Independence: Teens & Employment
Got a gap year to pay for? Or college fees? Before A-levels start biting into their free time, help your kids get into an independent frame of mind by learning to pay their own way.
Supermarkets pay between £4-£5 an hour for 16 year old 'ambient replenishers' (shelf stackers to you and me). The best jobs go fast, so the Easter break is a good time to start the hunt.
Unless they are falling behind at school, working within legal guidelines is unlikely to cause problems and can teach responsibility. To avoid exploitation, do your homework and learn the ground rules.
UK Employment Law
Children are not legally allowed to work until they are 13, unless it's a particular role such as acting which can only be undertaken by someone of a particular age. In that instance, councils are required to issue a special licence.
Children aged between 13 and the minimum school leaving age* in England, Scotland and Wales may not do any work, paid or unpaid...
before 7am or after 7pm
for more than two hours on a school day or Sunday
for more than 12 hours a week during term time
in the holidays for more than 25 hours a week - 35 hours if aged 15 or over.
Insurance
In order to work legally and be covered by their employer's insurance, children must have an employment card issued by their local authority.
Is it legal?
Your local authority will have a list of jobs or workplaces where under-18s can legally work. Pubs, betting shops and building sites are off-limits. No-one aged under 16 can work in manufacturing or any other dangerous activity.
How much can they earn?
The development rate for 16-17 years olds is £3.00 an hour. This will increase on 1 October 2006 to £3.30 an hour.
The development rate for 18-21 year olds is currently set at £4.25 an hour and this will increase to £4.45 on 1 October 2006.
The National Minimum Wage as of 1 October 2006 will be £5.35 (up from £5.05, for workers aged 22 and over.
*A teenager can leave school on the last Friday in June if they are 16 or will be 16 before the start of the next school year.
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