Must-read Reasons Your Teenager Should Get a Job

It's hard to think of your babies growing up, first into grumpy teenagers and then proper adults. But you have to accept that, even if they'll be yours forever, they're not going to stay young and innocent. Of course, you want to do your best to make sure that when your kids have finished school, and they're moving into adulthood, they're as prepared as possible for the adult world. So that they don't get a shock when they have to start looking after themselves, it's important that they learn to start taking some responsibility from an early age. One of the things that teenagers can do to start improving their prospects is to get a job. Whether your teenager is keen on the idea or not, here are some great reasons for them to start working part-time.

Elliott Brown

Work Experience

First of all, getting work experience early on can improve their job prospects later down the line. It can be much easier to get a job with no experience at a younger age than it is to do so as an adult. Employers are willing to take a chance on training a teenager with no previous experience, but are less likely to do the same for older people. When it's time for your teenager to start looking for a full-time job, they'll be able to show that they're capable of finding work and learning a new skill.

Money Management

A lot of people don't feel like they actually know the value of money until they have to earn and manage their own. Your teenager might already do chores for their allowance, but it's not the same as bringing home a paycheck. When they get a job, they can start to see a definite relationship between the effort they put in at work with the cash they earn. They also have to manage their money in order to save up and buy the things they want. Many parents don't give working teenagers an allowance, and some even charge older kids rent.

New Skills

A part-time job while they're still at school will help your child to build work-related skills. They may be learning a lot of worthwhile academic subjects at school, but they should also pick up some essential life skills. For example, a fast paced job at Burger King will teach them time management, self-regulation and customer service skills. These will all look great when it comes for them to find work later. They'll have solid examples of how they have demonstrated their abilities in previous jobs.

Contacts

Your teenager's first job is also an excellent opportunity for them to start building a network of contacts. They will have references to use for their future job applications, as well as people they can approach about employment opportunities. Having useful contacts could get them a recommendation for a position or a tip off about a role that hasn't been advertised yet. Who you know can be just as important as what you know, so building these relationships is vital.