Some teenagers are eager to start working as soon as they are old enough. Others are happy hanging out at school and home and with their friends. As a parent it can be difficult to decide whether or not you want to push these teenagers to seek out employment. For a multitude of reasons (including the following nine), having a part-time job can help your teen now and in the future.
1- They’ll Earn Their Own Money
Teenagers can be expensive. Between new clothes, new technology, and new school supplies, keeping up with purchasing everything they need or want can be difficult. But if your teenager has a job where they are making their own money, they can help cover many of those costs, such as paying their own phone bill or buying their own clothes for school and events.
2- They’ll Learn Time and Money Management
A job is a great educator on how to manage time and money. Teenagers need to learn how to balance school, social activities, and their job, without causing issues with any of them. They also need to learn how to budget the money they earn so they can pay any bills they are responsible for, as well as save some money for college and have a little left over to use for social events.
3- They’ll Get Practice in a Professional Environment
It’s important for teenagers to learn how to behave in professional settings with other teens and adults. They may have regular behaviors that are acceptable at home (such as arriving late for dinner or failing to take care of their household chores) that would not be acceptable in the workplace.
4- They’ll Learn How to Interact with People Outside Family/Friends
The world is made up of a lot more people outside your family unit than inside it, and your teenagers need to learn how to interact with these outside people. They don’t need to be best friends with every stranger they meet or work with, but they do need to learn how to treat strangers with politeness and respect as necessary.
5- They’ll Gain New Skills and Knowledge
There is only so much your teen can learn at home or in school. Some skills they will need to learn out in the workforce. These skills can be as small as how to clean bathrooms appropriately, and as a large as how to handle dealing with people they don’t get along with.
6- They’ll Network
Connections your teen makes at their part-time job now may serve them in the broader work force later on. Good references from coworkers and managers can be included on resumes and show future employers that your teenager is worth hiring. And it is always possible that they will meet customers, clients, or coworkers that may work in the industry they go into as an adult and can help them get their foot in the door there.
7- They’ll Have a Constructive Use of Free Time
Some teenagers have so many after school activities and social commitments going on that they never seem to have free time, while others are hanging around the house all of the time with nothing important to do. For teenagers that could use something constructive to do with their time, a part-time job could fit the bill.
8- They’ll Figure Out What Career Field to go Into Later
It can be hard when you’re a teenager to figure out what kind of career path is right for you. Without actual experience in some kind of job, your teenager may feel at a loss when it comes time to pick a college major or start looking for a job as an adult. By working a part-time job in high school, they will see what makes up different kinds of jobs and talk with people who may have worked several jobs already. This can help them figure out what they want to do in the future and decide the best plan on how to get there.
9- They’ll Gain Self Confidence
You can tell your teenager how amazing you think they are every day, but that will only go so far to build up their self-confidence. You are their parent; they expect you to think well of them. Having a manager or coworker tell them they are doing a great job can be a great confidence booster because it has to be earned.
