Saturday job/volunteering 15 year old

Carmina-Piranha_2

Does her school or anywhere local run Duke of Edinburgh? That includes volunteering. My son had to ask around because the charity shops here couldn't have volunteers aged under 16. He volunteered for a youth club at a church in the end, and really enjoyed it.

Also, what about NCS? (national citizenship Scheme). I think my son said that when he did it in the summer halfway through sixth form that there were some of the previous year 11's on it because they turned 16 before the trips started. Schemes vary but they generally start off with a residential mon-fri at an outdoors centre like PGL, then another week elsewhere. Then my son spent 9-5 mon-fri for four weeks fundraising for charity by various means, but there were other schemes run locally where the fundraising wasn't so intensive and didn't take up the whole summer.

kloana

Jagraf wrote: »

Is the age 16 limit more to do with insurance (ie, employing children, CRB etc) or about paying them? I'm wondering whether she will struggle with volunteering too from an age perspective.

Practicalities, including - but not limited to - insurance. Under-16s (and 16s who are still in school) have much stricter limitations on the type of work they can do, the hours they work, and the mandatory minimum breaks they take.

A company I used to work for employed a 15yr old, and it was a practical and logistical nightmare for those few months she was still at school. She couldn't handle certain equipment, dispense certain products, and what not. It placed pressure on us 'older' staff, who had to pick up the slack (it was fine, though!). She's still there though (many years later), so it can indeed work out!

Spendless

What's she interested in? My 14yo has joined St Johns ambulance as a cadet.

stormbreaker

My son volunteered at a Day Centre on a Friday afternoon, whilst doing his DOE.

Some places do put barriers up for U16. We found this when trying to organise a week work experience through the school.

You will always mollycoddle your kids if you are that way inclined I still do and they are 20 & 23 :rotfl:

System

There are some places, i know one sister of mine worked in a hairdressers at 15, and the other sister at 15 worked in a bakery/shop, but i think they are few and far between.. They were the only places back home that would take on under 16's.

Carmina-Piranha_2

Person_one wrote: »

Isn't school and studying for GCSE's her job for now? There are plenty of years (decades!) ahead for work, would 't it make more sense to wait until the summer when she'll be 16 and she'll have a long holiday after exams?

I'd say it depends on what else they are doing outside of school. I managed a paper round and several clubs, and still had time for a Saturday job, although we weren't given anywhere near as much homework back in those days.

My boy at 14 easily managed the Duke of Edinburgh award. It was a couple of hours at a school one evening per week and then the volunteering, improving a skill and the sport need only take an hour or two per week and don't even need to be carried out concurrently.

One full Saturday in a forest and a couple of weekends was all they required for the activities. It was great for my boy, as the only extra-curricular activity he did was one hour of music lessons per week. The joining in helped his social skills and he really enjoyed everything except for the gym he joined for the sport aspect. He said it was worth it for how much fun he had on the expeditions though

Person_one

Carmina-Piranha wrote: »

I'd say it depends on what else they are doing outside of school. I managed a paper round and several clubs, and still had time for a Saturday job, although we weren't given anywhere near as much homework back in those days.

My boy at 14 easily managed the Duke of Edinburgh award. It was a couple of hours at a school one evening per week and then the volunteering, improving a skill and the sport need only take an hour or two per week and don't even need to be carried out concurrently.

One full Saturday in a forest and a couple of weekends was all they required for the activities. It was great for my boy, as the only extra-curricular activity he did was one hour of music lessons per week. The joining in helped his social skills and he really enjoyed everything except for the gym he joined for the sport aspect. He said it was worth it for how much fun he had on the expeditions though

I think social activities/clubs and paid work are two very different prospects, its the second one that I don't really think 15 year olds should be encouraged/pushed into/allowed. The first can be fantastic, if its something they've chosen and enjoy.