Anonymous wrote:Anyway, I didn't mean to sound combative to you, but I felt like you made a lot of assumptions and I wanted to clarify. None of these kids know each other--swim coach lives several towns over--and we pay at least $10/hr. I think others are right, though. The kids don't need the money. I needed the money when I was a teen, so summer jobs were important to me. My dad made close to $1mil a year and I worked at McDonalds AND had a paper route one summer, because we were expected to make our own money and learn responsibility. It sucked when I was the kid serving the other rich kids at McDonalds, who would come in and pay me in pennies as a joke. Perhaps that all made me a little more intolerant of flakey teen labor. Clearly I need to get over that and accept that teens just aren't going to be a reliable source of help!

Anonymous wrote:Teens are very unreliable. There are some out there who are very responsible. If you know of one, you ask for friends names and numbers. The other thing is that you may be putting off a bad vibe to all if these kids you are having trouble with. I don't mean this as an insult. If a kid is put off by an adult, they will say what you want to hear and then do what they want. Hence the boy who disappeared. He either realized he didn't like the work our that he didn't like you. That's how I see it without knowing more.

Anonymous wrote:You're hiring the wrong people. There are a lot of very responsible teens who take their commitments seriously and do a good job. The trick is finding these kids. Do you have any teacher friends who could recommend some of this kind of teen?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't had a problem with hiring teens. As one PP mentioned, I often initially coordinate with the parent before I move on to direct communication. Texting is what works best for me and second best is facetime messages to either them or their parents. Also, I always remember that I'm dealing with kids who haven't had real work experience yet and are going to screw up occasionally. I forgive, forget and Keep using them. Here are my thoughts with your examples:

Swim coach: you are expecting too much. Kid is trying to take on a lot of responsibilities and hasn't yet figured out how to coordinate it. He screwed up, then realized and made it right for you. But, instead of thanking him you fired him. He's a teen and I think he did a great job of realizing he made a mistake and making it right for you. I honestly am shocked that you didn't see it and fired him.

First mothers helper: she doesn't want the job. Move on.

Second mothers helper: you are too intense. Either hire her for a set schedule or hire her for each event separately. You may want your life planned but many kids don't. If you need a lot of time, you might want to hire more than one.

Lawn kid: he probably has ADHD, got distracted and didn't remember to come back. It's a medical condition and he can't help it.

One last thought. If these kids are connected in any way, firing the swim coach might have gotten you a reputation for being unreasonable and kids might not want to work for you. So, while you think you are a great boss, that might not be your reputation.

Ouch. This felt a little harsh, but I appreciate you taking the time. I didn't fire the swim coach, I had to cancel the lessons because we couldn't make the new times work. He double booked us three lessons in a row, so three times I paid for a private lesson and my kid spent half the lesson sitting on the side of the pool. I saw one of the parents he bumped for us at the pool today, and that parent was pissed because THEY just lost their spot. He's a nice kid and a great instructor, but I feel like maybe he needs some guidance from his parents on managing his lessons.

As far as being too intense, she told me her schedule was wide open, so I sent her TWO days and times for just this week and asked her if either of those worked for her. I told her initially that I needed someone two days a week for a 4 hour block each but that I was flexible on the days and times and would work with her schedule. So, actually, not intense at all.

Anonymous wrote:I haven't had a problem with hiring teens. As one PP mentioned, I often initially coordinate with the parent before I move on to direct communication. Texting is what works best for me and second best is facetime messages to either them or their parents. Also, I always remember that I'm dealing with kids who haven't had real work experience yet and are going to screw up occasionally. I forgive, forget and Keep using them. Here are my thoughts with your examples:

Swim coach: you are expecting too much. Kid is trying to take on a lot of responsibilities and hasn't yet figured out how to coordinate it. He screwed up, then realized and made it right for you. But, instead of thanking him you fired him. He's a teen and I think he did a great job of realizing he made a mistake and making it right for you. I honestly am shocked that you didn't see it and fired him.

First mothers helper: she doesn't want the job. Move on.

Second mothers helper: you are too intense. Either hire her for a set schedule or hire her for each event separately. You may want your life planned but many kids don't. If you need a lot of time, you might want to hire more than one.

Lawn kid: he probably has ADHD, got distracted and didn't remember to come back. It's a medical condition and he can't help it.

One last thought. If these kids are connected in any way, firing the swim coach might have gotten you a reputation for being unreasonable and kids might not want to work for you. So, while you think you are a great boss, that might not be your reputation.

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you are living in a top school district I am guessing that the kids near you are quite well off and get decent allowances and such from their parents.