Teen Worked In Shop For 10 Weeks To Afford Christmas Presents-Told He’s Unpaid Intern

MilesMorales1 · 08-12-2015 10:54am #1

A teenager who spent 10 weeks before and after school working in a shop to save up for Christmas has been told he won’t be getting paid.

Jay El-Leboudy, 15, had been working mornings and evenings in his local Londis for over two months in a bid to save up for gifts for his family.

However, when he came to collect his overdue wages he was told by the boss that he wouldn’t be getting them – as he was on unpaid work experience.

Furious mum Zoe Buckwell said the store’s owners – who were family friends – had arranged an internship with the view of taking him on part time.

She says he had been working two days a week at the shop in Canterbury, Kent, since.

She told The Canterbury Times: “Jay worked nearly every day during half term.
"He was hoping to have his money in time to buy Christmas presents.”

One of the stores owners told the paper he had never agreed a wage.

He said: “I said to her [Jay’s mother] that he’s only 15. The law says he’s not allowed to work and because we sell alcohol, he’s not allowed in lots of areas, but he is allowed to follow people around.”

https://news.yahoo.com/teen-who-worked-in-corner-shop-for-10-weeks-to-170210642.html

Man thats really ****ty. He might not have agreed a wage or whatever, but I bet it was implied, and that shop owners just chancing his arm. Even if the kid is too young for work, surely bunging him a few quid won't kill them.

*waits for the inevitable job bridge comparison*

Duggy747 · 08-12-2015 10:58am

If he needed unpaid work experience to stack shelves then the boss should've just told him to go home and play Tetris.

Menas · 08-12-2015 10:59am

WTF like?
Poor kid gets a hard early lesson on what nasty shytes people can be.
Hopefully the kid gets his dues.

osarusan · 08-12-2015 11:02am

Naughty show owners, although in fairness, this would suggest that actually hiring him would be illegal:

The boss of the store, who does not want to be named, said they do not have to pay the teen, because Jay was allowed free hot drinks.

He said: "I said to her [Jay's mother] that he's only 15. The law says he's not allowed to work and because we sell alcohol, he's not allowed in lots of areas, but he is allowed to follow people around.

"I have had in the past someone come in and take things in their bag.

"So in his case I had to take trust with the fact I know the parents and his grandfather.

"I treat all my staff like family, I said he's allowed to eat and drink whatever he likes.

"If he turned up after school and he was hungry, I'd say he could have a coffee.

I gave her the fact that because he's not got a national insurance number he would not be allowed any sort of payment or anything from me.

"I need to tell the tax people. When he's 16 he would be allowed payment if there was a vacancy and if things work out."

It may all work out though:

After learning he wouldn't be getting any money, Zoe started a fundraising page to help fund Jay's Christmas shopping - which has already received more than £100.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teen-told-10-week-shop-6968075

The Sun King · 08-12-2015 11:02am

I thought it was fairly common courtesy to hand the young fella or girl an envelope with a few quid in it on the last day of work experience.

petes · 08-12-2015 12:13pm

"If he turned up after school and he was hungry, I'd say he could have a coffee."

That would fill your belly!!

08-12-2015 12:14pm

The Sun King wrote: »

I thought it was fairly common courtesy to hand the young fella or girl an envelope with a few quid in it on the last day of work experience.

Also common courtesy to not get the papers involved when you're insulting a shop owner for not breaking the law.

MilesMorales1 · 08-12-2015 12:17pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Also common courtesy to not get the papers involved when you're insulting a shop owner for not breaking the law.

Well law or not, its a pretty ****ty thing to do.

The Sun King · 08-12-2015 12:18pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Also common courtesy to not get the papers involved when you're insulting a shop owner for not breaking the law.

Not breaking the law, but still being a tight git. Throw the kid 150euro even and be done with it.

I'd like to know the misers in my area, whatever the "well technically.." crowd have to say about it.

conorhal · 08-12-2015 12:19pm

The Sun King wrote: »

I thought it was fairly common courtesy to hand the young fella or girl an envelope with a few quid in it on the last day of work experience.

I agree, that's seriously stingy. The kid seems however to be under the impression he was in paid employment rathere then a work experience gig, so I kind of wonder why it never occured to him to ask when it was pay day or what his hourly rate was. It was a bit dim or timid or both not to ask such basic questions.

Summer wind · 08-12-2015 12:21pm

The shop owner should be shot with a ball of his own ****e.

The Sun King · 08-12-2015 12:21pm

conorhal wrote: »

I agree, that's seriously stingy. The kid seems however to be under the impression he was in paid employment rathere then a work experience gig, so I kind of wonder why it never occured to him to ask when it was pay day or what his hourly rate was. It was a bit dim or timid or both not to ask such basic questions.

Agreed. As a teenager doing work experience you should expect nothing, as that's what the gig involves. However you shouldn't go away empty handed, expected or not, as a gesture even.

AdamD · 08-12-2015 12:45pm

The Sun King wrote: »

I thought it was fairly common courtesy to hand the young fella or girl an envelope with a few quid in it on the last day of work experience.

