Teenagers and working jobs etc.

brad123

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2002
Messages
6,404
Reaction score
286
Points
2,020
Location
Yorkshire
How many of you have kids over 16 who have regular jobs. We have a 16 year old girl who shows no sign of wanting to get a job to earn some money, rather sit on her bed on her phone. The 18 year old boy has a job he can do as many hours as he wants in a work yard but last 4 months has chosen to hardly go in. Meaning his income is about £20 a week which lasts 2 minutes. He's wanting to go out more and do things but he's going to have no money to do this.

Are we expecting too much of them to go out and earn themselves some spending money? The eldest boy has a job he can earn as much as he want as he is part time doing A levels and he used to do 20 hours a week ish, now he does 4/5 if that and isn't bothered. Come summer when all their friends are doing stuff as they work part time then ours won't be able to do anything and we aren't going to give them money as they have ample free time to earn spending money doing a part time job.

We are trying to teach them about life and things aren't handed to you on a plate and that they are at an age where they could and maybe should be working part time to develop and earn some money.
 
People go out and earn money when they need it. Give them a need along with a kick up the arse :)
 
^^^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When they want something and realise you or grandparents are not going to fund it for them, they will be forced to earn it.

My eldest was the same, when she ran out of handouts and saw her boyfriend was getting 'nice stuff' from working she found a p/t job. When she went to university she stopped working but soon realised that her maintenance loans and the basic money I gave her wasn't enough for a social life, so she got a job.
My 17 year old still doesn't work and spend all day in her room, at the moment she doesn't want anything extra but when things start to open up and she wants money for socialising she will have to get work.

Made it clear to them at 16 that I will sort out what they need and they will have to sort out what they want!
 
I worked from when I could, paper round, etc, then trade at 16.
Then I got my own place at 17, and have been back once for 6 months.

I've brought along many apprentices, they're on comparatively decent money at 16, then there is no limit.
It's like I said to one young lad, learn to drive. Makes a person independent, more attractive to an employer, and a person they may wish to date. At that age, they should be actively participating in home-life, buying their own clothes, organizing themselves.

Don't get me wrong, I was a reet knobber when I was an older teenager. A fool. But I stood on my own feet.

My parents married at 16, had me at 19, and then my bro 4 yrs after.
 
My son has had a part-time job in the local convenience shop butchery counter since he turned 16. Generally 2 days/week with extra hours covering for holidays etc.
He's 20 now and is moving to England in September to continue his university course so recently handed in his notice.

He's saved an incredible amount of his wages, enough to give him a comfortable start when he moves away.

My daughter is 15 and has already got an application in for a job for when she turns 16.
 
Things have changed since our generation, everything is happening later and later. Getting jobs, married, kids, etc. We are also generally wealthier than our parents and if that means that we support our kids a bit longer then isn't that part of what we work for ?

You also have to remember that traditional hi leisure and retail have been in short supply over the last year. My older one applied to a lot of place and even supermarkets require a lot of tests. In the end he worked for himself fixing PC and stuff. He had done a ton of research and investee some of the earnings in various places and over 2 years has probably made the same amount as working in a supermarket would have.
 
I work in the motor trade mrs in a junior school. In the motor trade now it is almost impossible to get a apprentice. Are 18 yr old daughter as got one as a painter and decorator on site which she loves earns good money saves well dosent blow it like i used to in the pubs. The 21 yr old is at uni which has gone back a yr due to covid but will work part time of needed. Im a firm believer in getting a trade but as the wife and kids tell me that is just not mentioned in school its just uni uni uni. This is why we have a shortage in trades i think when the daughter was at school and saying she wanted a apprenticeship the school just wasn't interested which is so wrong. I went in the trade at 16 yts and been in work all my life 51 now. I cant understand why kids are not told about trades at school
 
I have a stepson who is nearly 30 and work is a dirty word. He would rather stay up all night gaming.
Sadly it's common place, too many happy to live off the bank of Mum and Dad.
It's not as if he gets it from us. We both work hard and long hour's.
To me its a generation thing, many see working as just for fools.
 
