Does your under 16 year old have a part time job?

Mrs_Soup

I am hoping mine do as I did and get some kind of part time job at 16. It was pretty much teh norm among my friends to work saturdays in a shop from 16 to 18. If they want to do something before that eg paper round I would be happy for them to do it so long as it didn't interfere with school.

susancs

My 16 year old daughter got a job in Boots at weekends last September and loves it. She had to wait until she had her National Insurance Number to apply for jobs and although she got that just before her birthday in May as she was doing her GCSEs we decided it would be better for her to get these out of the way. September turned out to be a good time for job vacancies as the larger stores were recruiting for Christmas and a lot of p/t weekend staff were off to University.

She found out that a lot of jobs are advertised online and you have to complete the online application. Boots had an online test, then an appointment for an interview, which was mainly done on the shop floor as a practical exercise e.g. being observed offering samples to customers, pointing out how an aisle display could be tidied up, answering how they would deal with certain customer queries etc. She had to show her passport and NI number letter. She was employed as Christmas temp staff and then got offered a place after that.

She really enjoys it, as the other staff are very nice and supportive. I think it has given her a lot of confidence as she got the job and kept it due to her own hard work. She was given a very good apprasal by her Manager which made her (and us) feel proud of her work ethic. She also wants to do pharmacy at Uni and has been offered an in-house health care pharmacy type course that will hopefully look good on her application and during anded an Imperial College open day lecture attendeesey were told that paid or volunteer work provides a lot of transferable skills that Uni's value and should be included in a personal statement. She has also been told that Boots look favourably upon previous employment with them in regards to any Pharmacy placement or future career after Uni. She has a Boots discount card and proudly presented me with her additional family members one. She used to stay in bed until late weekends and waste a good bit of the day, but this job has her up and out in the mornings. She has to be more orgainised in regards to her A level study as she does not have much time at weekends to do any school work (plus tends to socialise after work), however her grades have gone up a lot in any past exam papers tests since she started doing A levels. She does turn down weekday holiday work as she feels she needs to revise A level work and have a social life (most of her friends work weekends too). Her school are all in favour of weekend working or one evening a week maximum, but did say that we have to watch the hours as employers can want them to work more hours and this can impact on A level results. If they do not have paid employment the school recommends that AS level students do volunteer work as it adds to their personal statment for Uni.


They do often have to jump through hoops to get part time jobs now as for one toy shop job (which she did not get) she had to do an ad-hoc phone interview and a two hour interview one evening with 7 others. This involved doing a maths test, bringing an item along to do a presentation on how it re-presented them, building a structure out of straws as a team, being asked to explain how they would sell a toy given to them, asked to discuss with the group what they would do in certain situations and again providing passport and NI details.

moomoomama27

My daughter is 16 and just started a job in a cafe. It's only seasonal but it's really changed her. She's motivated and seems to have bought the best out in her!!

Person_one

I think 16 is plenty young enough for a job. There's a lot of years ahead of them to work! Isn't going to school and being a kid their job up until then anyway?

tyllwyd

I think it is more difficult for an under 16 to find a job nowadays - my 15 year old DD has been looking for a school work placement and being under 16 puts a lot of potential employers off.

Melonade

I wish my 15 year old would even think about getting a job!

I think it would do him the world of good and give him a bit of a reality check. ATM he is still going through the "but my mates mum and dad are getting him it" and amazingly he's just turned down a £700 skiing trip to France with the school because I told him he can go but not to expect the expensive clothes. He'd rather miss out than me buy him gear from sports direct (even though I can get him a matching kit for £150) but he won't try to find a part time job to fund the extra expense for better kit!!!!! Anyway I didn't even argue, just told him "ok, your loss"

I have huge respect for anyone going out and getting themselves a part time job at a young age :T

geoffky

Jobs before i was 16..milk,paperboy,hay baling and potato picking,Saturday market job..golf caddy at my local course...Car washer for local garage..did peoples gardens with my own tools in the summer....
Needs must....No spare money in my family in those days...No wonder i retired so young..

System

I got my first job at 16, though it was more trouble than it was worth and due to other health issues had to give it up, but got a different one when I was 18 and I liked having my own money, plus it was only 10 hours a week so fitted in with 6th form

My sisters have both worked since 15, one in a hairdressers then a shop when she turned 16, the other in a bakery. The one who worked in the shop eneded up working there during holidays as well, and after uni they offered her a full time job and when she gets back from travelling she may get on their graduate scheme so it's been good for her. The other sister in the bakery is currently working loads so she has a nice amount saved for uni in September.

My 17 brother is the only one of us not to have had a job, how he affords his video games and drinking I don't know :eek: he's pretty much going to have to get a part time job when he starts uni so I worry the lack of work experience will hinder him

Spirit_2

We did not expect her to get a pocket money job whilst at school, however at 17 she took up part time work in the holidays.

For us that was enough, she had exams, activities and a social life to work on during term time.

Beckyy

I started one when I was 15, it was one of my work experience placements from school which kept me on. I stayed until I moved away a few years later, it did me the world of good and gave me a bit more freedom as I had some financial independence.