Summer job help for 15 year old

redreversed

I really want a job this summer, but I've no idea on how to get one. I cant think of a place that would take me in dublin, I dont really have any connections that could give me a job. I've also no idea on what to write on my cv if I've done pretty much nothing...

Nody

Your best bet will be something local at that age; lawn mowing etc. so ask around in local stores, people around you etc. and see what they say.

Celly Smunt

My brother does window washing and makes a packet for himself.He washes about 15 houses a week for a tenner a piece.

redreversed

Not exactly many lawns, almost none actually where I live and lots of people have kids to do their chores, and I really dont want to be the kid who cleans windows or does lawn mowing haha

tatli_lokma

redreversed wrote: »

Not exactly many lawns, almost none actually where I live and lots of people have kids to do their chores, and I really dont want to be the kid who cleans windows or does lawn mowing haha

Well your age will deter some of the larger chain stores as your age limits how much work you can do. You are 15 with no experience, don't even have something to put on a cv but you are turning your nose up at the sorts of things that will earn you money and help you gain experience. Reality check needed I think. If you are more concerned with having a job acceptable to your friends them you may just accept that you won't be earning any money this summer. Welcome to the real world - here people do what they need to do to get on including jobs they don't necessarily like. If you are not ready to join the real world then you need to content yourself with having no job.

redreversed

I dont think you understand, I dont need to have a job to survive or something.I want to have a job so naturally ill go for something that I would rather.My friend got a job cleaning up in hotels restaurant so I know its possible for me to find something like that.

The Big Red Button

redreversed wrote: »

I dont think you understand, I dont need to have a job to survive or something.I want to have a job so naturally ill go for something that I would rather.My friend got a job cleaning up in hotels restaurant so I know its possible for me to find something like that.

Chances are it's quite likely he got the job through someone he knew.

If you were to do as suggested - put yourself out there to clean windows, clean cars, mow lawns, whatever - and get a name for yourself locally as a good hard worker - then, when a suitable unadvertised vacancy comes up in one of your neighbours businesses, your name will be put forward.

I used to babysit from when I was around 13, and would always be as flexible and helpful as possible. So when one of the father needed someone to drop leaflets for his brother's new business - he asked me, and paid me €100 for it. When another father needed people to undertake market research door-to-door for his Masters project, he paid me €1,000 for myself and a couple of friends to do it for him over a couple of weekends. When one of the mothers heard of a waitress handing in her notice in the cafe her friend owned, she got me a trial-day there (and I ended up working there for a couple of years), before the position was even advertised.

At your age, with no experience or qualifications, you won't just be handed a job. Every hotel has plenty of employees with sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, etc, that they'll be putting forward for any unskilled part-time work that comes up. Maybe it's not fair, but it's the way it is.

I get the impression that you consider yourself to be 'above' doing manual labour, and it's a pity. Everyone has to start somewhere.

redreversed

Fluffy Bunny Rabid wrote: »

Chances are it's quite likely he got the job through someone he knew.

If you were to do as suggested - put yourself out there to clean windows, clean cars, mow lawns, whatever - and get a name for yourself locally as a good hard worker - then, when a suitable unadvertised vacancy comes up in one of your neighbours businesses, your name will be put forward.

I used to babysit from when I was around 13, and would always be as flexible and helpful as possible. So when one of the father needed someone to drop leaflets for his brother's new business - he asked me, and paid me €100 for it. When another father needed people to undertake market research door-to-door for his Masters project, he paid me €1,000 for myself and a couple of friends to do it for him over a couple of weekends. When one of the mothers heard of a waitress handing in her notice in the cafe her friend owned, she got me a trial-day there (and I ended up working there for a couple of years), before the position was even advertised.

At your age, with no experience or qualifications, you won't just be handed a job. Every hotel has plenty of employees with sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, etc, that they'll be putting forward for any unskilled part-time work that comes up. Maybe it's not fair, but it's the way it is.

I get the impression that you consider yourself to be 'above' doing manual labour, and it's a pity. Everyone has to start somewhere.

I don't consider myself above manual labour, I just can't see myself going around houses asking to wash people's cars or windows or cut people's lawn which are usually 3x3 metres if not less in lucan... Its not so much the work I have the problem with, its that I really doubt many people would actually want to waste their hard earned money on something they could do in a minute. And I really doubt advertising would help either. Maybe I'm just really pessimistic, I dont know.

