Sunday. My cousin did this from age 14.

Various shops including M and S (That was a student and she's tell the class "We don't know which day they are doing a flash sale but I have to be in for 6am tomorrow")

M6 Toll taking money at the toll booths.

Waiting / waitressing - good money if you are prepared to work Christmas day / New Year's Eve.

Caring - harder to get if you don't drive but care homes will sometimes employ teenagers.

Working in a bike shop - was a good customer before being offered a job.

Small local cafes / sandwich shops sometimes have Saturday jobs.

Working in a garden centre.

A lot depends on where you live and if you can give DD a lift to work, places like garden centres are not often on bus routes so there are fewer applicants.

Call centres, depending on her 'telephone voice'.

Among DS's friends same as above. DS 16 coaches primary school age beginners in tennis, he's been at the same club for 10 years.

Mine took on a voluntary job in order to get some experience /references /something to stand out when applying for college.
He was then offered adhoc paid hours. He then applied for a job at a supermarket (contact is 12 hours but often works 20 hours). His friends who have jobs working at supermarkets, b & m, local restaurants and takeaways. A couple of the friends found jobs via Facebook.

Outside catering company. Appreciate that won’t have picked up yet!

Some catering companies and venues employ their own waiting staff/pot washers. Some catering co rely on agency staff who will defo employ 16yr, possibly 15.

Pot washing in pubs, also. Word of mouth for the pubs. For the agency waiting staff, take to google.

My first job was waiting at a catering co (14) which was picked up by word of mouth and the pub I used to work in employed 14 and 15 yr olds to pot wash and occasionally wait. Word of mouth, again.

A regular spot will be nicer than agency - you need bags and bags of confidence to turn up on your own to a new place and new people every week.

Another thought, if you are near Birmingham National Express employs lots of part timers, mainly students.

It's technically a zero hours contract but there are always hours available and you have t do a certain number of hours, I think 1 shift per month.

YOu also get free travel to work if you are on a NE route.

I often see jobs like this advertised on Facebook but most 16 year olds the kids know who have pt jobs get them through friends of their parents. Put the feelers out among your friends and they might hear about something through Facebook or the friend of friend or family member.

Some kids do waitering/waitressing but don’t serve alcohol, helping in a newsagents or shop, hairdressers, DS also one friend who works in Morrisons etc etc.

Another enterprising friend of DS’s does online maths tuition. He is 17 now but he has been doing this since lockdown 1 when he was still 16. He started on fiver mainly catering to the American market but he has had glowing reviews and recommendations so he charges more now and does this tuition alongside his A levels.

Another friend of his works in an ice cream parlour, another prepares vegetables in a local pub in a quiet touristy area and another sporty boy DS went to school with helps his parents friends delivering bedroom furniture and beds on a Saturday (he is just an extra pair of hands).

Pot washing always a good one...short shifts, good money, easy. Often advertised on Facebook and gumtree. Was my first and favourite job 😂

My 16 year old daughter works in a hairdressers, babysits and has a summer job lined up in dh's office.