Should You Allow Your Kid to Get a Part-time Job?

July 9, 2018 [email protected] Lifestyle No comments

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Whether or not you require your teenager to work or not is specific to each family. While some parents lean towards the side of focusing solely on academics, many others choose to have their kids get a part-time job.

In many cases, teenagers themselves opt for a position in the real world in order to earn money for the items that are important to them. It can be difficult to know which path, job or no job, is more beneficial in your kids teen years. So, if you?re debating on whether or not to let your kid apply, consider these three factors.

Time Management

One of the biggest factors you should consider before allowing your kid to get a job is their time management skills. Having a part-time job in itself can teach your child important skills in managing their time, as they?ll have to balance school, work, homework, and a social life.

This can be an invaluable skill once they reach college and adulthood. On the other hand, you should take into consideration your teen?s capacity. If school is already a struggle or something that takes up a lot of their time, be sure to weigh the pros and cons in the event that a part-time job could hinder their academics.

Important Life Skills

Once school is officially over, work is simply a fact of life. Hence, having a part-time job can help your kids learn some important life skills they?ll continue to use for years.

Apart from actually learning the value of work, applying for a job itself will teach your child how to prepare an application and resume, how to interview, and get along with co-workers and customers.

Furthermore, depending on the job, they could even acquire computer, customer service, and even more specialized skills that could help them in the future.

Ability to Manage Money

When you?re a kid, it?s not too often that you have a significant amount of money to spend. Working a job, however, will give your teen income that they?ll then have to decide how to use.

One of the biggest benefits of a part-time job is the fact that it?ll teach your kids what it means to get a paycheck and manage their money well. Moreover, they?ll learn the importance of spending and saving and likely be more cautious with their funds because they had to work hard to earn it.

While school should no doubt be the top priority in your children?s lives, there is value to be had in working a part-time job when you?re younger. In the end, you have to decide together what the best option is for your family.

And whether your teenager has the capacity to do so during the school year or finds a job come summer, the real life experience and job skills they gain from doing so, only serves to prepare them for their future.

Did you have a part-time job growing up? What are some part-time jobs that could work well with their school schedule?

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