Any places that hire 15 year olds?

[starrzone]

I got my first job at 14, when I was a busgirl in a restaurant. It was only a summer job, but I bet if you and your daughter checked around lots of restaurants would hire younger workers for similar work.

My younger brother started working in the summer at an amusement park (a small local one!) when he had just turned 13. He has worked there the past 3 summers, and is in the running to be a supervisor this summer, when he will have just turned 16!

If your daughter really wants to work, don't give up if they say she is too young to work. I'm not saying to do anything illegal, but if she shows initiative and enthusiasm, they would probably be glad to have her. In my opinion, a 15-year old who WANTS to be there is much more valuable than a 19-year old who feels that he is ENTITLED to the job and has a less-than-ideal work ethic.

JMO!

 

[ChickieToo]

She can't get enough hours or make enough babysitting? Where do you live? Where I live, on the shoreline in Connecticut, people kill for babysitters and we pay $8/hour, minimum. If she doesn't want to babysit, I don't blame her at all. But if she would like to do more babysitting, she really has to network. I find my babysitters through friends: their neices, friends of the family, the local youth program that runs the babysitting course is also a good resource. In our town they keep a list and people can call there looking for recommendations.

On a different note, my uncle who was in the grocery business for many years, swears that working at a grocery store is the best job for high schoolers, starting when they are 15. It is easy to work your way up and have a pretty stable, safe work environment.

 

[pearlieq]

I started working at McDonald's when I was 14 and I think it's an excellent first job. They're very organized and their HR procedures are very clear. They're also very used to kids starting their first job--it's a good place to learn the ropes.

I learned many valuable skills and work habits there and would really recommend it to any teen.

 

[barkley]

even if a state permits a 15 year old to work, it can be prohibative insurance wise for many if not most employers to hire them. many retail places can't bond or insure 15 year olds, many dining establishments have higher age restrictions due to occupational safety laws-and if there is alcohol served on the premises there are some states with laws that preclude minors from being employed. this topic came up the other day when i was purchasing a car from our local dealership. the owner and i were talking about my former profession (social services doing employment services) and she was remarking about how her dealership up until about 5 years ago was the biggest employer of local highschool teens. she could hire a 16 year old lic. driver who could work as a 'lot boy'-they cleaned the cars, moved them for the sales and service department-and in the winter cleared the snow off them (they never took the cars off her lot). NOW her insurance company won't cover her for anyone under 21 so she can't hire the local highschool kids

if your state permits a 15 year old to work and she does'nt want to do 'indie' work (babysitting or tutoring) have her check with smaller buisnesses. my first 'real' job was at 15 as a receptionist for a local music school. i worked afterschool, a couple of evenings a week, saturdays-and all school holidays (the ft adult receptionist wanted those days off with her school aged kids). she might be able to find a place where she gains some skills that will make her more employable when she's more insurable to a prospective employer (i parlayed that job into a reception position at a furniture store which led to being promoted to assistant bookkeeper which led to much more lucrative jobs when i was in college). another place to check into is any venue that does kid's bday parties. we had a few in our former area that hired at 15 or 16 JUST for the parties. they worked largely weekends and were assigned x number of parties to help with. i know of one place where it was pretty much standard that with every party the 'party host' could figure on a $20 tip from the gratefull parents (so between minimum wage and doing maybe 5 parties a weekend they were taking down a decent salary).

 

[mominwestlake]

She can't get enough hours or make enough babysitting? Where do you live? Where I live, on the shoreline in Connecticut, people kill for babysitters and we pay $8/hour, minimum. If she doesn't want to babysit, I don't blame her at all. But if she would like to do more babysitting, she really has to network. I find my babysitters through friends: their neices, friends of the family, the local youth program that runs the babysitting course is also a good resource. In our town they keep a list and people can call there looking for recommendations.

We live in northeastern Ohio. My dd would love to make $8 an hour minimum. The one person who always is looking for a sitter pays $4 an hour for 2 kids. The kids are hard to handle and she doesn't feel it's worth it. The lady also never tips and is constantly telling my dd she'll be home at 1 time only to be an hour or more late.

Most of the people we know take their kids with them when they go out or have grandparents who will babysit.

I will definitely have her read all the suggestions here. There is a grocery store not far from here that she might try.

Thanks!

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

We live in northeastern Ohio. My dd would love to make $8 an hour minimum. The one person who always is looking for a sitter pays $4 an hour for 2 kids. The kids are hard to handle and she doesn't feel it's worth it. The lady also never tips and is constantly telling my dd she'll be home at 1 time only to be an hour or more late.

Most of the people we know take their kids with them when they go out or have grandparents who will babysit.

I will definitely have her read all the suggestions here. There is a grocery store not far from here that she might try.

Thanks!

Honestly, what is up with that???????

I'm sorry, I don't have any suggestions other than McDonald's or maybe front desk at a Dr.'s office (which is what my first job was but it was for my uncle, McDonald's was my second).

But, being a previous teen babysitter myself, I remember this one family, a pastor and his wife, that I babysat for. . . they had 4 children and when you babysat for them (I only did it ONCE!!) they did not want you to watch t.v. No watching when the kids were up, and NO watching when the kids went to bed either! So, the time I babysat I had to feed them their dinner, including spoon feed the baby, play with them (which is of course definately part of the job), and get them ready for bed which included bottle for baby. I babysat them for around 5 hours and when the mom dropped me off, she handed me $8 bucks and thanked me for my time!! $8 bucks!!!! This was back around 1992 but still!! That's not even $2 an hour for 4 kids!!

