This is for 16 - 17 year olds

[teulk]

Ok how many of you meet all the following criteria (or did)

1, Fall into the age bracket
2, Go to college full time
3, Have a job (part time)

Im asking as my son is almost 17, goes to college and i keep badgering him to get a job but it seems to fall on deaf ears / he cant be bothered. I appreciate he goes to college and has that to contend with but i really cant see any reason why he couldnt do a partime job - its not like he doesnt have the time. The way i look at it, not only will it give him spending money and teach him a certain amount of finacial responsability it will also give some experience when he leaves college and needs a full time job. If anyone out there falls into the critera above please post your views.

 

[analog]

1. Yes
2. Sadly, yes
3. No

I wouldn't mind a job in some respects i will admit to being lazy that and some times when you get close to deadlines etc, you need all the time you can get.
I also get EMA, and i don't seem to spend a lot so to me, i don't need it financially (although it would be nice)
At the end of the day its up to him, either way once he is finished that and or uni, he is going to be doing a job pretty much until the day he dies, as the retirement age is ever creeping up.
He will probably look for one once he is learning to drive, i know its made me want one, if you won't pay for lessons etc, he will have to get the money some way thus leading to a job. He will get one in his own time when he realises he needs it heh.
(and looking back on that, most of it made no if little sense but its 5am so meh)

 

[Margaret]

Well I'm 18 and still at college so;

1) This time last year, but same situation this year anyhow.
2) Yep, 5 days a week (but now I'm on a 3 day a week course that's still full time 9-4)
3) Nah, I admit it's down to sheer lazyness but I do value my time off too.

 

[teulk]

We have even gave him incentives, we would be willing to buy him a run around in the form of a car or a scooter if he gets a job........he was even talking about going away with the college during the summer but he need something like £200 deposit plus £1000 in sponsorship money. We were even prepaired to pay the deposit if he got a job to pay for his spending money but even that hasnt worked. I think our incentives have been pretty fair. He has a girlfriend and soon he is going to realise that it might just be nice to buy her something with is own hard earned money im sure.

 

[Feef]

...Indeed (analog), dare I ask why, as a 16/17 year old at college full time, you're up at this time on a Thursday night?

I'm out of that age bracket now, but when I was back doing 4 A levels full time, I did also have 2 part time jobs. My main one was only Saturdays, which I started when I was 15, but I took up a second job when I was 17 doing waiting for an evening or two a week as well. I'm 20 now, so this wasn't too long ago, I'm sure times don't change that much

I didn't get EMA, missed it by a year, so pretty much had to work to get extra money for myself. There was always something I was saving for at the time, and anything I didn't spend, I put towards my gap year. I don't see any real reason for him not to get a job - however, I guess the majority of my friends actually weren't working when I was in 6th form either. I'd put that down to living in a small, affluent market town, where there wasn't that much available for your average 16 year old in the way of employment, and many families could afford to give their kids enough for them not to need a job.

Just my experiences

 

[teulk]

...Indeed, dare I ask why, as a 16/17 year old at college full time, you're up at this time on a Thursday night?

Im at work and the OP is refering to my son

 

[Margaret]

I'm up late because my course is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Though the follow up course is 5 days a week 9-4 or so I think, that's gonna be a horrible transition!!!

 

[analog]

We have even gave him incentives, we would be willing to buy him a run around in the form of a car or a scooter if he gets a job........he was even talking about going away with the college during the summer but he need something like £200 deposit plus £1000 in sponsorship money. We were even prepaired to pay the deposit if he got a job to pay for his spending money but even that hasnt worked. I think our incentives have been pretty fair. He has a girlfriend and soon he is going to realise that it might just be nice to buy her something with is own hard earned money im sure.

See, most people i know that have a job there parents wouldn't do half of that, most the people i know have a job so they can do things like that and if they do have a job, the parents see it as "o well you have a job you buy pretty much everything yourself" type of thing.

...Indeed (analog), dare I ask why, as a 16/17 year old at college full time, you're up at this time on a Thursday night?

LOST! >_> going in a min though, 1080 is out later than i thought and im off this week.

