TEENS AND JOBS

Now that kids are back in school, many teens will be thinking of getting a part-time job to help  supplement their allowance or to save for a car. Because of economic conditions, for some families,  there may be no choice but for the child to contribute to the household income if possible.  While I am a strong advocate of teens working a full-time summer job and even some weekend work during the school year, I don't believe that an after-school job is a good idea. Parents need to help your children balance work, school and time off.

Let's talk about the principles of of a budget but instead of money, apply them to time allocation.

Sleep is the foundation upon which our mental and physical health are built. Nobody gets enough sleep these days but teenagers especially need their sleep.  According to a National Sleep Foundation study on teens and sleep, teens need 8.5 to 9.25 hours a night.  This means that sleep time is budgeted as a “fixed” time allocation. School hours are also non-negotiable.  Your kids have to go to school.  They must not miss days or cut classes because of the demands of a job.

Homework, extracurricular activities and household responsibilities can be variable time allocations but they have to be counted realistically.  Make sure you budget enough time as these can't be shortchanged.

Time off means free time.  This is time just for the teen which doesn't have to be accounted for.  Everyone deserves a certain amount of “down time” whether it's time to take a bike ride or read a teen magazine.  How the time is used is up to the teen but it must be included in the budget.

If you add all this required time it doesn't leave much left for an after-school job.

Successfully managing their school time should be the main focus for our teens because the more education our children complete, the higher their lifetime average earnings will be.  This is true for both boys and girls but boys are more vulnerable.  According to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, 72 percent of girls compared to only 65 percent of boys graduate high school.

We know that work is good and healthy but it is not always good for our teens. If your teen is going work, be involved with your teen in the job choice. Be careful not to take on their responsibilities but it is up to you to discuss safety, training, location and schedule.  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that an average of 231,000 teenagers under the age of 18 are injured at work each year.

If your child does work, it is up to you to monitor your child's work environment and to keep tabs on school work.  Confirm that grades don't suffer because your child is too tired from working and keep an eye on attendance.  School comes first.

Teens and Summer Jobs

Has your teen found a summer job yet, because it’s going to be hard to find one.  In fact, last year, only 1 in 4 teens had summer jobs, the lowest on record, and this summer may be just as tough.  

Half of all teens are in school over the summer doing remedial or prep work for college. The recession has also changed the landscape. Now, teens are competing with grandparents, who are also vying for the same summer jobs.

What should your teen do?  They should research companies that hire teens: camps, day care, retail stores, restaurants, tennis and swim clubs, libraries, parks, resorts—you get the picture.

Have your teen look into internships with corporations, who are interviewing now.  Also volunteer work is great.

Help your teen to create a simple resume and a cover letter.  Work with them to hone their interviewing skills. They should go prepared to each interview with a list of intelligent questions that demonstrate their knowledge of the job and why they are perfect the candidate.

They can search summer job opportunities online and also visit prospective employers in person.  They can also be creative and use their special talents by giving lessons to neighborhood kids.

The earlier they start, the more options they’ll have.