The Student Room Group

16 year old with no job!

Hello there, just a quick thread! Im currently having issues trying to find a job as there seems to be no vacancies anywhere. I haven't been able to go into every shop in every high street as ive got GCSE exams to revise for, but ive been to a few with no luck. My work experience at John Lewis said i was a great worker with good enthusiasm; i had a great time there and i really enjoyed it. I would work with John Lewis but they dont like employing under 18s, especially for part time jobs! So, ive been using my work experience as proof that im a good worker and i work hard. Also when i went into a local Sainsburys store in a 'polite manor' told me to get lost without even considering to get any details from me (the conversation lasted only about 10 seconds when the girl knew i was 16). Ive been emailing to loads of shops for work but ive only received one reply from around ten saying that they dont employ under 18s!

I really need a job as i need some money for buying a car and insuring it next year. Seems to be that alot of people got jobs at their work experiences, and now i regret doing mine at a big retail store! Any replies which can help me will be great! I'll promise i continue with my revision now :smile:

Alex.

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My friend is 16, and works part-time at John Lewis... Also I'm 16 and I worked serving alcohol, they said I had to be 18, but you have to sweet talk dude, nothing comes easy, think smart. Initiative.

It's who you know, not what you know, unless you're going for a graduate job scheme or something, these retail private sector employers don't give a crap. My advice is get a job through a friend....

My local sainsbury's has about 12/13 workers that all know each over and helped each over get in, why do you think there's about a billion Indians working in the huge sainsbury's on the tills, it's who you know :wink:

Good luck mate, if you want any more help just holla @ your boy

EDIT - I know several sainsbury's employees and it's very hard to get a job there unless you know someone, basically sainsbury's are doing something called internalisation or something, where they're only employing people from other branches of sainsbury's.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2
Hi there, thanks for the reply! Just a thought, how much would shop work pay hourly? Would i be able to make £500 in about 2 or 3 months? I would like to buy a small scooter to go to college before i can take driving lessons. Thanks, Alex :smile:
Reply 3
.............. it's possible....... i get £30 a day where i work :smile:
Reply 4
try glass collecting, glass collectors are pretty much exclusively 16 and 17
Reply 5
I looked everywhere for a job for like 2 months and found none but then I just asked at school and they gave me a job putting out chairs before an exam, £7 per time. It wouldn't hurt asking school for any after school cleaning jobs or something like that.
Reply 6
You will have to look EVERYWHERE, all the time, and apply as much as you can. In september quite a lot of part-time jobs pop up because all the uni students leave and leave their jobs behind them - so I would concentrate on your exams now and then look everywhere.
Try garden centres, local shops, bakeries, applying online, look for hotels and restaurants that might want waiters and waitresses - most of the people I know with jobs work in waitress roles because they have quite a high turnover.
Don't be expecting a miracle though, the jobs market is very slow atm and it can take forever to get anywhere, I only recently managed to get my job despite searching since september last year. Don't be expecting loads of money either, as most part time jobs are minimum wage or close to it.
good luck!
Reply 7
Original post by TopGearRules
Hello there, just a quick thread! Im currently having issues trying to find a job as there seems to be no vacancies anywhere. I haven't been able to go into every shop in every high street as ive got GCSE exams to revise for, but ive been to a few with no luck. My work experience at John Lewis said i was a great worker with good enthusiasm; i had a great time there and i really enjoyed it. I would work with John Lewis but they dont like employing under 18s, especially for part time jobs! So, ive been using my work experience as proof that im a good worker and i work hard. Also when i went into a local Sainsburys store in a 'polite manor' told me to get lost without even considering to get any details from me (the conversation lasted only about 10 seconds when the girl knew i was 16). Ive been emailing to loads of shops for work but ive only received one reply from around ten saying that they dont employ under 18s!

I really need a job as i need some money for buying a car and insuring it next year. Seems to be that alot of people got jobs at their work experiences, and now i regret doing mine at a big retail store! Any replies which can help me will be great! I'll promise i continue with my revision now :smile:

Alex.


