We asked some of you and here's what you had to say about the positives of it.
The reality is that keeping your teenager busy can cost a lot of money and rather than splurge yourself maybe you should consider your teen getting a part time or weekend job. I had one growing up. I still had to work hard at school and get my homework and study done, but my parents felt there were lots of reasons why a job was a good thing for an adolescent. So we asked some of you and here's what you had to say about the positives of it, once they are at the legal age.
- Teaches self-sufficiency- A teenager making their own few bob will learn how to be self-sufficient without always relying on the bank of Mam and Dad which will help parents greatly. It can encourage your teen to learn how to use bank machines, and how to budget their cash if they want to save for something.
- Money matters- Nothing shows a teenager how much the real cost of things are once they start their own job. That jumper they love takes about a day and half’s work to buy and this fact only enables them to understand the fundamentals of money and how hard it is to come by. Suddenly spending twenty quid on crap isn’t as attractive once your teen has earned it themselves, sure it is so much easier getting it off the parents!
- Valuable work experience- Any job no matter how fickle it may be will teach your child something in life. It looks good on their Curriculum Vitae in the future when they want a job to support them in their college years and shows determination and reliability which for employers can be hard to come by these days.
- Opens door for the future- Ok so maybe the job they have won’t lead them down their dream job path but building connections with local businesses can’t hurt and who knows what the future holds?
- Fills up free time- The summer is long and teens get bored very easily but if they have a few hours work here and there it decreases the chances that your teen will be hanging around doing nothing all day. Sure teens still need their own free time but a part time job isn’t going to harm them and they aren’t too young to manage it, not by a long shot!
- Can encourage lifelong careers and interests- In some cases a summer job can lead to other things or spark an interest in an area your teenager hadn’t thought of before. Brilliantly a teenager’s job can reiterate the importance of doing well in school and getting good grades to achieve a college place where they will learn to do something they love and gain a career rather than settling for any old job and been unhappy.
- Builds confidence- Nothing builds confidence in young people than feeling appreciated and having some responsibility while being trusted to work well in any task they take on. At home a teens place isn’t clear cut and family life can be stressful so a job offers escape and the knowledge that they matter and have a place to belong outside the home.
When you were a teen, did you have a part time job?
If you are the parent of a teen, does your teen?
