Careers Information & Advice - About Work

Under 13 - you can only get a job in special circumstances with permission from your Local Authority.

Aged 13, 14 and 15 - you can only do light work. This means that you cannot do any job that can affect your health and safety or may interfere with your education. Things you can do include babysitting and taking on a paper round. You are allowed to do very light work in places like shops or hairdressers.

16 and have left school/college - You are allowed to leave school on the last Friday in June of the school/college year in which you turn 16. Once you have left, and you begin working you are referred to as a young worker. This means that you'll have more choice in the jobs you can do.

18 or over - you get the same work rights as adults.

There are rules that regulate what times of the day you can work and for how long. These are different depending on your age:

14 year olds:

• During term time, you can only work for two hours on weekdays and Sundays and five hours on Saturdays BUT when you add up your hours they must not come to more than 12 hours in any school/college week
• During a school/college holiday, you can work for up to five hours on a week day or a Saturday and two hours on a Sunday BUT when you add up your hours they must not come to more than 25 hours in any holiday week
• You cannot work before 7.00 am or after 7.00 pm on any day either in school/college holidays or term time.

15 and 16 year olds If you're 15 or 16 and are working while you're still at school/college, your rights are almost the same as those of 14 year olds. However, you are allowed to work for up to eight hours on Saturdays or during the school holidays, BUT you cannot work for more than 35 hours in any holiday week.

For more information please go to the North Yorkshire County Council website.

Young Workers aged 16 - 17

There are restrictions related to employing young workers which cover hours, type of work and salary.

You'll only be able to work for 8 hours every day, or a total of 40 hours over the course of a week. You cannot usually work an overnight shift either, but there are some exceptional circumstances where you can.

Because you've reached school/college leaving age, you may find that employers may be more willing to offer you part-time or full-time employment. You're also not limited to just 'light work', so you'll be allowed to work in places like a busy shop, restaurant kitchen or as a waiter or waitress.

Yes - if you are under the age of 16, and you are still at school/college, you require a work permit. It is illegal for you to work without one. Please click here to find out more.

If you are under 16, the National Minimum wage does not apply to you. If you have left school/college, you are entitled to receive it as follows:

• £5.80 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older
• Adevelopment rate of £4.83 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
• £3.57 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age.

Go to Directgov to find out more information.

From October 2010, the National Minimum Wage rates will increase from:

• £3.57 to £3.64 an hour for workers aged 16 to 17
• £4.83 to £4.92 an hour for workers aged 18 to 20
• £5.80 to £5.93 an hour for workers aged 21 and over.  

The rise is around the two per cent mark in each category. As promised, the government has extended the adult minimum wage rate to 21-year-olds from October 2010. At the moment the qualifying age for the National Minimum Wage is 22.

Changes to the Minimum Wage for apprentices

There will be an Apprentice minimum wage of £2.50 per hour.

The new rate will apply to:

• Apprentices under 19
• Apprentices aged 19 and over, but in the first year of their apprenticeship.

The Pay and Work Rights Helpline number is 0800 917 2368, or 0800 121 4042 for textphones

If you're 16 or over you may be able to claim certain benefits or tax credits (government payments) if you're on a low income, looking for work, disabled or caring for a child or older person. Directgov gives you information.

Employers offer part time work at various times throughout the year, and some tend to have more vacancies when they are busiest. For example, retailers may advertise at Christmas or Easter, whereas theme parks or tourist places will tend to place adverts running up to the summer months. You can search for a part time job on this website too!

How old do I have to be to baby-sit?

There is no lower age limit set however it is recommended by the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents that no-one under 16 looks after a baby.

If you have a child or children you do not need to give up on your learning. Care to Learn can help pay for your childcare costs while you learn, if you're under 20.

Learning courses can help you meet other people, give you confidence in your abilities and prepare you for work later when you are ready.

There is all sorts of help out there to give you that bit extra support, for example with the transport costs or living costs. If you go to Directgov you can read all about them.

