My Almost 15 Year Old Wants a Job

I am not sure how close you are to Six Flags, or some place similar, but I started working there when I was 15 and loved it!!! Granted that was 16 years ago, but I enjoyed the freedom having a job gave me, and it was tons of fun working with lots of kids my age. I only wish that my parents had encouraged/ forced me to be better with the money I made. Mom drove me to work etc every day, and I never saved a dime, or paid for gas or anything. PLEASE teach her the value of money, and even if she doesnt like it insist that a set amount of each pay check be saved, or go towards something bigger than clothes, food, or hanging out. It is great that she realizes that she wants to attend a summer camp, and that you are not going to foot the bill for it, so I say go for it!! However, be careful of small buisnesses (like snow cone places, or only 1 or 2 other employees on staff) The main reason I say snow cone places is that it seems like every year on the news some young kid gets hurt on the ice machines. Anyway, I would guess teens would make minimum wage, but not much over that at first. She actually could still make the best money babysitting at this point, but I would still allow and encourage her to go through the process and see for herself. Good luck, and be proud. It sounds like your little girl is growing up well!! ~A.~

My 1st job outside of babysitting was at Sandy Lake Amusement Park and I had a Blast. I started out on rides and then did the consession stands. I only worked on weekends and summers. I made enough money to pay for my own clothes and things I wanted for my self. I also worked at fast food restaurants as well. I know that at grocery stores you can be 15 yrs to bag groceries but you can only work a certain amount of hrs per week like 25 and not later that 7-8 during the week and 10pm on the weekends.

Good Luck and I hope this helps.
M.

I think grocery stores accept ages 14 and up.

I was 14 when I started working (lied on my application that I was 16 though). I think it was good for me. It taught me indpendence and responsibility. I worked in produce working the salad bar. I learned to manage things on my own, prepare foods - things I'd never done before. It was a great experience, and I met so many people. If she can find a safe job, I think it will be good.

-Char

We own a dog kennel in Flower Mound and we hire a lot of kids around her age to help take care of the dogs, especially during peak season. We pay a little above minimum wage. A lot of our girls become friends which I think is a benefit and of course any job teaches responsibility and the value of a dollar. I do find that many kids that age don't have a good grasp of responsibility and thus don't last long in jobs. If they aren't ready for it, it could turn them off of working in general because they start too soon. Make sure she truly understands that if she commits to a job anywhere she is expected to show up on time every time, and can't just take time off to do fun things on the spur of the moment. We even have had issues where parents decide their kids aren't coming to work when scheduled because they want to take a family trip or they have something else to do rather than drive the teen to work. Obviously, that kind of thing is fine when planned in advance, but it amazes me how many parents don't take their children's jobs seriously. If you let her get a job, just make sure everyone involved completely understands it is a real commitment. I started working at 14 and I really think it helped me in the long run. It's far easier to get jobs when you have had jobs. Even getting college internships is easier when kids can show that they have had some kind of job before. Corporations don't like to see people with no working experience at all. Good luck.

She will not become generally employed until she is 16 years old. No one will hire younger than that these days. Babysitting is her only option at the moment.

I second the advice for Six Flags! I started working there when I was 15 in the games department. The next two years I worked in rides. I do remember that if you were 15 they only allowed you to work in the retail shops, food service, or games. You also (based on state law) couldn't work over a certain amount of hours each week and couldn't work past 7 pm. If this is something that interests your daughter, there's a website forum of current and former SF employees. You can post on there and find out any rules about employees who are 15. The 'rules' are actually child labor laws so they're standard across the board for any company that does hire employees at age 15.
Another option is to contact event planners (maybe a place like Circle R Ranch) where they do large events/caterings. They're probably always looking for good dependable help to assist with functions by helping with serving food, manning a bounce house, etc. Places like Putt Putt, Kidz Muze also might hire employees who are 15. She'll just have to call around or visit these places and ask.
I would definitely give her the opportunity to seek jobs other than babysitting. It will benefit her in numerous ways.