If your teen does a levels do they also have a job?

[TwoBad]

If so, how many hours a week do they work? Do you feel it impacts their ability to focus on school work?

Dd has just finished her GCSEs, and will be starting A levels in September. She's super keen to get a job and start earning her own money too.

Before she starts applying for jobs, I just want to get an idea of realistically how many hours a week are doable when mixed in with the pressure of 3 essay based A levels.

Yes. Work 7-15 hours a week. I think it helps increase focus as time management needed.

Can I slightly hijack this as I was about to start a similar thread but with the nuance that DD plays sport - she’s out of the house 2 evenings a week from 6:30 - 9:30 for training and also has to do 2x2hr S&C conditions each week and then matches on a Saturday which take 3 hours plus travel time (can regularly be 90 mins each way). I don’t think she can get a job as her only option really would be on a Sunday but I’m conscious she’ll have a fair bit of homework plus social life plus needing some downtime. She’s really keen to get a job as many of her friends do (and so have much more money than she does!) but then they don’t seem to have another commitment like this. Plenty of them do sport or other activities but more along the lines of a couple of hours of mid-week training and a local match at weekends.

Mine is about to start A levels and has been coaching gymnastics 4 hours a week through year 11, so one evening a week. I’ve said that has to be the limit for 6th form. She does it on an occasional basis during holidays as well and will be taking a level 1 coaching qualification this year. She’ll be able to coach at other clubs in the future. It’s been great for her - she still trains at the same club, has gained so much from the experience and has made loads of friends who she trains and coaches with.

DC did 4 A levels!(2 sciences, Maths & FM) alongside sporting commitments, so pretty full on.

They were lucky enough to have a holiday job they went back to each half term/school holiday. It worked well as they managed to save up for 1st car / holiday etc without being too much term time.

Edited to add …
now at uni, they don’t have a part time job (as some of their friends do) as sport plus a stem degree would be too much. They say others with stem degrees & no sport and those with ‘lighter/less contact time’ degrees & sport cope ok

Neither of mine had jobs during ALevels, no.

The 6th form recommendation was that they did a maximum of 10 hours per week, as any more would affect studies.

I had a Saturday job back in the day, so about 7 hours pw.

My two youngest both chose to work during A Levels, one in Wetherspoons and one in a supermarket. More than ten years later, both have degrees and postgraduate qualifications and are doing jobs that mostly use the experience they gained in the workplace back then.

Do you remember doing A levels and whether you had a job at the time?

I did, I worked Saturdays 9-5 in a local shop. It was important to earn my own money to save for a holiday after A levels and to have some to take to Uni. It also gave me vital experience with customers (on top of previous waitressing) when I was looking for bar work in Uni.

My son had a job during A levels which was very flexible and fitted well with his hobbies, sports and revision. He cleans at the gym where he trains daily so he just stays a bit later after a workout. He did some labouring work in the Easter hols and half terms which gave him more money. He achieved the A levels he needed for the Uni course he's starting next month.

His jobs, his sports, hobbies, volunteering, and work experience were all incredibly valuable on his CV and his UCAS form.

It's good for older teens to learn the value of money, budgeting, and in those entry level jobs so they can better appreciate the roles that all sorts of people play in life.

His friends had jobs too, some worked in bars or pubs, or local sports club bars, some were lifeguards, some were tutors for younger pupils, some worked in restaurants, shops etc.

It's normal and it's all part of learning to juggle, manage their time and responsibilities, develop their customer service skills, make new friends and connections.

Yes. They tried to keep it to a low number of hours (1 evening shift a week and one weekend daytime) and tried to pick days when they weren’t up early for college the next day. They took annual leave the week before to study and during so they didn’t have to work during the exams. We did say if we felt it impacted we would ask them to leave their jobs but it didn’t. They still have the same jobs even though are at uni now.

I would encourage anyone saying that a teenager simply didn't have time for a job to add up all the screen time over the course of a month, and have a think about it.

It's invaluable, rounds them out, teaches them so much they won't learn from writing essays.

Yes, both worked at local pubs (DD as a waitress, DS as a KP). DS did every Saturday 5-10pm, DD's hours were slightly more flexible, but tended to be 5-10 a week. As hers was less certain, we suggested she stop work after Xmas in Y13 to concentrate on her studies. She is more academic than DS, and needed to get pretty high grades for her Uni, so that was the right thing for her. She would also pick up extra shifts during the holidays, but DS didn't.

Now they're both at Uni, DD works during the holidays where she can (they're very flexible around her very busy social calendar!), DS did Camp America this summer (and as your DC is discussing life saving qualifiations, this would be really helpful if they want to try CA one year!).

I think having a job helps teach them about prioritisation, managing money, saving up for driving lessons/car insurance/travel, how to get along with lots of different people etc. Really useful life skills, and helpful if they've got something to put on their CV when they eventually move into the world of working.