At what age do kids typically first get summer jobs in your area?

[starrzone]

I was reading another thread about kids' spending habits and didn't want to hijack . In my province, the age of a first summer job is typically 16 or so, but in the province where my parents grew up, kids started summer jobs REALLY young; my dad was 8 or 9 and my mother was 6 (granted, both of their families ran general store-type businesses, and they worked under direct and strict supervision of someone older!). I have 2 brothers; my 1st job was at 14, one brother’s was at 15, and the other's at 13. The one who started his job at 13 became a supervisor at the same place at 16, and this year, at 19, is going to be a manager! I know at my 1st job at 14, I felt old because another girl was only 12...

 

[stepmommyof1]

Mostly at 16 or 17, although I guess some do at 14 or 15 but I haven't met any that have. I'd say 16-17 for an actual job, but if it's just babysitting or mowing lawns then usually 12-15.

 

[mommasita]

My son is 15, and most of his friends are looking into that now. The local groceries stories, Mcd"s, and Tim Horton's hire at 15.

My son is going to be a referee for soccer this summer. Great job, right down the street. Great pay IMHO, and you are still paid for rained out games.

 

[disneymarie]

I know I did Candy Stripe'ing afraid of confusing striping and stripping
Grammatically challenged

Paid was 14 under the counter, shampooing while in "Beauty School"

Then 16 the Pizza Shack
Seventeen had my own "Beauty Salon" So I date myself.

My kids worked at 14/16 on a summer program in the community programs, single mom dead beat dad and they loved it.

The only issue locally was the kids can not close like a Wendy's at night. The Hazleton, PA KFC was held up and 17 year old was murdered. Ended up tearing it down and building.

No more managers at 17.

Knoboles still hires younger teens from what It looked. The local kids always liked the perk of free passes for family and friends. Back in the day though, they did not even pay minimum wages.

We still have a local Movie drive In, they hire,

Economy is tough on summer hires around here last two years. Too many older workers need the part time jobs. Some are working 3 pt time jobs to keep afloat. Then the college kids are next in line.

I always think it is a good thing for kids to be busy in the summer., helping at the Y, summer day camps, Library, life guard if certified,

I think it will be short time in years to come a shift in the full year school. The child care expense and there is no need to have kids help with the harvest anymore.

With other countries with year round school producing high achievers and learners, they relate to the schooling programs.
As a kid I wanted the summer off, but why do we need to give kids the summer off.

 

[debster812]

My son is going to be a referee for soccer this summer. Great job, right down the street. Great pay IMHO, and you are still paid for rained out games.

DS as well. He just got all his reffing assignments for the Spring. He's 13, and will be making more per hour than I do. Of course, he only gets 2 or 3 hours of work per week.

It's terrific experience for him, and pretty great money for a young teen.

 

[starrzone]

The only issue locally was the kids can not close like a Wendy's at night.

Funny you mention this; the summer I was 16, I worked at a gift shop. Interview was one day, and I started the next day, never having worked retail before. I was entrusted with closing the store BY MYSELF that night...I still think the owners were nuts, no matter how good of an impression they got of me from the interview!

 

[MIGrandma]

I didn't vote, I can only speak for my own children.

My DS was 14 when he started milking cows for a neighbor, and he worked every Saturday night at the local race track in the concession stand.

My DD was 15 when she started dishwashing at a nearby restaurant, she did that for a year then went to waitressing.

 

[mommasita]

DS as well. He just got all his reffing assignments for the Spring. He's 13, and will be making more per hour than I do. Of course, he only gets 2 or 3 hours of work per week.

It's terrific experience for him, and pretty great money for a young teen.

I know, same here. But he can work 2 to 3 nights per week and Saturday's if he chooses.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

16, some at 15 if you can get on.

 

[Jessica527]

14 at Burger King or McDonalds... 16 if they are doing retail.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I said 16. MY ds has not worked yet. The kids by us seem more "spoiled(for lack of a better word)" than some, and many of them do not work until forced too (either for their HS resume or to pay for some add'l Extras for girlfriends etc.)
I myself worked starting at 15 each and every summer, paid my way thru college by working full time at night and worked directly after graduating college.
The dh and I disagree a bit about this topic. He thinks the "teen" should be working, me...not so much. As long as school grades are Excellent within a rigorous schedule and the Xtra Curric is there, I'd rather skip the work for now. I do think that "work" promotes responsibility, but with the kind of schedule my child has, I like to see relaxation over the summer to recoup a bit. There is always some type of work to be done for school and we generally travel in summer as well. Summer will be diff this year, no work, less vacation and a College Program instead.

