At what age did you start working?
Was it because you wanted money?
Did you need to help support the family?
Was it a family business that you were expected to help with?
Every family situation is different. I like to see flexibility with my family’s rules and I believe that each child should be able to be treated as an individual. What works for my oldest does not always work the for my youngest.
Read my family’s work story at the end of this article to get an idea of how my teens were introduced to the working world.
Should your teenager work?
Here are some of the benefits of introducing teens to working:
Perspective on Life
- They will start to interact with society and learn how the world works in a whole new light beyond that of the family unit.
- It offers them a chance to mix with people they might not normally have the opportunity to meet is a great eye-opener to the world around them.
- Earning their own money develops an appreciation for the value of money and can quickly bring to fruition the hard work that goes into making the all might dollar.
Boosts Self-Esteem
- A part-time job is a great self-esteem booster; teens feel empowered, experiencing a sense of accomplishment and personal achievement.
- It also provides greater autonomy, allowing teens to gently pull away from the parental-guarded environment, which will help pave the way to adulthood.
Develop Life Skills
- Working teaches important life skills, such as having to deal with issues or problems that arise.
- Provides a chance to cultivate their time-management skills.
- Teaches a sense of responsibility.
- Introduces them to budgeting and money management.
Builds Connections
- A good work recommendation can help with college applications.
- It gives teens valuable work experience to help build their resumes.
- Broadens their network, and can provide useful links for future endeavors.
Alleviates Boredom
- Less likely to get into trouble with having too much free time on their hands.
Time Management
- Scheduling enough time for school, homework, friends, family and work is a skill that most adults are challenged with every day.
What are the drawbacks?
Added Stress
- Teens are already under a lot of pressure academically, socially and maybe even chores at home. Added stress from working can place a load on their shoulders that they may find difficult to cope with.
- Running on high-stress mode can drain their energy and concentration levels.
Unfair Treatment
- Sometimes our children can be naïve and inexperienced. This leaves them open to being unfairly treated and exploited by employers.
Additional Parental Pressures
- Are you adding responsibilities to your day by having to chauffer your teen to and from work?
- What is the cost to you? How will this affect your family’s dynamic?
What is your takeaway from this?
Create some options:
- Have a trial basis so you can assess how well they fare.
- Talk to your teen about the realities of working: both the negative and positive attributes a job can bring. Once they sign on to a job, they are actually working with an employer and co-workers are relying on them.
- If your teen is lacking in time management skills you can help alleviate some of the pressure by supporting them when and if they feel overwhelmed. Don’t just tell them “Welcome to the real world.” These are teachable moments.
- Guide them through the paperwork and ensure that their terms of employment are fair.
- Entering the workforce is a whole new social dynamic. Being given orders from a boss is entirely different than being in a classroom or at home. They need to be willing to learn, take criticism and accept responsibility for themselves.
- Answer these questions:
Is your teen ready to get a job?
Are they old enough? States may have regulations, job permit
requirements, etc.
If your teen is still in school –
Are their grades good enough to add a job?
Can they be limited to weekends and summer vacation rather than
weekdays?
How well does your teen handle stress? Can they stay calm when
someone else is blowing up?
Does your teen make good choices?
Are they reliable?
Can they focus and follow direction?
How do they feel about getting a job? Do they want a job and are they
willing to do the work?
How will they get there? Walk, bike, or are you their chauffeur?
How much work is it for you to have a working teen?
With everything in parenting, you must be willing to do your homework to know what the best decisions are for your children and family.
Good luck!
Here is my family’s story:
I started working when I was 12. I babysat for the neighbor’s, my parent’s friends and as a live-in during the summer until I was in high school. At 17 I started working in a retail store in the Berlin Mall in Vermont. I am not even sure if the store is in business anymore? The way malls have been closing in recent years, it may be that the mall isn’t even there anymore? It was a.long.time.ago.
I started working as a teenager because I wanted money. I did not necessarily get pushed into it by my parents but they did not discourage my working, going to school and participating in school activities all at the same time either. I do not remember feeling overwhelmed or stressed. It just felt like it was the natural course of action.
Once my daughters became tweens, and teens, I encouraged them to find jobs if they wanted to.
They worked as teaching assistants at the dance studio. This was time above and beyond their own dance classes, and it extended into the Summer if they wanted. My oldest was 16 when she got her first Summer job (other than at the dance studio or babysitting for neighbors). She worked the snack bar at a local beach club for two Summers but did not work during the school year. Once she was 18 and a high school graduate, she worked a full-time job during the Summer prior to going to college. It was a fantastic job that was in her soon-to-be field of study.
My second daughter got her first job outside the studio at a local café that specializes in smoothies. Unlike her sister, she continued working her Summer job into her senior year at high school. Managing a full school schedule, a 5-day per week dance schedule and a job were beyond what I expected as a parent. Knowing school was her number one priority, followed by her commitment to her dance team she altered her work schedule to accommodate those two things. Luckily, she had a boss that was willing to be flexible. This is not always the case. Proving to her boss that she had a good work ethic, showed up when she was scheduled to work and was willing to pick up extra shifts as needed was valuable to her boss and they had a good relationship because of it.
Eventually, she decided that she wanted to ease her schedule so she did give her two-week notice at work and left on good terms with a good reference.
With Summer approaching and the hiring season in full swing, she has secured a new job for the Summer already and is looking forward to starting that in June. Thinking that she would like to pursue a career path in the food industry she is lucky enough to be working for a restaurant that will help her expand her knowledge.
Key things to take away from my story:
~School was always #1. If their grades slipped, they had to stop working.
~Attitude was important. If they were getting worn out and their attitudes started changing and they started losing the enjoyment of school, dance, and family time, they had to adjust their work.
~Family is priority. Schedule work around big family events so you do not have to miss out.
~The neighborhood had limited families with young children becoming a babysitter for child #2 was not an option. Being able to walk or get rides to their job was required and that was not a possibility at the time so while it was a great work experience for #1 it wasn’t feasible for #2.
~At 16, my kids had cars to drive themselves to work.
~The oldest sibling did not work during the school year because she was at the studio 6-days per week and her school course load was huge. She always had a ton of homework and add that to having a boyfriend – who had time to work 
Her sister took similar classes and is a good student however she never had the same amount of homework. Choosing not to have a boyfriend and only 5-days per week at the studio she had more time to work.
~And – if you are anything like me you would agree that: They are kids, and kids should be kids until they cannot be kids anymore. Working during the school year was an option.