Should I be embarrassed to get a job?

[Bouncing]

I'm 16 in september and I really need the money instead of scaving it of parents, and I need more than like a tenner every few weeks. The only thing that's holding me back is I don't know if people will take me seriously enough or I may be really young compared to the other staff and will be embarrassing (this is if I get the job I apply for btw) so what do you think?

[Mathew]

You can't keep putting work off.. get in there and get it done.
At the end of the day, who cares if they take you seriously? You're still getting paid..

[Janet Snakehole]

people should take you seriously if you go to apply for the job in the first place because it obviously means you're interested in the job in the first place. perhaps you're more nervous about actually going out there and actually finding a job?

[Bouncing]

nah im not, im just a bit concerned how i will get treated.

[JACKTARD]

get one.

im gettin one asap. i need the money

[Wayne]

You won't get treated badly I don't think. A job is a job and money is money. If you don't get 1 soon, you might not have the opportunity for ages.

[Soy]

They pay you next to nothing, not worth it.

£3.50 or something like that an hour.

If your wanting more cash and your family can't provide just wait for EMA next year

[Meanies]

Don't see why you should be
Just don't expect a reply from every place you apply to. I've applied to like 15 and not got 1 back. Well, except one sent to loads of people saying no:'(

[cocaine]

They pay you next to nothing, not worth it.

£3.50 or something like that an hour.

If your wanting more cash and your family can't provide just wait for EMA next year

my mate gets £4.95 an hour and 1% of every sale lol. its not next to nothing :S

[ifuseekamy]

They pay you next to nothing, not worth it.

£3.50 or something like that an hour.

If your wanting more cash and your family can't provide just wait for EMA next year
Some people want to work, both for the cash and the experience, instead of living off of benefits.

[Skajo]

I was 16 and 1 month when I got my first job, I got paid £5.09 p/hour. I don't class that as next to nothing.

[NeonChains]

I Get £3.53 an hours...It's crap, but anyhow it's more than enough if you want more than a tenner every few weeks, I get between £30 and £120 each week, just depends how often I'm on.
Age shouldn't really be a problem at most places, where I work (Restaurant/cafe/chip shop) majority of the staff are younger than me.

[leah]

at 16 most of my friends had jobs, I wish I got one then now too, cos of the CC theres none around :(

[Toughened]

I'm 16 and have gotten a job at where I done work experience last year, but it has completely new staff due to the company having opened a new shop.

I'm on 4.40 an hour and they treat me seriously. Like I had to tell a 25 year old women how to use the till and stuff the other day. I didn't particularly like doing that as I don't feel it's my place to tell an older person what to do, but I had to do it and get on with it.

As long as you treat the job seriously, and treat your fellow employees seriously and respetively; be willing to have a little chat with them and just get used to their company and realise they're in the same boat as you (but maybe a little older), and treat customers how they should be treated, then there should be nothing to worry about.

I think I act mature for my age anyway as when I tell the staff I'm only 16 their reaction is ":O You're only 16? I thought you was about 17/18"

So yeahh. Get out there now while you can and just enjoy it. I know its made my confidence and self belief a lot better.

[Suspective]

Theres nothing to be embarrased off.
Its well life, if your old enough take the oppurtunity.

[Bouncing]

Yeah toughened made me feel a bit better about it :) i can't wait to earn some money but im sure ill start complaining how its not enough :P

[Metric1]

I have worked since I was 14. You have nicer stuff if you have a job!

[Jordan:A]

Nothing to be embarrassed about, atleast your out there trying to get one

[Invent]

They pay you next to nothing, not worth it.

£3.50 or something like that an hour.

If your wanting more cash and your family can't provide just wait for EMA next year

I'm 17 and if I do freelance work I get £25-£40 p/h. It completely depends on the job and to be fair everyone that I know that's 16/17 and has a part-time job earns more than £3.50 an hour :S.

[Excellent2]

Mcdonalds are starting to pay £4.50 odd, my friend works there.

[Soy]

I'm 17 and if I do freelance work I get £25-£40 p/h. It completely depends on the job and to be fair everyone that I know that's 16/17 and has a part-time job earns more than £3.50 an hour :S.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Pay/DG_10027201

His age would get £3.53 an hour If he worked In a shop or equivalent

Not worth It, I make all my $ online

[today]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Pay/DG_10027201

His age would get £3.53 an hour If he worked In a shop or equivalent

Not worth It, I make all my $ online
Not every shop pays min wage you know.

[Byron]

get it there ;) get the cash rolling in early

[Mickword]

Really, I can't talk the only job I have got is to sell images and layouts to people and DJ Obv. But you can't be to young to get a Job. My paper boy (well girl) is about 8 or 9 looking at her.

[Soy]

Not every shop pays min wage you know.

All the shops I applied to did

Expecially with the economy

[Catchy]

Good luck in getting a job first.. No you shouldn't be embarrsed and how should we know if you should be or not? :S

I've been a 'rent boy' for the past 6 months so if you want embarrsing that is.

[Fehm]

Im 16, Im looking for a job :P Don't feel embarrassed ;) Everyone has to start somewhere!

[today]

All the shops I applied to did

Expecially with the economy

£3.53 an hour for young people (often known as the youth rate)

I'm 17 right, yeah. I work in a retail shop, heck its not even a proper shop its just a little corner in another shop.. And i get paid £6.26 a hour, so you saying shops will pay min wage is not directly true..

[Jonster]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Pay/DG_10027201

His age would get £3.53 an hour If he worked In a shop or equivalent

Not worth It, I make all my $ online

I recently got a Sunday job at Waitrose paying just under £6 an hour. Now, because I am working on a Sunday there I get payed time and a half, so that I end up getting paid for 12 hours instead of 8 hours I actually do.

