From The Student Room Wiki

TSR Wiki > Careers > Temping and Holiday Work > Part-Time Work > Getting a Job at 16

---

Ahhhh, you've reached the age of sweet 16, GCSEs are on the horizon, but the parents are refusing to fund your days out or those expensive things you want. Even the little job earning a few quid a week can't cover the costs.

It is now time to think big. You now want a proper part time job, taking up a few evenings per week or a day at the weekend.

Contents 1 Actually getting the job 2 Summer Job 3 Permanent with a bit of overtime 4 What Hours? 5 I don't need the money, what's in it for me? 6 Case Studies

Actually getting the job

One of the easiest ways to a get a summer job, is through contacts. Ask relatives or friends of relatives if they know of vacancies in their place of work. This works especially well in retail where a recommendation from a relative may well be enough to skip the interview phase.

Another easy way, is to go into every shop in town and ask for an application form. Fill them all in and return them.

Failing that, check the websites of every shop or library or hotel you can think of, and take a look at their vacancies section. Bookmark it, and return there every so often. Look in local papers, and websites of local papers. Pop into your local connexions office for advice on where to look, and how to make your CV stand out. Check the connexions website also, where vacancies are published.

Summer Job

Some 16 year olds just want a summer job to help them cover a few costs. Unless the job is specifically aimed as a Summer Job, I would avoid mentioning the fact that you will ditch the place in September. Most companies spend money "training" you and will not like seeing their "investment" disappear after two months, so by mentioning that you are only temporary, will probably result in a rejection.

You may ask why I have put marks around training and investment, most places do not spend much time training.

Permanent with a bit of overtime

Most 16 year olds will want permanent jobs, doing maybe a day a week or just an evening. You will also want overtime for when you are on holiday to earn that little bit of dosh.

My advice is to go for the big chains (like supermarkets, shops, etc). Even though these will treat you poorly (most students disappear after several months) and pay you reasonably poor wages (compared to the adults), they should have the flexibility to meet your demands for overtime.

What Hours?

It depends on how often you are free. If you are still at school, doing Monday-Friday, it's probably best you stick to maybe one day per week (Saturday or Sunday) or an evening and part of a weekend day. You shouldn't do more than 10-12 hours.

College students, with whole weekdays off can probably afford to do more hours, but more than 20 will probably seriously affect your education. You will see that a lot of colleges still suggest 12 hours maximum - but in most cases, it's really finding your own balance of work and education.

I don't need the money, what's in it for me?

First of all, you are really lucky.

Well the money might not be important, but it can be useful when filling in CVs or that dreaded UCAS form for university. A regular part time job shows that you can mix and match your life, and can hold down a job even though its rubbish. It shows persistence, team work, ability to speak to people you don't know, key skills that are not taught to you at school, and all these are looked at favourably by employers/admission tutors. If you really do not want a part time job, check out Volunteering.

Case Studies

• Case studies of jobs at 16