XxMCRxBabyxX

redreversed wrote: »

I don't consider myself above manual labour, I just can't see myself going around houses asking to wash people's cars or windows or cut people's lawn which are usually 3x3 metres if not less in lucan... Its not so much the work I have the problem with, its that I really doubt many people would actually want to waste their hard earned money on something they could do in a minute. And I really doubt advertising would help either. Maybe I'm just really pessimistic, I dont know.

If you don't try you won't find anything. You have to start small to build up. It's not easy to find jobs at 15. I could only get babysitting at that age but, as above, from babysitting I got more offers and was able to build up my CV and find more jobs.

redreversed

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

If you don't try you won't find anything. You have to start small to build up. It's not easy to find jobs at 15. I could only get babysitting at that age but, as above, from babysitting I got more offers and was able to build up my CV and find more jobs.

And how did you find babysitting jobs?

XxMCRxBabyxX

redreversed wrote: »

And how did you find babysitting jobs?

Great! I'd do it now if the kids I babysat weren't too old! Most kids are easy to look after and won't cause much problems. They usually love babysitters! Once they go to sleep you have the house to yourself too!

redreversed

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

Great! I'd do it now if the kids I babysat weren't too old! Most kids are easy to look after and won't cause much problems. They usually love babysitters! Once they go to sleep you have the house to yourself too!

Hahaha, I said how? I really don't mind babysitting because I love kids but I don't know many people with small kids that would need a baby sitter.

fasttalkerchat

I know a fella who said he was 18 and on the dole so wanted something cash in hand. His employer thought it was great having someone working for £4.50 an hour (sterling). He could have employed him legally for £3.68 if he knew he was 16.

I started in fast food, only place to take my teenage self with no experience or connections - I suggest you try that

redreversed

bluewolf wrote: »

I started in fast food, only place to take my teenage self with no experience or connections - I suggest you try that

I was thinking that too, but aren't most of them(if not all of them) 16+?

You can do restricted hours at 15 IIRC, there was definitely a 15 year old there when I was, and they were very by the book in everything so they wouldn't have let him if it wasn't okay

redreversed

bluewolf wrote: »

You can do restricted hours at 15 IIRC, there was definitely a 15 year old there when I was, and they were very by the book in everything so they wouldn't have let him if it wasn't okay

Do you remember what fast food place it was? Or was it just like a local small one?

In my opinion, you havnt a hope in getting what you want. I know how hard it is for teenagers to get part time work, and 90% of teenagers I know who have a job have it as a result of connections.

I think you should try and get a work placement in an industry you'd like. That way, your at least getting experience and if you performed well, whoever was in charge will most likely be happy to give a reference for you in the near future. You may even get paid or even better, get a few hours.

I know you may end up paying a fair bit for transport and food but it is worth it.

Also bare in mind, big firms might refuse to take 15y/o for WP as you wouldn't be insured by the school. Your best bet is to ask any relatives near you or smaller firms.

redreversed

redreversed wrote: »

Do you remember what fast food place it was? Or was it just like a local small one?

Have PM'd

XxMCRxBabyxX

redreversed wrote: »

Hahaha, I said how? I really don't mind babysitting because I love kids but I don't know many people with small kids that would need a baby sitter.

Sorry I misread that! Through the usual connections: family, friends, neighbours, etc.

redreversed

I should probably say, I'm not Irish and have only been in Ireland for about 5 years. That's why I don't really have much connections. Don't have an uncle with a shop or something, you know? Well I do actually, just not in Ireland.

And for the person who told me the work experience advice, I'm really into technical graphics(or DCG)which is a class in my school and I've recently started 3d modelling with Blender and I really enjoy that and I wouldn't mind having a job to do with that in the future.

Does anybody know if say I made models or renders and maybe put them on the internet, but never really had a job for modelling, would it still count as experience if I did want to get a job in it?

redreversed

redreversed wrote: »

And for the person who told me the work experience advice, I'm really into technical graphics(or DCG)which is a class in my school and I've recently started 3d modelling with Blender and I really enjoy that and I wouldn't mind having a job to do with that in the future.

Does anybody know if say I made models or renders and maybe put them on the internet, but never really had a job for modelling, would it still count as experience if I did want to get a job in it?

I know nothing about that or what firms you could work for but if there was a firm, yes you could mention that. They would even value that more because its what you do in your own time I.e shows you passionate and not going to be twiddling your thumbs all day.

you could even try and get a week somewhere during the Easter holidays. That way, if they don't get you back for summer at least you'll have something to put in your cv to help with the job hunt.

Are you in 3rd year? If so, im presuming you'd be too busy during Easter?