Martha Said:

Should high school students be able to hold a part-time job?

We Answered:

It depends on the individual.

High school can be very stressful for some people, and expecting them to hold a part-time job on top of that can push some people over the edge. While having a job is a good way to build up references, it can also destroy references if the teen is not ready and quits the job or reacts badly in the job. Also, the biggest opportunities for people lie if they can get through High School with good-great grades, involved in extra-curricular activities, and volunteering on the side. That's enough right there for most teens to be involved with.

And then you have the money problem. Most parents let the teens keep their entire paycheck. Teens who don't have to pay rent, pay for gas, pay for their food, pay for utilities or anything have a lot of disposable income if they have a part-time job. If the parents make them put it in the bank, it can cause hard feelings and issues between the parents and the teens. If the parents let them have it all and spend it how they like then teens may blow it on things that are wasteful, dangerous, or give them long-term problems (for instance, teens are able to get credit-cards now and in some states they're talking about making it so that they can without parental consent.) And then there have been the teens I've met who had no idea that for every dollar they earned they would probably get to spend maybe 10 cents of it when they got out in the real world, and went nuts with their spending, blowing through any savings they had within a few months.

Then there's the family consideration. There are way too many families who seem to think teen=adult and that they shouldn't have to come to dinner at night, participate in family events, or basically do bonding with the family. A teen's job should not interfere with family bonding time. These things carry with us throughout our lives and when we're teens it's one of the more important times to make sure that these patterns of family togetherness continue.

I think if the student is getting good to great grades (nothing lower than a B and not everything being B's), the parent is in control of the paycheck and the teen is agreeing with that, the teen is involved in volunteering and extracurricular activity, and the teen still wants to hold a part-time job, they should. But I would prefer seeing them taking spot-jobs, like babysitting, working in yards, cleaning houses, dog walking, animal babysitting, house-watching, where the commitment is short-term than a 'real' part-time job.

Duane Said:

whats a good part time job for a high school student age 18?

We Answered:

Deliver food... get to listen to your own music and don't really have to deal with a boss lookin over your shoulder all the time... And you get tips...