We get apprentices in on over 20 grand for 2nd yr and they basically couldn't care less just on there phones and when told your on shifts start at 7 finsh at 4 then 10 till 7 next week they think its a joke. I used to get £27 give mum a tenner out of that and still run a mk1 escort sport. Obviously with a bit of help but at least my parents saw i was working. Kids at school tell the mrs its ok im going to play fifa on youtube or be a blogger. The Internet has a lot to answer for i think or im just old
 
We get apprentices in on over 20 grand for 2nd yr and they basically couldn't care less just on there phones and when told your on shifts start at 7 finsh at 4 then 10 till 7 next week they think its a joke. I used to get £27 give mum a tenner out of that and still run a mk1 escort sport. Obviously with a bit of help but at least my parents saw i was working. Kids at school tell the mrs its ok im going to play fifa on youtube or be a blogger. The Internet has a lot to answer for i think or im just old
Sadly things like social media are a big part of the problem. Internet influencers constantly posting about how wonderful their lives are, what lovely holidays, cars and possessions they have, and how they appear to just sit around a pool all day doing nothing.
Sadly life ain't like that, but a generation has grown up with this crap and don't know any different.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tbf though who wants to do shifts.
I just think the younger generations have rejected alot of the Gen X fundamental values.
Grafting, pubs etc.
 
How many of you have kids over 16 who have regular jobs. We have a 16 year old girl who shows no sign of wanting to get a job to earn some money, rather sit on her bed on her phone. The 18 year old boy has a job he can do as many hours as he wants in a work yard but last 4 months has chosen to hardly go in. Meaning his income is about £20 a week which lasts 2 minutes. He's wanting to go out more and do things but he's going to have no money to do this.

Are we expecting too much of them to go out and earn themselves some spending money? The eldest boy has a job he can earn as much as he want as he is part time doing A levels and he used to do 20 hours a week ish, now he does 4/5 if that and isn't bothered. Come summer when all their friends are doing stuff as they work part time then ours won't be able to do anything and we aren't going to give them money as they have ample free time to earn spending money doing a part time job.

We are trying to teach them about life and things aren't handed to you on a plate and that they are at an age where they could and maybe should be working part time to develop and earn some money.

Similar here. Daughter 18 who has no desire to do anything. She does suffer from anxiety, and OCD though, which resulted in a total mental breakdown a couple of years ago, requiring therapy sessions. Has your daughter ever had mental health issues? These problems can go on without your knowledge, we were completely unaware of how bad she was. Then it all came to a head and our world collapsed.
 
Tbf though who wants to do shifts.
I just think the younger generations have rejected alot of the Gen X fundamental values.
Grafting, pubs etc.
the world has changed a lot and is still changing at a faster pace, we are dinosaurs, lol
 
I work in the motor trade mrs in a junior school. In the motor trade now it is almost impossible to get a apprentice. Are 18 yr old daughter as got one as a painter and decorator on site which she loves earns good money saves well dosent blow it like i used to in the pubs. The 21 yr old is at uni which has gone back a yr due to covid but will work part time of needed. Im a firm believer in getting a trade but as the wife and kids tell me that is just not mentioned in school its just uni uni uni. This is why we have a shortage in trades i think when the daughter was at school and saying she wanted a apprenticeship the school just wasn't interested which is so wrong. I went in the trade at 16 yts and been in work all my life 51 now. I cant understand why kids are not told about trades at school
Its because the amount of students who go on to uni from school / sixth form looks good on the school. I was aiming for an engineering degree at uni, but screwed up my a levels, and my head of sixth form rang me and said dont rush anything but I could do something like tourism at a higher education college just so they could state I had gone into higher education. Thankfully, I had secured a place at a different uni doing a foundation course in engineering which would enable me to go on to my degree. I took great delight telling her I wouldn't be doing tourism, which is not what I wanted.

In retrospect I would have probably preferred doing an apprenticeship, but at that time they were not pushed.