You may have heard something about EMA; basically, EMA is money in your hands to help you carry on learning. If you're 16, 17 or 18 and have left, or are about to leave, compulsory education, then it could be for you. EMA spells fewer money worries with up to £30 a week during term time, leaving you to get on with your studies. Visit Directgov to find out more.

Enterprise encourages you to be creative in using what you have learnt about business and finance. You have to come up with ideas and think for yourself; use your initiative.

It's about new approaches to providing people with the things that they need or did not realise that they need, eg mobile phones.

Young Enterprise is the UK's leading business and enterprise education charity. It runs programmes, based on Learning by Doing, which bring volunteers from business into schools and colleges. Some of the programmes support students to work together to run their own real company. Others use games, hands on activities and role play to develop skills and capabilities for business and enterprise.

If you are thinking of setting up your own business you may find it helpful to look at the Business Link website and the Prince's Trust website. Another site that you could find useful is Smarta, which provides support for small businesses.

If you would like information on starting and developing your own business visit Shell LiveWIRE.

Jobcentre Plus has vacancies nationwide and can help you find the right kind of jobs: full time or part time, temporary or permanent. For information on Civil Service job vacancies visit this site. For a wide range of public sector vacancies: local council, fire and police services, Civil Service, probation service, charities and more visit Jobsgopublic. For information on working for North Yorkshire County Council visit One Place. For information on jobs in councils in the north go to this site. For NHS job vacancies nation-wide visit this site. If you would like to look at a variety of commercial recruitment sites go to the Links page on Get Connected Now.

All employers have a responsibility to make sure that their employees' health and safety is protected at work. This means that you should expect thorough training that shows you the right way to do your job safely.

Remember you also have health and safety responsibilities as an employee. These include:

• Making sure you use the proper methods to carry out tasks, like lifting heavy boxes or using sharp knives
• Not putting anyone else at risk of injury
• Making sure you're not wearing any clothing or jewellery that is unsuitable for the work you're doing
• Reporting any accidents or injuries to your manager.

Click here to see pages which will guide you through the rights that you have, and the situations in which they apply.

Yes, you do, if you work for a company that employs 250 or more employees.

From 6 April 2010 if you are an employee and you work in an organisation with 250 or more employees you have the statutory (legal) right to request time for study or training. This right is known as 'time to train'.

If you qualify for the right and want to make a request, you should follow the steps explained in the articles in the DirectGov website.

Volunteering is simple. It's about giving your time to do something useful, without getting paid (apart from expenses sometimes). In return you get the satisfaction of time and effort well spent. In addition, volunteering can be a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and gain useful experience which can be invaluable for your career development. It should also be fun! The range of opportunities is huge. Whatever skills and experience you have, there is something that you can do. The best way to see what is available is to browse on the do-it database. Also you can visit the Prince's Trust website.

How can become more involved in my community?

The Youth Citizenship section of Directgov provides you with all the information you need about getting involved with politics, volunteering, securing funding for community projects and how to have an influence on big issues. Plus, find out how you can share your views on topics and events that affect you.

You may be thinking of taking a gap year in which case visit the official gap year website.

For more general information on work and careers go to Directgov.

Women and Manual Trades is the national organisation for tradeswomen and women training in the trades click hereto find out more.

The Young Workers website is aimed at young people who are taking part in Work Experience programmes or who are starting work for the first time. Here you will find all kinds of information about health and safety in the workplace, including your responsibilities at work, facts and figures about risks and injuries at work, and guidance and checklists to help you through your first few days at work.

If you lose your job, cannot find work, need help with writing your CV or filling in application forms, or you think you are in the wrong job and want advice, go to your nearest Connexions hub where you will find professional staff to help you to sort things out.

To find out about things to do in your area and across North Yorkshire, gimi is the site to visit. If you live in York then you can find out lots of information at YorOK.