When did your kid start working?

[Anonymous]

My 15 yo desperately wants to work this summer for the first time, but she is having jaw surgery. It seems like there will be too much downtime to get a job this year. She does some yard work on the side though, but she wants to earn more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not let him. He has his entire life to work. If he has that much free time that he could do a job then he needs to be involved in an extracurricular activity. The expectation at that age, for our family, is to get good grades, participate in extracurricular activities outside of the home and to spend time with family. My children worked their senior year of high school with a half day schedule.

My parents said that. I joined a bunch of clubs that I don’t have any memories of and played a walk on sport that I socially enjoyed but did for a while. I also got a work permit and applied to jobs I could walk to when I turned 15 and by senior year, dropped all of the school stuff and had two part time jobs. I loved working and loved my jobs. I took pride in that and learned more about real world things and customer service from working than I ever did from extra curriculars.

Let him do it if you trust the uncle.

[Anonymous]

Babysitting at 12, swim coaching at 13, wants to life guard at 15 this summer.

[Anonymous]

I'd be fine with 15 or 16, but I really don't think it's necessary. Just tell them to be a kid and enjoy childhood while they can. There is plenty of time to work later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If the kid wants to, sure. Beware of safety issues.

If the kid has no interest, and you don't need the money, don't push it. Teens don't need jobs to get into college. Low-level jobs do not prepare for higher-level jobs.

Maybe not but they help kids get internships. My DH sits on the committee at his business who interview and hire interns. He said they rarely hire kids without any work history.

Then he's missing out. In my wealthy neighborhood, the immense majority of the kids never work before going to college. They're busy volunteering and doing other extra-curriculars. Unless your husband also considers unpaid work to be a form of work. But for college applications, it's a different bucket.

DP who hires interns. I never hire anyone who doesn't have any work history. I don't want to be someone's first employer. It's a good screen for non-entitled kids who are willing to do the grunt work. My attitude is informed by a new grad I had to supervise early in my career who thought she shouldn't have to "waste" her time faxing things (a big part of an assistant's job back then) because she graduated from an Ivy ECs/volunteering are in no way a replacement for showing up every day, on-time, and dealing with whatever you are asked to do, including often difficult customers.

Both my kids were camp counselors in high school, one at a day camp - he started as a CIT at 13 and switched to paid role at 16, and the other at a sleepaway camp. They worked retail first summer after college, internships after that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s a long time to hang around with friends. My kid worked FT and had nights/weekends to get together with his friends.

A lot of teen summer jobs involve working nights weekends. Lifeguard, working in an ice cream shop, etc.

[Anonymous]

My DS wanted to work last summer at 14 but it was hard to find places that would take him. He did/does dog sitting, etc., instead.

This summer he'll be 15 and my gym said they would hire him for the child watch room. He's excited to do it.