Should I get a job

Hi,
I'm 16 years old and in the start of year 12. Loads of my friends have a job on weekends/afterschool and pretty much all of them are telling me I should get one too. I also already have an offer for a Saturday job so I wouldn't have a problem finding one. My friends say that it will give me some extra cash, and it would look great on a personal statement.

My parents, on the other hand, are quite firmly against the idea. They say that with my A-Levels starting which will obviously be more work than GCSEs, I shouldn't give away a full extra day for a job, and that while it will look good on a personal statement it will have a bad effect on my grades.

I'm feeling slightly inclined towards taking a job, but I'm pretty sure that's also because of pressure to fit in.

Can anyone offer some advice and opinions? Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

charves14

13

I work two evenings a week, here’s my pros and cons
PROS
-you have money and money = freedom, you won’t need to ask your parents for money to go out, and can get dinner or clothes without having to ask anyone’s permission
-you’ll mature so much while working, being in that formal environment with co workers and pay slips is what I think made me actually feel like a 17 year old, and makes me feel more confident in my future
-ucas forms, as you’ve mentioned having experience is really useful, plus when you’re older and look for more work you’ll have previous job experience, so be more employable
CONS
-you’ll have less free time, as most of your life will end up being in sixth form, doing homework or working, if you do get a job it’s a commitment and you’ll have to accept stopping certain things (i had to stop volunteering, and have less times for hobbies
-it can be quite stressful, you’re treated as an adult so do have to do things like calling in sick and making you’re own transport (or at least i do), plus depending on how strict your work are with holiday you might be working in exam season which is very intense
-missing out on things can be quite upsetting, i no longer get many family meals and there are countless times ive had to say no to going out because of working, also if your friends also have jobs it’ll be infinitely more difficult to coordinate with them and make plans

Reply 2

marple

15

Original post by i-g

Hi,
I'm 16 years old and in the start of year 12. Loads of my friends have a job on weekends/afterschool and pretty much all of them are telling me I should get one too. I also already have an offer for a Saturday job so I wouldn't have a problem finding one. My friends say that it will give me some extra cash, and it would look great on a personal statement.

My parents, on the other hand, are quite firmly against the idea. They say that with my A-Levels starting which will obviously be more work than GCSEs, I shouldn't give away a full extra day for a job, and that while it will look good on a personal statement it will have a bad effect on my grades.

I'm feeling slightly inclined towards taking a job, but I'm pretty sure that's also because of pressure to fit in.

Can anyone offer some advice and opinions? Thanks :smile:

Getting a Saturday job is an excellent idea. It gives you life skills, encourages good time management and will make it easier for you to get a part time job during university / university holidays. It is also a confidence boost to know that you can function in a work environment and earn your own money.

Academic results are important but so are real life skills. The university graduates that have difficulty finding jobs are often the ones that have no work/intern/volunteering experience and have only their academic results. Most employers would choose a graduate with good degree and work/volunteering experience over one who just had a good degree. Doing a weekly shift in retail or hospitality obviously doesn't necessarily provide direct work experience for your university or future graduate career, but what it does do is demonstrate to a future employer that you understand working life and can manage your time. It gives you something extra to include when applying for work or internships when you get to university

You don't need to commit to working right up until A levels. A lot of college students work one day a week and then pick up extra shifts in the holidays and it doesn't impact on their grades. You don't need to work al the way through your A levels - you can stop in plenty of time to concentrate on revision/exams.

Good luck

Reply 3

Nice_100

13

Original post by i-g

Hi,
I'm 16 years old and in the start of year 12. Loads of my friends have a job on weekends/afterschool and pretty much all of them are telling me I should get one too. I also already have an offer for a Saturday job so I wouldn't have a problem finding one. My friends say that it will give me some extra cash, and it would look great on a personal statement.

My parents, on the other hand, are quite firmly against the idea. They say that with my A-Levels starting which will obviously be more work than GCSEs, I shouldn't give away a full extra day for a job, and that while it will look good on a personal statement it will have a bad effect on my grades.

I'm feeling slightly inclined towards taking a job, but I'm pretty sure that's also because of pressure to fit in.

Can anyone offer some advice and opinions? Thanks :smile:

A lot of my friends during A-Levels had a job whilst I didn't. Yh I also felt pressured to get one but I couldn't be asked at the end of the day. You have an offer and you want to take it? Go for it to get some extra cash. The only time I'm ever agreeing with your parents is if you're doing STEM subjects...a LOT of the STEM subjects with jobs at my school suffered and ended up getting terrible A-Levels...yh as long as your job doesn't take up a lot of your time you should be fine.

Reply 4

i-g

OP

3

Original post by i-g

Hi,
I'm 16 years old and in the start of year 12. Loads of my friends have a job on weekends/afterschool and pretty much all of them are telling me I should get one too. I also already have an offer for a Saturday job so I wouldn't have a problem finding one. My friends say that it will give me some extra cash, and it would look great on a personal statement.

My parents, on the other hand, are quite firmly against the idea. They say that with my A-Levels starting which will obviously be more work than GCSEs, I shouldn't give away a full extra day for a job, and that while it will look good on a personal statement it will have a bad effect on my grades.

I'm feeling slightly inclined towards taking a job, but I'm pretty sure that's also because of pressure to fit in.

Can anyone offer some advice and opinions? Thanks :smile:

For some more information, I take Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science (we start with 4 subjects then go down to 3 in year 13). The place I would hopefully get is at a local café which is a 5 minute walk, so transport would not be a problem.
Thanks for your responses :smile:

Should I get a job

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you