Ontop of that they have a bonus scheme at the end of each year, where you get so much of your total income by that date. With that become major discounts on local cinemas, bowling etc and then the major theme parks where friends can get in cheaper too.

It's a great place to work, so frankly it is worth it.

[Soy]

£3.53 an hour for young people (often known as the youth rate)

I'm 17 right, yeah. I work in a retail shop, heck its not even a proper shop its just a little corner in another shop.. And i get paid £6.26 a hour, so you saying shops will pay min wage is not directly true..

well your lucky, most shops will take every advantage they get to save money

I'll try again when I'm 19

[Joe!]

I only know of one place that pays under £4 an hour for 16 year olds, and that's subway. I personally think you're just lazy Soy. As Excellent2 said, even mcdonalds pays about 4.50 an hour. Myself i get paid 4.85 for working at sainsburys. My girlfriend who is 17 gets paid 9.45 an hour, there are plenty of jobs out there that pay above minimum wage, you just have to look for them.
Joe

[The Professor]

If you don't like the sound of a low hourly wage, work it out as a yearly one. I only get paid £4.10 per hour and I work 10 hours a week. That's £41 a week. There are 52 weeks in a year, call it 45 to account for various holidays and stuff. Thats £1845 a year. A 16 year old with nothing else to spend money on (no bills or anything) can do an awful lot for that. And thats on a relatively low wage! Yeah you can always do better, but in todays economy you take what you can get and if it's paid well it's a bonus :P

[Soy]

I only know of one place that pays under £4 an hour for 16 year olds, and that's subway. I personally think you're just lazy Soy. As Excellent2 said, even mcdonalds pays about 4.50 an hour. Myself i get paid 4.85 for working at sainsburys. My girlfriend who is 17 gets paid 9.45 an hour, there are plenty of jobs out there that pay above minimum wage, you just have to look for them.
Joe

I would never want to work for £4.00 an hour,

But some people out there would so that's their choice

[Jonster]

I would never want to work for £4.00 an hour,

But some people out there would so that's their choice

Frankly at the age of 16, anything goes. You said earlier in the thread that you make your money online - at the age of 16 you dont do the Monday - Friday, 9 to 5. Yes, there are many places of work that offer over £5/6/7, but frankly if its the best you can get, then its a plus by all means.

Then ontop of that there is the social and experience sides of work, which are a big help to when you seek work in the future.

[Kent]

They pay you next to nothing, not worth it.

£3.50 or something like that an hour.

If your wanting more cash and your family can't provide just wait for EMA next year

that's what a lazy person does, and not everybody gets EMA

[StefanWolves]

i get paid like £4.30 an hour, at the cafe my mom owns, only do it two days a week max for 5 hours a day, i don't moan about the money because i do it mainly as a favor for my parents.

[NIKKEE]

Hey I'm 17, and I got my first job almost a year ago. At my interview it was professional but fairly lighthearted and I got the job a couple hours later!
At work most people are from their late twenties to 50's and it doesn't matter what age they are, they're all such cool people and talk about things I talk about with my friends, I love working there, they help me when I need help and they don't talk to me like I'm a child, nobody shouts at me like I hear happens to my friends in other jobs. But then, my friends work in like Tesco's or a cafe, my job is a bit different and SO much better! It can be very mature, but it's also very fun! I get paid £4.50 an hour, but that's supposed to go up after I complete this test, and I work 12 and a half hours a week, but right now doing an extra 4 on a Saturday because they needed a short term replacement until they start the interviews!

[Alison:D]

I'm 14 and i do office work experience so you shouldn't be at all worried about getting a job at 16. 16 is a good age to get a job as you will get a decent wage for your age and you will be taken seriously at this age.

No worries!
:)

[BlueLord]

Finding a job isn't as easy as you'd like to think.

This link may give you advice, regarding knowing your rights etc.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Flexibleworking/DG_10027738

[Cyndia]

Frankly at the age of 16, anything goes. You said earlier in the thread that you make your money online - at the age of 16 you dont do the Monday - Friday, 9 to 5. Yes, there are many places of work that offer over £5/6/7, but frankly if its the best you can get, then its a plus by all means.

Then ontop of that there is the social and experience sides of work, which are a big help to when you seek work in the future.


He's right - everyone has to start somewhere so it's okay if you have to start off with a job that pays lousy, it'll help in the future towards getting a better job as you'll have experience. Also as BlueLord said, finding a job really isn't easy, especially in this day and age when a lot of people are out of work and looking. Don't stress about people not taking you seriously since you're 16. If you convey yourself professionally, they won't pay attention to your age. Just make sure you look around and find as many opportunities as possible and apply to them all. It may take a little while and you may experience a lot of disappointment, but in the end you'll get a job and you'll have money to do whatever you want with on the side which is really nice.

PS. When you're looking for a job, use all the help you can get/use any connections you might have. For example, my first job was a month long unpaid internship working for the US government that my mom managed to get for me as she works for them and submitted my resume to her boss. Once my internship ended, they offered me a job to work for them that was paid, and pretty well paid at that, which is what I did up until I graduated and left for Uni. After that my second job I got because one of my professors recommended me to one of their colleagues so I got a job working in their lab, and finally after that I had a pretty solid resume and I was accepted to the very next job I applied to. So if you have any friends working places that might be hiring, get them to recommend you to their bosses. Or maybe your parents can help you find work. Whatever it is - take advantage even if you don't think its likely and it'll pay off in the long run.