The teenager has another job. He is very pleased about this as it will see him earning over two pounds an hour more and as he is quickly discovering the real cost of owning a car, he is looking forward to this significant improvement in his bank balance.
He has done really well, he has had a job in a local fast food restaurant for nearly a year and in spite of the fact that he has not always enjoyed the job itself, he has made the best of it and in all of his time there, he has never missed a shift. I am proud of him for sticking at it and I always said to him that once he was eighteen, he would have that experience under his belt and it would be easier to get another job.
When I was his age, I had been working since I was thirteen. It was so much easier to get a part time job back then whereas these days, most employers won’t look at you until you are 16 and have finished your GCSE’s and some won’t take you on until you are eighteen.
Having said all of that, I do have very mixed feelings about O having a job. On the one hand, I sadly do not have the money to keep handing out for his car, social life and general spending money. I wish I did, but then it would do him no favours if I kept giving him money all of the time. If he didn’t have a job, the harsh reality would be that he would not have a car. It is an important life lesson for teenagers to start earning their own money. It makes them appreciate it all the more and I have noted with great interest that the teen is not particularly quick at parting with his hard earned money. The phrase ‘tight as a duck’s…’ springs to mind in fact.
Then there is the downside. The fact that his dedication seems to be to his job and earning money and that has become the most important thing. He works, he plays rugby, he goes out with his friends so when does he have time for the school work? He is in his second year of A levels and has a lot of school work to do. He does seem to be keeping on top of things just about, but I know that he isn’t working as hard as he could be and it is hardly a surprise, there aren’t enough hours in the day.
So there is the dilemma. If you are running a fully fledged teenager, their needs are great. Cars, social lives, gadgets, mobile phones really do add up and make them expensive creatures to run. It is good for them and you if they get a job; it saves you money and gives them a sense of independence and a a taste of life in the real world. Added to that, a job gives them valuable experience and a reference ready for that time when they are looking for a full time job later on.
Without a job, your teen will most likely be holding their hand out for money on a regular basis and this can lead them to the very wrong conclusion that everything can be handed to them on a plate. I know that wouldn’t be the case with all teens and maybe if you can afford to give them an allowance in return for doing jobs around the house, they can then devote more of their time to their studies, but in reality and my experience, even without a job, there are lots of things to distract the average teenager.
So what is the answer? Support I suppose. I am trying very hard with O not to nag (although he may not see it that way) but I do try to gently remind him from time to time what is important. I have always supported his wanting a job, in fact, I have encouraged it along with a warning about not letting it get in the way of his end goal of university and good A level grades.
In the meantime, with all of this extra money that he will be earning, I fully intend on hinting for an extra special Christmas present this year.
I think it’s very important for kids to get jobs and to learn about work ethic. I had my first job when I was 12, picking raspberries on a farm.. It then went to babysitting in the city for a while summer and to be honest, it did teach me the value of money. I think having two parents who were hard workers, also showed the natural progression. It teaches kids that you need to work for what you want in life and it won’t get handed to you.
I think your ssounds like a really responsible and well grounded kid which is fantastic. Although you worry tht he is just keeping in top of his homework, it seems like if he started to slip, that he is grounded enough to figure out how to deal with that.
Great post’
Bernard has had a part time job since she finished her GCSe’s too! I can’t afford to keep her in shoes and hair dye – so it was a job or go without! She has learnt valuable lessons about budgeting not just her money but her time as well – lessons we all have to learn in life. Like O she is in her second year at 6th form and the work load is getting tough – but she’s managing! Her job is with the local council so she is contributing to a pension and is a union member! – more grown up than her mummy!
I had a part-time job from the age of fourteen. By the time I left at 18, I had four years worth of retail experience under my belt. This fed into the full-time job I got as a commercial management trainee, and meant I was a more attractive option for employers – they didn’t need to tell me about the working day, or holidays, or the importance of presentation etc.
It also meant I had other things to worry about on top of my A-Levels and GCSEs (though it doesn’t seem to have done me much harm), but provided me with spending money where my parents could not. They weren’t well off at all, which pretty much made my mind up about not going to university, so having money meant I could buy toiletries and have bus fares without hassling them.
Without the job, I would have found other distractions anyway, and been completely dependant on my already poor parents for anything I needed beyond shelter and food. I firmly believe that having the part-time job (and in the early 90s I was earning £1.60 – £2 per hour) set me on the path to greater things later. Yes, A-Levels are important, they really are, but too many kids are leaving uni these days all very well qualified and no work experience. they have to do unpaid internships to close the gap, which are more exploitative than part-time jobs.
I say yes to the part-time jobs. I think more kids should have access to them. Good luck to your son, he sounds like he’s on the right path, and with you to support him will do very well.
It is a tough balance, but good for him for getting a job and being more independent. I did a paper round from the age of 13 and worked all day Saturday and half of the day Sunday from 16 and right through my A Levels. I also had a social life and I still got very good A Levels!