My lad has just finished high school and is off to do engineering at college. I dont think he'll be suitable for uni as he isn't that academic minded, so once he has finished college I will be trying to make sure he considers an apprenticeship.
 
I was doing 50 hour weeks at 16. Growing up poor motivated me to go out and fill my pockets as soon as I could.

Plus my old man had a rule..

Rent is due 1 month after school ends if you're not in full time education.

And no he didn't give a single penny back.
 
One parent I know her daughter has said she isnt getting a job she hangs out where footballers do to become a wag, I kid you not. She has said she wants to be a wag so she hangs out at bars she knows professional premiership players do.

Well this is really very, very sad. I hope this girl can be happy in life, but I don't think this is a great way of achieving it.
 
I'm not worried about them getting a job at a young age. It has been, and still is a very hard time for them. Plenty of time to get a job in life. I'd rather they focus on their education and have a bit of fun. Besides there are plenty of adults who need a job...
 
Jobs come in all shapes and sizes. My daughters both had waitressing jobs when they were younger, but it was up to them if they wanted to work.

Move on a few years and the oldest one is working full time for PGL, loving life as an activity instructor, while building her leadership skills and gaining experience working with kids. She didn't work at all while at Uni, which was her choice, but we supported her, as getting a good degree was of more importance.

Youngest daughter got a job as "Games Mistress" at an escape room early in 2020. Minimum of 16 hours per week at £8 per hour, so a good wage for a 17 year old. COVID got in the way, so she was on Furlough for 5 months, so was paid for the period. As she's off to Uni, that's all finishing now, but as she makes upwards of £100 per week from her twitch streaming, Youtube etc. she still has plenty of money coming in.

Paper rounds, waitressing and to a lesser extent shop work are still great training on how to get on with people of different ages and backgrounds. It's a good preparation for working life and not all about the money.
 
Having had the misfortune of living with wet behind the ears students before I firmly believe a years life exp should be a requirement before starting uni. So many of them came from pampered homes were everything was done for them, then suddenly they're required to look after themselves and they just don't have a clue.

One of them got his first loan in so decided in his infinite wisdom that spending 90% of the money he had to live on for the next 3 months on a Macbook was a smart idea. This is a guy studying mech eng...why? Because everyone else had one.

Us older ones in the house despaired daily.

Thinking back to those days makes me glad I'm not poor anymore 🤣
 
Having had the misfortune of living with wet behind the ears students before I firmly believe a years life exp should be a requirement before starting uni. So many of them came from pampered homes were everything was done for them, then suddenly they're required to look after themselves and they just don't have a clue.

One of them got his first loan in so decided in his infinite wisdom that spending 90% of the money he had to live on for the next 3 months on a Macbook was a smart idea. This is a guy studying mech eng...why? Because everyone else had one.

Us older ones in the house despaired daily.

Thinking back to those days makes me glad I'm not poor anymore 🤣
Even in my daughter's 3rd year, she had a house mate who couldn't cook for herself, so lived on takeaways and whatever anyone else in the house had left over. She also had no money sense, let her room become a total tip and almost failed her course because she kept putting in assignments late and of poor quality. In the end her mum came up, cleaned her room for her, helped her with her uni work and eventually rescued her back home to avoid all the distractions of everyone else who by that point had finished their degrees and were making up for lockdown with some hard partying.

Not everyone has the skills to live away from home and it takes time to learn. Others just crack straight on and fall into the life. It's noticeable that a few years in the Scouts or another youth organisation does wonders for learning some common sense, personal administration and self sufficiency. I would suggest this is more important that just having a Saturday job.
 
Well I remember that my room was a pigsty as well. How I ever managed to hang on to girlfriends is now beyond me. I was also late, drank too much, smoked to much, partied all the time. But ended up just fine. Just part of growing up. I have no issues with that and aren’t too old to remember what I was like.
 
Let them dip their toes into working life as a teen... Low hours occasional work or whatever, but they're likely to be spending the next 50 years+ of their lives working, let them enjoy having no responsibilities whilst it lasts.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom