child exploitation!! -what do you think??

casey

hi,
My daughter has just turned thirteen and has got herself a paper round to earn extra money. The round includes four different roads with a total of 225 houses.I am really proud of her for sorting it all and wanting to work,however the agent has just dropped off forms to fill out for wages and they are paying her ..£8 on a good week!!!! this could go down if paper is lighter or lower still if no leaflets. The four roads will take her at least 2 1/2 hours. This doesn't seem a lot for the work she is expected to do...am I being unreasonable??
many thanks,
Casey

74jax

Is that 2.5 hours a week for £8? If so I think at 13 that's pretty good.

Vejovis

£8 for 2 1/2 hours is £3.20 an hour, more i believe than the NMW for under 18s.

Vejovis

ooops not its not, but only 90p different. so a good rate for a 13 year old

liney

Until she has done the round you don't know how long it will take her. It's a paper round - how much did you expect them to pay?

I remember the boys from school getting about £10 per week for an evening round taking over an hour, so even if you double to account for 90's inflation she's better off.

Regardless, she's not earning to pay for the leccy, so let her enjoy her independance.

magenta22

I did a paper round when I was around that age, I had four or five roads of my own and was often asked if I could cover someone elses round as well as mine - used to take me Thur - Sun as I wasn't allowed to deliver them after dark on my own. When it affected my school work it became a problem - I got paid a total of £11

TeaCake

Its about the going rate, I got about £13 weekly (over 10 years ago) for about 5 hours worth of paper round at 13/14, spread over 3 or 4 evenings as I wasn't allowed out past 6pm or dark in the winter. Has she had to stuff leaflets in the papers yet? This could take another hour or two at home for me.

~Beanie~

I think its rubbish - the paper kids at our local shop get £25 per week and don't do half as many papers as that! Even 25(ish) years ago when I did a paper round, I got paid almost that much.

Is she doing it once per week or daily?

tomjonesrules

~Beanie~ wrote: »

I think its rubbish - the paper kids at our local shop get £25 per week and don't do half as many papers as that! Even 25(ish) years ago when I did a paper round, I got paid almost that much.

Is she doing it once per week or daily?

Maybe you should have asked this question before declaring it as 'rubbish'? £8 for one round is very different to the same for 5 - 7 rounds, is it not?

sparrer

I could be jealous! I did a paper round 7 mornings a week for the princely sum of 5/-, that's 25 pence today. We had to be in the shop to mark up by 5.30am and get back to the shop by 7.30am before going home to get ready for school, but I guess if you take inflation into account it wasn't bad?

Your DD's done well to get herself a job so let her enjoy her new income, and if when she's older and can work more 'civilised' hours I've no doubt she'll be first in the queue for interviews

eta I had to do a small housing estate for my money!

ikati5

An adult wouldn't do it for £8.00 so why should a child? There is no national minimum wage for under 16's so they can pay a pittance, but how many people will pay a considerable amount more for delivered paper? Catch 22!

Have you checked if she is allowed to work 2.5 hours and has she a work permit? (required by law)