Law for Children

Jobs

Many young people want to get a job to earn some money. As a general rule, you must be at least 13 to get a part-time job (although the type of work that can be undertaken by a 13 year-old is limited and may vary according to your local authority's own rules on the employment of children). There is one exception to this - if you are younger than 13, you can take part in some film or television jobs, but your employer would need to apply to your local authority for a Child Performance Licence and the hours you can work are very limited.

Working hours for 13-15 year olds are limited. You must not work:-

during school hours on any school day
for more than two hours on any school day or for more than 12 hours in any week in which you are required to go to school
for more than two hours on a Sunday
for more than eight hours (or five hours if you are under 15) on any day which is not a school day or a Sunday
before 7am or after 7pm
for more than 35 hours (25 if you are under the age of 15) in any week in which you are not required to go to school
for more than four hours in any day without a break of one hour at any time, if during the 12 months beginning 1 January, working means that you have not had two uninterrupted weeks of holiday from school.

Employers who employ young people need to get a child employment permit from the local authority. It is there to make sure you will be safe when you are working. You should ask at school about the permit scheme and make sure that there is one in place if you are working.

If you want to work full time, you have to be 16, but you can't be involved in serving alcohol until you are 18. At 16, you are entitled to receive the national minimum wage for those aged 16 to 18, provided that you are old enough to leave school.