Young Earners
We’d all like to be a bit better off right? I don’t think I know anyone who wouldn’t like to win the lottery. If you say you don’t- I reckon you’re a liar.
But at what age does this aspiration to have money appear? I personally remember being about 5 years old when I realised it would be good to be rich. My Grandma used to baby-sit us on the odd Saturday, and I remember one night being sat on her knee watching the lottery, whilst listening to what she would buy for me and my sisters if we won (a donkey, if you were wondering). It was then when I decided that having money was a good thing.
Aside from wanting my own personal donkey however, I didn’t really think about money until I got to the age of around 14. Speaking to our work experience pupils this week reminded me how rubbish it was to have to rely on your parents for the cash to go out with friends or buy clothes. In your early teens you crave independence and the ability to look after your own money and make your own decisions. Something I hear a lot from the young people I come across is the desire to get a job before the age of 16.
Although UK law says that children as young as 13 can work part-time (unless they work in television/theatre/modelling), there are a number of restrictions that are in place to ensure that they don’t work too many hours or in unsuitable jobs- for example, they’re not allowed to work without an employment permit, before 7am or after 7pm and a maximum of 2 hours on a Sunday or a school day. There’s also no National Minimum Wage for school-age children however, meaning they can be paid whatever the employer wishes.
Because of these restrictions, and the fact that organisations need to apply for a permit to hire children, it’s unlikely that employers will consider hiring someone of school-age. After speaking to young people however, maybe it should be made easier for under 16’s to work- but only if they want to, not because they have to. Due to the controversy and contention around child labour, I think this is unlikely to happen, probably to the disappointment of many young teens in the UK.
