Young Teens And Summer Jobs
Posted on August 19th, 2009 in Business |
Money is tight right now in many families and this means that more young teens may be looking for work. This raises the question of what age is too young to get a job? Most teens probably start thinking about getting a part time job around the age of 16, as that is when they get their driver’s license and really start needing extra money. But with the economy being so bad, maybe kids younger than 16 will be looking for work. Will there be any jobs for young teens out there this year with the recession?
The US government has a set of laws that lays the groundwork for what kind of jobs teens can get and at what age they can get those jobs. For instance, any job that is considered dangerous or hazardous cannot be performed by anyone younger than 16 years old. Jobs involving heavy machinery and chemicals would fall into this category. Once you are 16 or older, you might be allowed to do some of those jobs or all of them. Additionally, each state has its own set of rules that need to be followed concerning child employment.
Any teen that is looking for his or her first job must be a bit scared as going out into the real world can be intimidating. Especially this year, when the chances of rejection are greater, kids will find it tough to apply for jobs and keep a positive attitude. This year is a bad time for both employers and job seekers.
Young teens probably wont qualify for many of the real jobs that are out there as older teens and even adults may quickly take all those jobs. Jobs will be filling up fast and those that are picky may miss out. This means young teenagers will have to try to think of alternative ways to make money by perhaps doing odd jobs around the neighborhood such as pet sitting and lawn care.
As summer is already here, those teens that are just starting to look for a job may find they are out of luck and it is too late. Their only hope is that a few jobs may open up and the economy starts to turn around before the end of summer. Patience will be important for them, as they will have to try to keep a positive attitude and keep looking. If they can be creative and think up a way on their own to make some money, they might be able to make it through the summer all right.