 

[swilshire]

A lot depends on the unemployment level. In resort areas where the businesses can't get enough people, they are willing to live with the restrictions on younger workers to get bodies to fill the jobs.

Dollywood, for example, goes back and forth on whether it will hire 15yos. The year my daughter was 15, they got enough older applicants to not hire any of them. She started at 16, and a year or so later was supervising the program for 15yos. I don't know what their current policy is.

Sheila

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I think it varies from state to state.
When I was a teen we lived in FL and I don't think anybody would hire kids under 16. When I was 19 we moved to TX and the grocery stores had 14 year olds working as "bag boys" - all they were allowed to do was sack the groceries, take them to the car, and bring in the carts. They couldn't work very many hours at a time or very many days in a week. And that may have changed because now I NEVER see kids that young working at the grocery. I guess you could Google the labor laws for your state and then see which employers are willing to hire someone under 16.

 

[bigbabyblues]

McDonald's hires at 15. The local bagel stores and bakeries also hire at 15.
It is slim pickings at that age.

Our McD's doesn't hire until 16. In fact, I don't know of any place in my area that hires under 16, but it may just be different state.

 

[crazelion]

Check around at local baseball parks. We hire at 14 years old to be a runner and sometimes a cashier in the concessions stands. The amusement parks hire 15 years old here.

 

[bigbabyblues]

She can't get enough hours or make enough babysitting? Where do you live? Where I live, on the shoreline in Connecticut, people kill for babysitters and we pay $8/hour, minimum. If she doesn't want to babysit, I don't blame her at all. But if she would like to do more babysitting, she really has to network. I find my babysitters through friends: their neices, friends of the family, the local youth program that runs the babysitting course is also a good resource. In our town they keep a list and people can call there looking for recommendations.

We live in northeastern Ohio. My dd would love to make $8 an hour minimum. The one person who always is looking for a sitter pays $4 an hour for 2 kids. The kids are hard to handle and she doesn't feel it's worth it. The lady also never tips and is constantly telling my dd she'll be home at 1 time only to be an hour or more late.

Most of the people we know take their kids with them when they go out or have grandparents who will babysit.

I will definitely have her read all the suggestions here. There is a grocery store not far from here that she might try.

Thanks!

I don't mean to be snide, I truly don't, but the $8 an hour struck me as almost funny......a lot of people at the hospital I work in don't make $8 an hour, and these are adults with families to support! I do think the minimum wage (I'm in Ohio) raised to just under $8 and hour not long ago, but still......

 

[ChickieToo]

I don't mean to be snide, I truly don't, but the $8 an hour struck me as almost funny......a lot of people at the hospital I work in don't make $8 an hour, and these are adults with families to support! I do think the minimum wage (I'm in Ohio) raised to just under $8 and hour not long ago, but still......

You know what, I agree with you, and I'm not offended by your comment. This is moving off topic, but I use the following example all the time when I explain to others how outrageous this is: When I was a teenager and the minimum wage was about $2.50 an hour, I made $1 hour for babysitting. Now the current minimum wage is less than what babysitters get paid, and we still can't find kids willing to babysit. I get calls from just really young kids who are 13 or so, but if I'm going to be out late or drive 45 minutes to an hour to see friends and have dinner, I don't want to leave DD8 with a 13 year old. Plus, it adds a ton to your entertainment bill to tack on $32 for four hours of babysitting.

It is nuts! But a lot of kids around here don't have to work to get the things they want, so they don't. That leads to people paying $8/hour for the few babysitters they can find. I honestly don't know what the rate is around the country, but this is my reality.

 

[PatMcDuck]

My 2 oldest sons worked FT in the summer at Six Flags at age 15. The 15 year old jobs go fast, they only hire a certain amount. Because they are limited in what they can do....... One took tickets, another did parking lot, and games.

They can get some weekends before school is out, or they can just wait and do 40 hours all summer if they wish. Pay is minimum, pretty much.

 

[SAINT1983]

While this may be a shot in the dark, another job that really pays well, is great in the summer, low stress/exertion and is beginning to become a hit with girls (though I'm a male) is caddying at a local golf course. I started when I was 14...I'd work in the afternoons, be there for 6 hours at the most (figure 1 hour of waiting to get called, 5 hour round).

When I was 14 - so 10 years ago - we got $45 dollars for one round with one golf bag. As of last summer, the rate was 60$ for first year caddies for one round of golf.

Moreover, there are a few scholarship programs that are available to caddies if they work for a certain number of years/days a week.

 

[DAKTOLCMM]

You know, in retrospect, I would not have stated working when I was that age. I started working on odd jobs at a pretty young age. I've been working for nearly 20 years...I'm only 29. I do have a great work ethic, but I do feel that I missed out on a lot of fun stuff as a kid. Don't work, stay in school. haha, just my .02.

 

[cruisnfamily]

DD got her first job at 14 bagging at the local grocery store.

We checked everywhere and the only places that hire 14 and 15 year olds were the grocery stores(all of them) and Chick-Fil-A. Everybody else wants them to be at least 16.

So, at 15, she's still working at the grocery store but a lot more opportunities will open up once she hits 16 and she may switch to another job then.