 

[golfgal]

I voted 17 because it is difficult for a teen to find a job in this economy-many of those jobs are going to out of work adults now. Some kids will get lucky and find one at 16 but none of the fast food places hire you until you are at LEAST 16. I am not aware of any stores here that hire kids under the age of 16. Our twins will be working at a golf camp/school this summer but only because DD's golf coach runs the camp.

DS18 got his first "job" doing after school care his senior year in high school and then went to work this past summer at an amusement park. Most of his friends were in the same boat, no one was hiring.

In our old town, pretty much everyone got some kind of a job at age 14, usually bagging at the local grocery store. The grocery store was pretty smart, hired these busy 14 year olds-athletes, band kids, etc. because they tended to be the best workers, could only work about 10 hours/week, hired lots of them so they could cover shifts, etc. but then kept the best ones all through their college years.

 

[mrodgers]

Places aren't allowed to hire under 16 years old.

 

[N&B'smom]

It's 14 here, that's when I got my first job!

 

[ThisIsJason]

Places aren't allowed to hire under 16 years old.

Depends on the area you live and the job.

In Michigan you can be 11 and be a golf caddy, 13 to do corn de-tasseling, 14 is "everything" else (rules apply).

----

Most kids around here seem to get a job at 16, some at 15 (fast food, movie theaters, some retail).

I started at 14, the school system I went to hired 4 or 5 students to help with the janitorial work. In the summer when they ripped the place apart to do major cleaning we would work 38 hours a week. During the school year we each got around 12 hours a week.

 

[FireDancer]

I don't know about typical but I got my first summer job between 8th and 9th grade (I was 14). I umpired games for the city. Once I turned 16 I got a second summer job working in a kitchen and kept that one while in school. My parents made my brothers and I get summer jobs starting at 16 and really pushed us to keep at least a weekend job through school though 2 of us ended up working evenings and weekends.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I live in a city which most people live within city limits but there's a big farm area west, north and south of the city. A lot of kids from middle school I remember were working at the farms doing various things, milking animals, picking berries, or working stands/stores. A lot of these kids however, were those who lived in the rural areas themselves.

If they didn't start out at 12-14, the youngest to start is 15. We had a 15 year old working with us until he just turned 16, and have one more 15 year old. They are the exception for where I work though. Both of them were servers, which is also very rare, but they couldn't serve alcohol which was a pain in the rear because not only did someone have to bring the alcohol, that person also had to check the person's age and ID if necessary. For where I work, unless you're an exception, it's 18. But a lot of people, including myself, started at 16... or 17, elsewhere.

Another popular one was refereeing/umpiring games, coaching little ones, or working as assistant coaches... a lot of this was for those of HS age, so 14.

So I put other.

 

[sacall]

Depends on the area you live and the job.

In Michigan you can be 11 and be a golf caddy, 13 to do corn de-tasseling, 14 is "everything" else (rules apply).

True - my dd, who is 14, was just hired to work at an ice cream place this summer. She just needs to get a work permit.

Stacy

 

[AshleyW]

Kids here don't normally get summer jobs - you either work year-round or you don't. The only real summer job is detasseling, I guess, and that's just for a couple weeks. I got my first job the day of my 14th birthday at an assisted living home, the first day I could legally get one. Most kids here get their first job at 14 or 15, working at Dairy Queen or a grocery store, stuff like that.

 

[disykat]

I voted 17 because it is difficult for a teen to find a job in this economy-many of those jobs are going to out of work adults now. Some kids will get lucky and find one at 16 but none of the fast food places hire you until you are at LEAST 16. I am not aware of any stores here that hire kids under the age of 16. Our twins will be working at a golf camp/school this summer but only because DD's golf coach runs the camp.

DS18 got his first "job" doing after school care his senior year in high school and then went to work this past summer at an amusement park. Most of his friends were in the same boat, no one was hiring.

In our old town, pretty much everyone got some kind of a job at age 14, usually bagging at the local grocery store. The grocery store was pretty smart, hired these busy 14 year olds-athletes, band kids, etc. because they tended to be the best workers, could only work about 10 hours/week, hired lots of them so they could cover shifts, etc. but then kept the best ones all through their college years.

I voted the same for the same reason. My older son got his first "job" after his junior year at 17, although he'd been doing yard work etc. since he was 11. We're hoping that he'll be able to get my younger son, who is turning 16 right before the summer, on at the same place so he can get some experience. Jobs are hard to come by!