Teaching teens healthy working habits?

gettingtheresometime

Mikela78 wrote: »

I was more thinking about knowing their rights (without being an !!!! about it), workplace bullying, learning how to work with people you don't necessarily like etc

Take the word work out of that sentence and replace it with the word school and there's no difference to the approach.

Sharon87

I think the more important thing to teach teenagers is budgeting. No matter how much they earn budgeting skills really help. When I was 15 my mum let me take the child benefit (£16 a week), as long as I went to get it myself, and budgeted to buy some of my own clothes and other things I wanted. That helped me when I went uni as when I left uni I had no credit card or overdraft debts (my debts started during the credit crunch/recession and being unemployed!)

I wouldn't push a teenager under 16 into work, GCSEs and homework are a bit more important than a part time job in my opinion. Having a part time job from 16 onwards is good for some people, even if it's only 8 hours a week. When I was 16-18 I had a part time job, but 6 months into my job the shop opened on a Sunday and it did exhaust me. I could have gotten better grades if I wasn't so tired from my 14 hours shop work on Saturday and Sundays. I never had a day off from college or work!

So also work life balance is a good lesson. Work, but not so much it tires you out.

Savvy_Sue

My three all worked at the local cinema once they turned 17, and I always maintain that it was the best job in the world for teenagers: whether it would be the same at the 'chain' multiplexes I can't say, but at this place all the films started at roughly the same time, and while they were on they could go to the staff room and do their homework - still being paid. Occasionally there was more to do, eg if they were stocktaking the refreshments or sorting a large delivery.

What I tried to teach them was the importance of turning up on time, in the right clothes, on the days they'd agreed to work - it was usually fairly regular but occasionally they were asked to do more. And they 'got' that. Beyond that, I wanted them to know that they had rights, eg to a payslip and to paid holiday (pro rata to what they'd worked).

What they often needed to do was talk to the manager and ask for things, eg 'Please can I have these dates off because we are going away'. Sometimes that was a struggle - even since they've graduated they don't always want to ask for what they're entitled to, or the right person isn't there to ask, or they forgot, or they don't know who to ask and don't know who to ask to find out who to ask ...

However, much of that could be 'taught' through their attendance at school! If you have a particularly 'quiet' child, then speaking to a grownup - even a known grownup! - can be quite terrifying!

JayRitchie

Hi

I've just spent a day reviewing CVs for graduate and year in industry candidates. Work experience in places such as restaurants really comes across well - they can develop and demonstrate so many skills. Teamwork, priority management, dealing with people, selling.

I'd stress to any young person that you gain a lot from paid work beyond the money, and having experience to find other jobs in the future.

Doshwaster

JayRitchie wrote: »

Hi

I've just spent a day reviewing CVs for graduate and year in industry candidates. Work experience in places such as restaurants really comes across well - they can develop and demonstrate so many skills. Teamwork, priority management, dealing with people, selling.

I'd stress to any young person that you gain a lot from paid work beyond the money, and having experience to find other jobs in the future.

Yes, I'm a big supporter of teenagers getting some working experience as it helps develop the "soft skills" that employers want alongside academic qualifications - punctuality, presentation, money management, perseverance etc. It doesn't matter what the job is (I filled freezers in Asda for 2 years during my A Levels), but it will do them more good when they start doing interviews for "proper jobs" than if they had been living off the Bank of Mum and Dad.

I'm not sure about 13 year olds in the workplace, but at 16 and 17 they certainly should have a part-time job alongside their studies.