Summer job after GCSE

[Blue0987]

Hi
are kids in year 11 meant to look for a summer job after their GCSEs?
I have mentioned it to my DS and he was shocked I could think he would need to find a summer job!
what is normal these days?

DS is going to be volunteering with a sound engineer as this is a career option for him. Something has already been loosely arranged with a local business. I'm not fussed if he's earning money, as long as he's doing something worthwhile and useful for his future. To be fair, he's in a band and they are already earning money going out gigging and that will continue.

There was a tv programme recently about bullying of younger team members at McDs.

I guess if you live somewhere very, very rural / isolated then it is going to be tricky, but where we live is far from affluent and very very far from being touristy, but all of mine worked from 16.
Between them, jobs done before they were 18 were:

• cleaning in a local shop after school
• stockroom work / gopher / tidying cleaning in a local shop
• lifeguard (yes, you obviously need to be a strong swimmer, and it costs you to do the course, but you can earn that money back in the first week and then carry on working for years, as a lifeguard - always in demand.)
• babysitting (for one, this included looking after a friend's older children for a couple of days a week in the holidays)
• helping a friend's dc with their maths and science understanding (don't really want to call it tutoring - it was more 'going over homework and what they'd been taught that week, as a confidence boost)
• Helping someone who ran children's parties

How much pocket money do you give this age? I was going to give dd £100pm after GCSEs. To finance all clothes, social and gym. Considering making it include haircuts but not sure if that’s a bit harsh. I pay phone. She has no interest in getting a job so I do want her to realise the value of money - and get one!

My local holiday club for 5-13 Yr old will employ those over 16. They have some training days beforehand. They help run the club activities in the school holidays, which include crafts and sports.

Mine did, Didn't get anything until the of the summer but it is a lovely job in a lovely place that suits them and is very flexible for the teens that work there which is great as they can still do other stuff like come on family holidays, do Duke of Edinburgh expeditions or other stuff that happens on weekends without having to think that they don't have enough annual leave.

It is a balance in my mind. They are only young for such a short time and a job which will tie them to actual leave etc and therefore lose the ability to go on scout camp, go see grandparents at the weekend and just enjoy life as a teenager is probably not worth it.

My teens both volunteer as well as doing other extracurricular so in terms of employability skills in not too worried if they don't get jobs. Obviously the older one has, the younger is not yet 16 so not looking yet. The working teen is enjoying having the money and has saved towards an international scout event they are going to and is now thinking a lot of their wages will get squirreled away towards uni.

I'm not surprised she doesn't want to get a job if you're going to give her £100 a month.

I'm a single parent so dd gets £20 a month and I'll give her extra for specific social things if needed. She's had a part time job since finishing her GCSEs and buys all her own clothes, toiletries and anything else she wants.

She's 18 now and has paid for all her own driving lessons (£700 plus) and has saved over 2k in her bank account.

I'm really lucky that she's motivated and sensible with money (probably because I've drilled it into her!!)

We don't live in an affluent or touristy area and she's always found weekend jobs, she's worked at The Range, Primark, a coffee and doughnut kiosk and WH Smith's.

I think with job applications it's a numbers game and they've got to be applying constantly and not be fussy about where they apply at least to start with.

A few of dd16 friends have jobs in local shops and take-aways and certainly there are U18s at Sainsbury’s because they have to be supervised on alcohol sales.

I’m giving dd £65 a month at the moment, I’ve told her she can not have a car unless she has a job to finance it. We’ve said we will up that to £100 when she’s at 6th form but that will be clothes and lunch allowance, so won’t really go far.

Mine didn't get summer jobs until 18, but it will all depend on how much money they want. Some teens go out a lot more than others.

I know some had jobs from 16 - at supermarkets, in KFC / McDonald's etc.

Most supermarkets want them in both Saturday and Sunday, and not so many jobs on checkouts now due to self service, or shelf filling as mostly done in the night by the by night team. Dot.com starts at 6.00am, so most parents have to get up early to bring them in, but our Dot.com prefers 18+, as younger staff often arrive late if at all.

Mind gets £25 a month!!

Mine gets £40 but I pay for gym at £25 and phone at £8.

Our year 11 gets £60 a month providing they do all of their chores. We pay their phone and their gym membership is free as they’re on a promising athletes programme.

it’s going to be hard to get a summer job as they’ll be away for a week at Scout camp and then away again at Boardmasters. Their sport also takes them away for lots of weekends as well as some weekday training during the summer.

They’ll be doing jobs for their grandparents (they’re trying to sort out their loft but need someone to fetch and carry and load/unload the car) and local neighbours who are always glad of a hand in their gardens (quite a few are elderly). As long as they show willing then that’s fine for now.

I was 16 in the September I started Year 11, got myself a job in the October and worked all through year 11 and then sixth form, as did my friends.
Managed to study and do well at GCSE too so I don't think it's unreasonable asking him to get a job after GCSEs

It always seemed to be seen as a shit place to work when I was there. A lot of comments from customers implying we were there because we were too thick to do anything else.

She gets £30 at the moment. And buys most of her own clothes. But next year she’s at college no uniform so will need more clothes. I currently pay her gym about £40 a month. I’ve just changed it from monthly to payg £10 a time so I don’t feel like nagging her every weekend as she only goes then (with me, it’s something we do together and it’s a good drive away). So she will be paying it like that. So it’s really just an extra £30 to allow for the fact she needs a bigger wardrobe as she won’t be wearing uniform 5 days a week.

£100 pm ????

No wonder she has no interest in getting a job - she has plenty of money to spend.

@NewName24 but if she’s paying for everything ? Excluding her phone which js £8pm? So all clothes including coats, shoes, any events eg gigs, all social, all gym? At the moment gym and pocket money is costing me £70 so it’s not that much more. The gym is because it’s somewhere I go and she wanted to come and it’s a nice joint thing we do. She’s only getting £30 in y11.

Sure - my son started working the week he turned 16 (KP at a café). It's a long break and while most may not, I think it's a great idea. Even part time (say shifts at a supermarket or pub).

I think it's just if they want to work to earn extra money, I don't think it's 'expected'. My son is 17 & left school last year, he'd put in a lot of work building up to his GCSE's, so had the summer off to relax & mentally unwind, he's now at college but does 4 A-levels & it's very intense. He's at college every day until 4.30pm, & then does homework on evenings & weekends so doesn't really have that much spare time to get a job- I think he'd like to, if only pay for extra flying lessons, but he seems to spend every waking hour studying!

In our area it's nearly impossible. We have a large college nearby and most jobs are taken by students who are already 18 and live at home and there is less red tape.

It's worth looking around but it really depends on the area.

Oh, and DD got tons of transition work from the 6th form she applied to. Plus a family holiday and time to unwind and relax, I didn't really want her to have a job.

You obviously didn’t read my post - I haven’t asked or hinted or suggested anything at all. Nothing -not a penny. You missed the she wants….. but!

As it happens money is incredibly tight - for various reasons - sixth form loomed and I had to buy nearly £1000 worth of equipment and then clothes and she has weekly piano, tennis and Horseriding lessons. I’m a single parent with no other income. And no there is no money left on at the end of the months and I go without - without new clothes, without new shoes, I don’t go out or to the cinema etc as there is nothing spare. She can do whatever she likes within reason - I might put it aside for her school trip to Greece next year for example so stop judging!

Mine had a job last summer when he was year 10. Has been kept on this year and has gotten himself another little job for the evenings.