My son wants to earn some money but the usual paper round option is not doable. Any other ideas? Anyone know how old you have to be to get a Saturday job in a shop?

Indy car dealer or caravan place nearby?

A lad of our friends used to wash caravans of a weekend.

When I was 13 I had a paper round but also did sticking up for my local skittles team.

When I was a bit older I also did some labouring but I think H & S wont allow that any more.

Customer service rep at On One/Planet X?

I scrubbed canal boats at a marina near my house (Pretty sure I was 13, maybe a year older). Then I took a career break and then went in to the pot washing business at a local restaurant.

Washing up

Delivering leaflets/free papers?

I started a Saturday milk round at 13. Not sure you can start kids working at 4am nowadays!

Forex? Other than that its best to find a friendly local business owner who has lots of easy, safe arduous work to do, usually sweeping, cleaning etc. Maybe do something together where you’re the named adult but he does all the work. Avon perhaps (don’t snigger!) parents of kids at school/ teenaged girls, you take the money, give him a skimmed profit, stick the rest in savings for when he’s older and he learns about running a business?

My fence needs painting.

How about odd jobs in the neighbourhood – car washing , lawn mowing etc .Build up an empire amongst the aging population who can’t resist a hard working youth.

Some good ideas there thanks. Hes really eager and I think charming the local pensioners could be a good idea through summer. Going to enquire locally about leaflet drops too.

Steady….

A friend of mine in my youth used to put everyone’s wheelie bins out and return them them back. Charged something like 50p for it but there was 40 houses or so. Used to take him 10mins. Was a nice little earner for kid

At 13 I started washing woks at my local Chinese restaurant… Stayed working there for 7 years till I went to uni…washer up at restaurants May be an option

My mates lives next to the guy who has the jacket potato stall in town. Mates lad spends a couple of hours a week tearing up tinfoil to wrap the potatoes up in to go in the oven. Done it since he was eight.

Pretty niche work, I know.

Rent boy ?

My son started selling various goods at his school that he would buy on sale at Home Bargains or the local corner shop when things were on special.

He did well enough that he has managed to buy himself a traditional bow, and some pretty good ice hockey kit.

That said, I am assuming the OP’s son does not attend the same school as mine. If he does, hands off. It’s my son’s turf. 😉

My lad (14) recently asked at a coffee shop in town advertising for PT staff. They were dead keen until they discovered he didn’t have a national insurance number. Same story with the local Clarks shoe shop, a little sweet shop and a number of other businesses.

He didn’t have the bottle to respond the the advert in the window of Ann Summers!

Looks like the rules around paying folks have really hampered youngsters getting paid employment. I think it’s a real shame that a lad who wants to work is prevented from doing so 🙁

I would suggest that your lad hangs about down the golf club and tries to get some work caddying…..

the only jobs people had when I was at school were paper rounds, and working in restaurants /pubs, waiting tables or pot washing. You couldn’t get a proper job without a NI number even back then

The rules are really tight, not like in my day. Shouldn’t be employed at all before 13, and then the hours, work permits etc make it not worth while for most employers. https://www.gov.uk/child-employment/restrictions-on-child-employment

Chimney sweep.

At about 14 I worked for local joiner company over the summer.

It was great. I spend most of the first couple of days just sweeping and tidying. Then I was taken to a commercial site to help with some work, then I became increasingly involved back in the workshop. They even had me actually doing bits of easy work by the end. One of the most memorable things about the whole experience was that it was the first time in my life when I was treated as a young man, rather than a kid.

They invited me back the next summer, but it was too late, I’d just discovered girls 🙂

My daughter (14) does occasional work for a local play centre / nursery. They host kid’s parties on a Saturday and she helps out entertaining the kids and tidying up etc.

Cheers for that link ji, pretty difficult to to find something for him going off that.

Looks like I’ll have to think outside the box , trained assassin maybe?

I’ve employed lots of 13+ kids.
They don’t need an NI number, they’ll get one when the payroll software uploads to HMRC.
They can do 5 hours on a Saturday, 2 on a Sunday.
Try local cafe/coffee shops. Just general taking out food, bringing back used plates etc, nowhere near anything hot.

Junior league football ref. our local leagues actively look out for youngsters to train They earn. £15 per match average (1 hour) reffing 8-12 year olds can earn £45 cash on a Saturday . Can carry on til at college much better pay than washing dishes.

I worked on a farm when I was about that age pulling up weeds between the rows of potatoes etc.

I had a few jobs when I was that age.

The lesson I learned from those jobs is that hard work doesn’t necessarily result in a worthwhile reward. And often just not worth bothering with in the first place.

You experiences may vary.

On the flip side, I effectively worked for my cousin on a small holding. For free*, mainly because I liked driving tractors. That was great. To be fair, there was some remuneration involved as I had a flock of sheep and geese that both went to market. I also got to bury a dead cow, which didn’t seem odd at the time.

*Technically I guess I was paid with Tea and Bacon sandwiches.

My 14 year old cuts grass for the neighbors and weeds gardens etc getting £7 per hr so a couple days a week over the holidays may get him that new bike he is after! 😉