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Was your weekend job when you were young the best job you ever had?

Paul Carter

Hello everyone,

I am Paul Carter, a CIPD member and HR professional. I love to write and record podcasts about the world of work. My next blog and podcast are taking a nostalgic look at how the weekend jobs we had when we were younger shaped us and our attitude to work. We were care free, earning just enough money to have fun, buy clothes and run a car. We developed our interpersonal skills through meeting new people, being part of a team, being managed for the first time and dealing with tricky customers. A small taste of financial independence and what work would be like when we left higher education. We were dazed and confused, loving and hating it but always going back for the next shift. It may have only lasted for a couple of years but you will always remember your favourite weekend job. 

Was your favourite weekend job the best job you ever had? What did you learn from it? Do you still see people you worked with all those years ago?

Does your company employ weekend workers? A 2020 report by the Resolution Foundation indicated that the employment rate of 16- to 17-year-olds with weekend jobs had halved in a two-decade period. Should a weekend job be a rite of passage as a teenager? What are teenagers missing if they do not get this experience?

Please share your views and complete my short survey https://forms.office.com/r/VgPnf1mYLF?origin=lprLink 

If you would like to contribute to my blog and podcast, let me know.

Thank you

Paul

Parents
  • My first job at 14 was a Saturday morning in our local shop and then over school holidays. I was slicing ham and cutting cheese (cheese wire) and cleaning equipment down at the end of a shift. Before I left I was also serving in the post office (which probably wasn't allowed as you had to be 18 and trained)
    But I loved it, I had enough money to buy clothes and go out at the weekend, I met so many people and as a shy teenager it really helped improve my confidence.
    However, unlike Steven I found that I enjoyed working with the public and forged a career in hospitality after university :-)
    My 16 year old works on our family farm at weekends and school holidays but has decided this summer he is getting a job of the farm. Says his dad is too hard to work for, lol I would say he is in for a shock as he can currently choose when he takes his breaks and start times etc, so do him good to get a touch of the "real work world"
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  • My first job at 14 was a Saturday morning in our local shop and then over school holidays. I was slicing ham and cutting cheese (cheese wire) and cleaning equipment down at the end of a shift. Before I left I was also serving in the post office (which probably wasn't allowed as you had to be 18 and trained)
    But I loved it, I had enough money to buy clothes and go out at the weekend, I met so many people and as a shy teenager it really helped improve my confidence.
    However, unlike Steven I found that I enjoyed working with the public and forged a career in hospitality after university :-)
    My 16 year old works on our family farm at weekends and school holidays but has decided this summer he is getting a job of the farm. Says his dad is too hard to work for, lol I would say he is in for a shock as he can currently choose when he takes his breaks and start times etc, so do him good to get a touch of the "real work world"
Children