I think 10 weeks in a shop is a little more than work experience.

lertsnim · 08-12-2015 1:03pm

The shop owner is a dick. An internship in a supermarket? Give over. Instead of giving the lad a couple of hundred he now has the bad publicity. Well played sir. Why would the child work 10 weeks without pay and not think something was wrong?

purplepanda · 08-12-2015 1:13pm

Since when is it illegal for a 15 year old to work (as in get a paid wage) in a grocers shop? Myself & most of my 14 -15 year old friends done much the same in Bakers, Butchers, Grocers, even Woolworths & Tescos, some even got jobs when they left school at 16! Yes most kids actually left as they could get jobs! :eek:

This was the early '80's & I don't remember the law being changed? :rolleyes:

ballsymchugh · 08-12-2015 1:17pm

AdamD wrote: »

I think 10 weeks in a shop is a little more than work experience.

according to this, he worked about 8 hours a week (2 nights, from 5 to 9)

http://m.canterburytimes.co.uk/Outrage-Canterbury-teen-works-unpaid-weeks/story-28299469-detail/story.html

it really does just look like work experience at that rate.

_Brian · 08-12-2015 1:22pm

15YO's must be getting soft.

Time to stick a brick through the shop window.

The Sun King · 08-12-2015 1:24pm

At least this guy got some valid experience through the work.

He learned that he should work his bollix off in school to avoid having to work for one of these gits later in life.

ballsymchugh · 08-12-2015 1:27pm

his mother has set up a gofundme page.

of all the causes that are online, i'm thinking although he might have got screwed over, why would anyone contribute to a 15 year old's Christmas fund?
she obviously wants something decent from him.

Son Of A Vidic · 08-12-2015 1:28pm

In a world where kids are being directed toward self obsessed narcissism and getting the next best selfie shot. Here we have a young lad with a sense of responsibility and a maturity & willingness to get of his ass and put in the work. It's the kind of qualities we should welcome and promote in younger kids. It's just unfortunate that he has probably met his first real kunt in life. No law may have been broken, but putting a few pound into his hand is what most decent people would have done.

SEPT 23 1989 · 08-12-2015 1:31pm

purplepanda wrote: »

Since when is it illegal for a 15 year old to work (as in get a paid wage) in a grocers shop? Myself & most of my 14 -15 year old friends done much the same in Bakers, Butchers, Grocers, even Woolworths & Tescos, some even got jobs when they left school at 16! Yes most kids actually left as they could get jobs! :eek:

This was the early '80's & I don't remember the law being changed? :rolleyes:

I think you have to be a family member of the owner to work at that age now

08-12-2015 1:32pm

This story has done very well on Reddit. Wonder how long until someone starts a gofundme and raises thousands of pounds for Christmas presents.

Gatling · 08-12-2015 1:33pm

Lesson no1 young man don't let your mother organise an unpaid internship and keep her away from red tops .

seamus · 08-12-2015 1:35pm

The Sun King wrote: »

I thought it was fairly common courtesy to hand the young fella or girl an envelope with a few quid in it on the last day of work experience.

Except it doesn't seem like that's what happened here.

It sounds like he was still "working" there, and went up to the owner to find out where his wages were. Of course the owner is going to go, "Uh, nowhere?"

Perhaps the owner was going to throw him a few quid in the run up to Xmas, but we'll never know now because his mother appears to have led him astray by organising an unpaid internship.

08-12-2015 1:47pm

The chances are that the mother had agreed to do an unpaid internship - or maybe misunderstood what the store owner said (because, I would assume/hope that they would have said upfront whether it'd be unpaid or not), but didn't inform the son about this, so when he approached the owners, they were confused.

And now, because of this mother, the shop and the owners are made to be the bad guys.

08-12-2015 2:16pm

Shop owner seems a miserable Scrooge.

Kid seems gormless.

Parents should put their hands up too.

A shower of dimwits all round. No wonder they were friends before the kid took a job without asking how much he was getting per hour, and the owner took advantage of it.

OldNotWIse · 08-12-2015 2:22pm

Shop owner is a miserable shíte IMO and I feel sorry for the kid. But the mother setting up a go fund me page? Seriously? I think this one annoys me even more than my homosexual friend who set one up to pay for a sperm donor so she can have a kid

Victor · 08-12-2015 2:49pm

It would seem not to be illegal for over-13s to work in England. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/young-people/young-people-and-employment/
although there may be bye-laws making further restrictions.

Kimbot · 08-12-2015 2:56pm

Actually the young lad can legally work part time from 13 so the shop owner is a tool

https://www.gov.uk/child-employment/minimum-ages-children-can-work

Michael D Not Higgins · 08-12-2015 3:01pm

Victor wrote: »

It would seem not to be illegal for over-13s to work in England. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/young-people/young-people-and-employment/
although there may be bye-laws making further restrictions.

jonny24ie wrote: »

Actually the young lad can legally work part time from 13 so the shop owner is a tool

https://www.gov.uk/child-employment/minimum-ages-children-can-work

The shop owner also said he didn't have a national insurance either though.

Samaris · 08-12-2015 3:07pm

I worked (part time as a summer job) from the age of 15, as did most of my friends. We got paid absolute peanuts of course, and we all looked forward to the (slight) pay-rise when we were 16.

I believe the going rate was about 3.15/hr. That'd have been in...er...2000-2001-ish, I think.

Teen Worked In Shop For 10 Weeks To Afford Christmas Presents-Told He’s Unpaid Intern

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