Jobs for 17 year olds

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Any recommendations of companies that employ under 18s? Dd is 17 and does a bit of babysitting but wants something more regular. Looked at McDonalds but no local vacancies currently.

Do you have local cafes? Hospitality generally is a good option at that age - that’s what DD did and does still now she’s at Uni.

Supermarkets too, her friend has worked at Tesco since she was 17, on the checkouts. They just pair them with an adult for alcohol sales.

Ds16 works at Wetherspoons between 4 to 8 hours a week fitted round school and Saturday morning football. His hourly rate is good, over £8.00 per hour which is quite a bit higher than minimum wage for a 16 year old.

My daughter has worked since 16 at a local trampoline park, they are all teens and she's made loads of friends and the hours are flexible around school/college.

Has she checked out Indeed to see what's available locally?

@UsedToBeAtAmber they don’t have to be 18 for a pub?

Ds got a job with a local gardening firm at that age. He helped with landscaping jobs, mowing, power washing etc. They paid him £10 an hour, cash in hand. He worked hard but really enjoyed it and his wages really added up over the summer.

She and I both been looking but lots of jobs don’t specify a minimum age.

cafe, pub, restaurant, gardening. Both ds done these at that age. Both worked from 15 pot washing. Ds 17 is doing his first summer as a lifeguard. Other people we know do M and S etc. you can work in a pub under 18 just cannot serve drinks at the bar.

How about a soft play place? Or some other indoor activity type of place for young children? In my experience, everyone who works in those sorts of places is very young.

Most won't specify a minimum age but can be reluctant to employ under 16s.

At 17 I'd just let her apply and sort it out.

My 16 yo got a few hours in a coffee shop, just a coupe a week on an advice basis. Got the staff to show her how to make coffee. Applied for a PT job as a Barista somewhere else, did that for a while and now works in a much better paid job as a Barista somewhere else whilst she's still at college. She's done all of this herself through Indeed.

Gosh, sorry for the typos.

*a couple a week on an adhoc basis

Garden centre
Golf club or hotel - casual work for eg events
Supermarkets
Fast food outlets and restaurants
Some pub jobs
School uniform shops
Farms

Where do her friends work? DD16 has found work by asking friends to ask her bosses if they need anyone. She’s been a cleaner in a pub/ club, worked in a food court in a shopping centre etc. Lots of her friends work in cafes/ all you can eat buffets etc and a few in shops. Pretty much all of them found the job by asking someone who works there to hand in their Cv and sing their praises!

Mine worked at Tkmaxx, They normally start advertising around July for Christmas temps but keep some on.

Loads of teenagers work at Waitrose where I am. Good pay, £11.55. Not sure on pay at other supermarkets but they’d probably be a good idea.

Lifeguard

Home bargains (can even transfer/work at two branches when at university).

Another good one is working at concerts is you have an arena near you.

Ds topped up loo rollls and hand towels and emptied bins for a while at our nearest big concert venue. He got to see some really high profile concerts and was paid reasonably well for it (just over £9 an hour I think).

The only downside of that job was that there were some really late finishes, well after public transport had stopped so it meant an hour round trip to collect him and his mate. We took it in turns with the other family so it wasn’t too bad.

@bendmeoverbackwards
He can't serve behind the bar so does clearing tables, washing glasses, taking the food to the tables etc.

That's really good advice too. DD has lots of friends who have got their jobs through other friends.

At 17 she'll be fine with most places (other than age restricted like pubs). It's under 16 that is difficult.

DD's friends mostly work in retail or hospitality or use specialist skills such as lifeguard, swim teacher or tutor. Big companies usually like you to make formal applications to adverts but smaller ones may consider someone who walks in with a CV. Where do all her friends work? That will give her a better idea of what's available locally.

DS got a job at a restaurant at 16 and DD got a job at a pub at 16, neither paid as well as their friends that worked in shops though.

Both mine worked in pubs waitressing at 16 and eventually both went to primark for better hours