Opinions please - my son's paper round - is this a fair wage?

bendix

Pete111 wrote: »

It's posts like these that make me stop and ask myself

"What would MSE79 do?"

I think the answer to the OP's query is therefore simple. His son should go on the sick and then file a grievance...not forgetting to then go on MSE and declare the start of the revolution (making sure the capitalist running dogs know you really really mean it this time)

Sorted.

While off sick (for at least six months) he should be sure to cite the reasons for his sickleave which are, of course, work-related stress and depression, rather than any paper bag related shoulder chafing.

He should then file a claim for holiday entitlement during sick leave.

Nevsy

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Jesus, you people actually quite happily let your child be taken advantage of for what is slave labour wages?

I wouldn't say it is sweatshop wages exactly,more a case of them taking some responsibilty for what they want rather than have mummy and daddy just give it to them and preparing for later life.(he managed to buy his first tailor made cycle speedway bike with the money he saved and paid for himself-what a moment that was for him to say I worked and paid for that beauty Dad-it's worth more than your and mums car!-cheeky blighter!)
After his paper round he then went into hospitality at a holiday park,then drew up a CV!!-Listing his paper round!,Then got a part time job in an electronics company whilst at college,has now been offered a full time job in February with the firm-not asked to apply-but offered this job,completing NVQ's and looking to go into management with said company in the future.
The way the economy is at the moment and people crying out for jobs I would say he has done ok so far-all from putting up with a poorly paid paper round and realising the value of earning his own money-from small acorns and all that........We are rather proud of him!

beth1230

hear hear Nevsy, My son is too young at 8 to go out and work but i wont stop him when he is old enough, I have however made him earn pocket money by doing small jobs around the house, such as taking the bins out, fetching the bins in, tidying his bedroom, emptying the dish washer etc...Things I tell him I am quite happy to do if he can't be bothered, but he wont get paid that week!! He earns £3 per week which I insist he saves £2 of and he can spend a £1 on sweets or what ever he wants, every 5 or six weeks he can count up his £'s and buy a game for his ps3 or what ever he asks me and his Dad to buy which we refuse to outside of birthdays and christmas ( we have four children and just can't afford too), he knows when he is old enough he will have a raise in his pocket money as he'll be trusted with more jobs and he'll be allowed to get a paper round or something similar to earn his money faster, I have found that over the last month or so he has realised the value of money and doesn't waste his £1 on sweets but will save it to get what he wants faster. So no I don't think it's slave labour ( what I do is slave labour I don't even get £3 for what I do!!) I think it is a valuble lesson for children that if you want something you have to work extremely hard and earn it!!! With that lesson comes sticking up for your rights, which means knowing wether your getting a decent rate of pay or not, and learning not to be a push over when it comes to work? I think the OP's question was pretty legitimate and I wouldn't want to think my son was being taken advantage of either!!!

omen666

property.advert wrote: »

30 years ago I got 1p a paper for delivering around 200/300 free papers on a Thursday evening. I got an extra 0.5p per leaflet for the first leaflet and 0.25p per leaflet thereafter.

I doubt the pay has risen with inflation / wage inflation or the price would be about 5p or above per paper now I guess. I suspect they get nearer to 2p a paper.

eschaton wrote: »

19yrs ago I got the same - 450 papers for £4.50 if no leaflets and the OP is whining thinking her son is being taken advantage of.

OP needs to wake up and give it a rest.

I got the same think the OP is having a laugh

maryotuam

Future employers will be very impressed with your son's work ethic. It will be a valuable addition on his CV and might just give him the edge when applying for a job. I would definitely pass on to him the tip of giving Christmas cards to his customers.

He could politely enquire about the possibility of an increase but it does seem like his pay isn't too far from the going rate. Therefore in my opinion there is no point in pushing it if the answer is no.

You have a good lad there so well done to him for working his own money!

PolishBigSpender

woody01 wrote: »

Who cares about Poland?

Well, if some poor (by EU standards) Eastern European country can afford not to sign their children up for slave labour, why can't the UK?

And if the Polish kids are such scholars, how come they all grow up to be plumbers or washing your windscreen on the Tottenham COurt Road?

There's not bad money in fixing rich British people's plumbing or washing their cars, you know. 5 pounds a time for a 15 minute car wash job, minus the cost of some water and soap, all in cash = "ker-ching" I believe.

Lavendyr

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Well, if some poor (by EU standards) Eastern European country can afford not to sign their children up for slave labour, why can't the UK?

Hardly "signing them up" - if a teenager wants a job, good luck to them. It instils a good work ethic and an understanding of responsibility from a young age. No one is forcing them into it - there's no way you can call it "slave labour". It hardly sounds as though the OP is forcing their son to go out and work.

Incidentally, I did a paper round once a week when I was younger for £2.50. To me, at that age, it was worth it. And yes, I did get pocket money as well, so I didn't have to do it.

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

There's not bad money in fixing rich British people's plumbing or washing their cars, you know. 5 pounds a time for a 15 minute car wash job, minus the cost of some water and soap, all in cash = "ker-ching" I believe.

As long as you are paying tax on all that cash, fair enough.

bristol_pilot

maryotuam wrote: »

Future employers will be very impressed with your son's work ethic. It will be a valuable addition on his CV and might just give him the edge when applying for a job. I would definitely pass on to him the tip of giving Christmas cards to his customers.

As an employer I can assure you that I would take no notice of a paper round that someone did at age 14 and would pretty much laugh at anyone who put such a thing on their CV. On the other hand, candidates who don't have a good set of exam passes (they all seems to have a string of A*s these days) will not even get an interview. Of course any proper work experience (post-16) is valued, that's another matter. So sending a kid out to do a paper round that could even possiby have an adverse effect on his schoolwork is a really bad idea.

In the 'real world' that some posters seem so keen on, some of the houses the OP's son is calling on will contain !!!!!s, muggers, dangerous dogs, used needles and god knows what. He could easily be mugged for his phone or bike. A house near me is a bail hostel, but there is nothing to indicate that on the outside of the building. A kid of 14 is too young to be put at risk for the sake of a few quid.

System

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Jesus, you people actually quite happily let your child be taken advantage of for what is slave labour wages?

Child labour is quite rightfully banned in Poland - children should be concentrating on school, not earning sweatshop 'wages'!

What's there to concentrate on really? No exams till he's 15, year 9 is nothing compared to 10&11 surely its better he works now then during his GCSE years.

The wage (albeit carp) sounds about right for a newspaper round. Though might be worth asking for a slight increase or a round nearer to home.

jamespir

i got 2p per paper and i had about 200 to deliver on a friday