Under 18s work?

JordanDC

Hi everyone,

So this year im doing my Junior Cert and current 15 and turning 16 this August. Getting older and starting to gain financial independence from my parents. I would like to be able to work for maybe 8 or 9 weeks. After checking laws etc it seems fine for me to work during the holidays and up to 40 hours/week. So I was wondering, how do I go about getting a part time job during the summer? Am I required to have a CV and which companies are most lightly to employ me? I realise the recession etc but that aside, I would like some advice besides "There are no jobs"

leeroybrown

As you're under 16 you'd be restricted to 35 hours per week over the summer and to light work within certain hours of the day. An employer wouldn't legally be able to employ you for the full summer as legally you have to take 21 days off. I know it's not what you want to hear but someone aged 16 or 17 can be paid exactly the same wage as you with a lot less restrictions. You'll definitely need a CV.

My advice would be to try everywhere. There are so many students who won't be able to find work this summer that you'll need to try absolutely everywhere you can think of and hope you're lucky.

supersheeps

As pointed out above, it's easier for employers to employ over-16s because of the employment laws being so restrictive for your age-group. Also, there are lots of people applying for every and any job now, so unfortunately, you'd be up against people with more experience and less restrictions. Is there something you're particularly good at, or a hobby you love? For example, my cousin loves horses and showjumping, and got taken on for the summer in a stable/arena/something horsey, and he's your age-his interest in horses and willingness to work with them was more appealing to the owners than someone who's worked in other places. Does your school run summer camps? If you're good at sports or art, they may take you on. Do you like animals? Dog walking/sitting. There's always babysitting too. Maybe your parents or friends' parents might know someone who's looking for some summer help. That's how I got my first job at 14, helping out in my uncle's butchers!!
Get a cv together, emphasise your skills/hobbies/interests, and get someone to have a look over it. Oh, and please approach people yourself about jobs, I've had so many well-intentioned mammies handing in cvs for their darling daughters over the past few days!!!!
Good luck

JordanDC

Thanks for the encouragement People just seem to be so wrapped up in the recession its nice to still keep positive.

As for interests... unfortunately Sports and Art are not one of my strong points, which would be convenient for summer jobs. My main interests include web design and programming and anything techy. Also really interested in Retail.
As for the dog walking, I think I could do that but not so sure about number of dogs I could take at a time and still get a competitive rate of pay? I live in an area where people are quite affluent so maybe there is a benefit to that?
I also have strong interests in Stock Markets and Business.
Recently completed an Aptitude test that said I had 85%+ interest in Financials.

experiMental

JordanDC wrote: »

Thanks for the encouragement
My main interests include web design and programming and anything techy.

These are great skills to have, what you can do is learn some programming languages, and try to develop your own software. It doesn't have to be complicated or difficult, it can be a simple thing that can make data entry a bit easier or just a small budgeting package for dyslexic people or those who have poor knowledge of English, for example. Even if you won't be able to get a job, your initiative would be valued greatly.