<p>Hi everyone. Seeing how CC attracts parents from all over the country and with different parenting styles, I’m curious if it’s the norm or out of the ordinary to expect teenagers to work at paid summer jobs? </p>
<p>So, yes or no–Does your teenager work over the summer at a paying job?</p>
<p>Yes. She is in a band & makes money year round. If her schedule allowed for a typical retail type job, she’d be doing that, too. She also babysits. Virtually every one of her friends, even those from super wealthy families, has a job. Lifeguarding seems to be the most popular, along with retail.</p>
<p>Yes - 1st official summer job vs. babysitting. Rising senior.</p>
<p>Well, mine’s 14, so no, he doesn’t, but for his 15th birthday, he’ll be getting an application for a work permit! :D</p>
<p>Yes, starting summer after 10th or 11th grade.</p>
<p>Yes, all 3 started working real summer jobs at 16.</p>
<p>Not yet. </p>
<p>Yes, he will when he’s old enough and it fits his EC schedule.</p>
<p>We didn’t require it. </p>
<p>One of my kids did do paid work every summer (and sometimes during the school year as well) every year through high school and college, starting when he was 14. This made sense for him because he had little interest in other extracurricular activities and because he wanted the money to buy computer hardware and software.</p>
<p>My other kid only held an actual summer job once (the summer between high school and college) and never worked for pay during the school year. This made sense for her because she was in an IB program and had a variety of ECs on top of it. She used the summers for other purposes (activities that met IB’s CAS requirement, summer school (to free up time in her regular school-year schedule for instumental music), and things she would not have had time for during the school year because of the heavy academic demands of IB, such as driver ed and an SAT prep course).</p>
<p>Although I think that a paid summer job can be a good experience, I would be wary of making it a “requirement” for a teenager unless the family financial situation leaves you with no choice. Sometimes, there are other things that a teenager needs to do in the summer. The same also applies to college students. Although a paid job can be a good way for a college student to spend a summer, sometimes other activities, such as taking courses in the summer session or working in an unpaid internship, might be a better choice for a particular student.</p>
<p>absolutely - learning how to work is an important lesson.
Since we have a large family with kids rather close together, mine needed to earn their way toward “extras”, however, that is not the only reason to work.
Applying for and learning the commitment of holding a job is important - especially those in the service industry.
Either at the end of 10th or 11th grade all had jobs. 3 of 4 worked during their last two years in high school. One had a 40 hr/week job in a factory and made enough money in the summer (as well as being less materialistic) that she didn’t need/want to work in during school.
Yes, they also were in plenty of extracurriculars as well.</p>
<p>No, summer school and a class at the community college, followed by a short break is the plan. I agree about the value of work; a job just didn’t schedule well this year.</p>
<p>Yes, Mathson did a summer program summer after ninth and tenth grade (CTY and Columbia summer school) and did job shadowing for a week the summer after tenth grade at my brother’s computer firm. He did enough real work for them that they gave him a token sum of money. He was then hired for some freelance work during the school year and each of the following summers. </p>
<p>His younger brother (a rising junior) looked for a job this summer unsuccessfully, I ended up hiring him to work for my architecture firm. We have tons of things for him to do from the very boring to the moderately interesting. Most of his friends have some sort of job - life guarding, waitressing, working at Starbucks and the like.</p>
<p>My rising senior has his first real job this summer (previous summers were Scout camps and short tutoring jobs)–but really it’s for the experience, rather than the money. It’s an 8 week internship at a lab doing compsci work. Significantly less than minimum wage, but an outstanding opportunity to see what an 8 hour day looks like in a field he’s interested in.</p>
<p>Sigh. He’s trying to. Around here, it’s very hard to find work if you’re under 16 and he didn’t turn 16 until the start of junior year. The toughest year with many weighted classes, so we didn’t push for him to work during the school year.</p>
<p>For this summer, he thought he had lined up a camp counselor job back in May after a conversation with the director who said she wasn’t ready to start applications yet, but soon. S thought he was on her list and she would call him in. He was supposed to follow up and call back. Argggh. Anyway, by the time he called, the positions were taken. That meant job hunting when school is already out and it’s been slow and discouraging. Most of the entry level jobs were taken by job hunters in May. </p>
<p>Anyway, we want him to work this summer and I think he can handle a part-time job during the school year. Most of his close friends work during the school year as well as the summer. </p>
<p>So to answer your question, yes.</p>
<p>Yes in our house too. The kids have been working summer jobs starting the summer after 10 grade. Thanks everyone for your responses. Keep them coming. This is very interesting.</p>
<p>yes…my kids need to work to pay for their personal expenses at college. They work, budget and save. Very important lessons!</p>
<p>My 17 yr old has her first real job this summer and loves it. I’ve been impressed with her work ethic, her supervisor calls her and gives her extra hours all the time. My 15 yr old is easing into working with part time hours. Neither were required to work.</p>
<p>Yes. He started at 15 and we insisted on it. To us it’s as much a matter of learning responsibility and the ability to take direction as it is the money.</p>
<p>Yes. Working every summer starting after 8th grade, starting as a grocery store cashier. Summer after 11th grade, full time community service as a teacher in urban enrichment learning camps.</p>
<p>Worked (or got stipends) every summer during college. Was expected to provide her own spending money during college from summer earnings and work-study hours at school.</p>
<p>Yes and no. S had a part-time job last summer (at age 15) but is abroad this summer. Next summer we’ll expect him to have a job, not so much for the money itself as for learning what the real world is like and how to budget his finances. D did academic programs every summer until she was 16; the summer before college, and between freshman and sophomore years, she had a job and/or internship. This summer she’s studying abroad, but plans to work in the summers after that.</p>
<p>We think work is essential. In fact, 16yo just started his summer job today.</p>
<p>The younger son gets first dibs on things like pet sitting when someone asks.</p>
<p>Both boys have worked weekends during the school year since they were in sixth grade – one ref’ing soccer and another ump’ing baseball. Both of those sports-related jobs are very flexible, so it’s great for a busy kid. Some weeks you might take five games, some weeks you don’t take any. The ump’ing pays particularly well.</p>