(so many edits, so many mistakes, sorry if it makes no sense lol, im off night)

 

[Feef]

Im at work and the OP is refering to my son

Apologies, I realised after I'd posted that some other people had appeared between me and analog, I tried a swift edit (now applied), but my connection is so slow tonight that it took 2 minutes to even bring up the editing box. I will now exercise massive self restraint in not launching in to a rant about that in an attempt to keep this on topic

 

[teulk]

No problem

 

[luckystrike1]

Nope (I'm 18)
Nope (finished college last year and now at Uni)
Yes

I worked 2 days a week as my college course was only 5. I would say I worked pretty hard for my wage (which was 3.50p/h) at a coffee shop. It wasn't a lot of money but I managed to save up £2000 for my Uni desktop [Thanks OCUK]
I would say I gained some key skills when it came to working as a team and speaking to customers although I never really had a problem with interacting with people. The work was pretty nasty (basically cleaning up peoples crap and taking crap from people. Plus the boss had no manger skills and bodge jobbed everything) but other than that I do think it helped me to be the person I am today.

Tom.

 

[goldilocks]

i had a job at 15 - (randomly cleaning canal boats) cash in hand
waitressed at 16 - (again cash in hand, but better than a paper round)
shop job saturdays + waitressing occasional evenings from age 17-20 (through 6th form when i did 4 A levels, and then through uni)
and then just a sunday shop job in my last 6 months at uni

i got my degree with no issue, it's a loads of rubbish people who say you can't work and study at the same time, thry can have no concept of 'real life' - you're never going to have just one thing to worry about at a time
my brother is 17 now and have a part time job through 6th form - in fact everyone i have ever known has worked through 6th form / college / uni

in fact with the money i earned from age 15 - 21, i didn't get anything like fancy tvs, computer set ups, or drink myself silly every night - but i did finish uni with no student debt :O

 

[alexakasloth]

When I was in that age bracket and was at college I had a part time job, first one was 16 hours at the weekend which I thought was way too much, then I just worked sundays which was the perfect amount.

 

[shauncr91]

1, Yes
2, Yes
3, No, but looking

Its a a bit of a pain in to get a job and college, it takes just too much time. HOwever, if the job is just 1-2 nights a week, then theres no reason not to really

 

[Trifid]

1, Fall into the age bracket 17
2, Go to college full time yes
3, Have a job (part time) no

I did want a job and applied at a Waitrose for weekends only, but they kept on offering weekday ones after the interview. :/ I was going to get a job in the 6 weeks full time but instead chose to do voluntary work experience for the IT department of my school. I think having a job would have helped me focus a bit more in AS though. Excuses uh?

 

[Gigi]

When i was 16 i got my first job whilst at school. Went to college, got a better job with better money. Was working 25hrs pw whilst at college, then went to Uni, worked 30hrs pw (plus my 1 day a week voluntary work at the local high school in the IT dept.)

If i can work and gain qualifications im pretty damn sure everyone else can. Just needs motivation and the desire to not have to sponge off your parents.

 

[FosterK]

Yep. 16.
Yep, sixth form college, so 8-3 every weekday.
Yep, 18 hours a week, often more with overtime.

I had a paper round when I was doing my GCSEs, which really opened my eyes to the idea of working. Not a lot compares to having your own money to blow on things you want, instead of having to wait till a birthday or Christmas or something.

Sadly though, I think EMA works against the idea of teaching kids to go out and earn their own money. I don't qualify for it, so I have to earn my own. The problem with EMA is that it's just free money. There is no way someone can need £30 a week for books and pencils. Most of the people I know who get it just blow it on fags. And yes, they're underage smokers; ironically, government money is being used to break the law.

If you can get him to get a job, good, it'll really open his eyes. Getting to that stage though, is tough.

 

[Marky]

I recently left school - I was in a Sixth Form college, I was 17 and I worked Saturdays at a part time job. Now Im doing an apprenticeship, and therefore only do college part time - I'd tell him to get his butt in gear

Although, I worked because I wanted some cash to do things - if you give him cash when he goes out you should stop and tell him that if he wants money he has to earn it.

 

[allllec]

When I went to collage i went mon-thurs. and from thurs-sun i was working.

Deffinatly not worth it, Job yeah fair enough but not one that occupies all your free time becuase it is bloody knackering.

Anyway. Badger one

 

[Trojan]

When I was at college full time between 16 and 18 I did indeed have a part time job, and believe that it's the right thing to do. It gets you used to a working lifestyle, provides cash and helps you meet a lot of new people. I certainly feel it benefited me

I have my Dad to thank for me actually going out and getting a job though, he basically provided an cash incentive. If I didn't get a job, he wouldn't give me any money for lunch at college nor any pocket money. If I did get a job, he'd give me £10 a week for lunch and £10 a week for pocket money. Obviously I weighed up the options and swiftly decided that £20 a week + whatever I earned working was far more attractive than loads of spare time and no cash. Maybe try something like this with your son?