Join the f****ng queue mate.
Reply 8
A majority of employers won't take you on until you are of school leaving age have a look in the summer.
Reply 9
Original post by The_0001
Join the f****ng queue mate.


exactly lol can't f****** wait to compete with the year below next year as well as with everyone else for work.
Reply 10
Original post by TheCurlyHairedDude
My friend is 16, and works part-time at John Lewis... Also I'm 16 and I worked serving alcohol, they said I had to be 18, but you have to sweet talk dude, nothing comes easy, think smart. Initiative.


They were breaking the law.
Original post by TopGearRules
Hello there, just a quick thread! Im currently having issues trying to find a job as there seems to be no vacancies anywhere. I haven't been able to go into every shop in every high street as ive got GCSE exams to revise for, but ive been to a few with no luck. My work experience at John Lewis said i was a great worker with good enthusiasm; i had a great time there and i really enjoyed it. I would work with John Lewis but they dont like employing under 18s, especially for part time jobs! So, ive been using my work experience as proof that im a good worker and i work hard. Also when i went into a local Sainsburys store in a 'polite manor' told me to get lost without even considering to get any details from me (the conversation lasted only about 10 seconds when the girl knew i was 16). Ive been emailing to loads of shops for work but ive only received one reply from around ten saying that they dont employ under 18s!

I really need a job as i need some money for buying a car and insuring it next year. Seems to be that alot of people got jobs at their work experiences, and now i regret doing mine at a big retail store! Any replies which can help me will be great! I'll promise i continue with my revision now :smile:

Alex.


Try KFC and Mc Donalds. No jokes they're employing A LOT in my area at least at the mo. I've been rejected three times because I'm too young. Damn August birthday... Also remember a lot of places don't like employing you till after you've left school. I'm gonna properly start looking once I start college. Can't handle revision and working at the same time, I'd leave it for now if I were you, or volunteer in a charity shop. Gives you till experience which looks good on your CV. Good luck.
Reply 12
Original post by Delaney
They were breaking the law.


you can serve alcohol as long as you are supervised
If you want to work at the Kumon centre I did, pretend you're older than you are.
I got paid 1p over the 16+ minimum wage :rolleyes:
My friend got paid £6 for tutoring, basically doing the same thing, at a different centre.

Retail shops in local shopping centres always seem to employ.. give them a go? (:
Reply 14
Yeah it is really hard at the minute to find a job. You've basically got to ask everywhere or give in CV's and hope that you might be in luck. Check the websites of places...sometimes they have vacancies on them.

Good luck but try not to be downhearted if it doesn't get you anywhere. Just keep trying and hope for the best.
Reply 15
Try farms.
Original post by TheCurlyHairedDude
My friend is 16, and works part-time at John Lewis... Also I'm 16 and I worked serving alcohol, they said I had to be 18, but you have to sweet talk dude, nothing comes easy, think smart. Initiative.

It's who you know, not what you know, unless you're going for a graduate job scheme or something, these retail private sector employers don't give a crap. My advice is get a job through a friend....

My local sainsbury's has about 12/13 workers that all know each over and helped each over get in, why do you think there's about a billion Indians working in the huge sainsbury's on the tills, it's who you know :wink:

Good luck mate, if you want any more help just holla @ your boy

EDIT - I know several sainsbury's employees and it's very hard to get a job there unless you know someone, basically sainsbury's are doing something called internalisation or something, where they're only employing people from other branches of sainsbury's.


That's not true about the sainsbury's thing. I just got a job at sainsbury's and there were about 10 other new employeees, and none of them had connections or previous jobs at sainsburys
write a CV, print a load out, then do a quick dash around town or wherever handing it into as many stores as possible, in person as opposed to emailing.
argos take 16+ and usually tend to change their staff around a lot i think.
Original post by thecookiemonster
That's not true about the sainsbury's thing. I just got a job at sainsbury's and there were about 10 other new employeees, and none of them had connections or previous jobs at sainsburys


I live in SE London, were unemployment is highest, where do you live?
Original post by CameraGirl
write a CV, print a load out, then do a quick dash around town or wherever handing it into as many stores as possible, in person as opposed to emailing.
argos take 16+ and usually tend to change their staff around a lot i think.


Result = CV in bin, or getting dusty...
Source? I've done it before, people hand me CVs in my last job, people just brushed it aside and by the end of the day it gets binned by someone.

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