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Children doing work experience

ruby

ruby

New Member
Next wk my 15 yr old daughter starts her work experience in a kids nursery for two wks.

As a parent do you think this work is valuable experience for your child?

Or do you think its free labour?

These kids dont get paid a penny for working an 8 hr day along side someone who picks a wage up for doing the same job.
 
I didn't have to do work for school credit, but I did volunteer as a candy striper at a hospital, I worked in the X-ray department filing X-rays. It was interesting and I got to see (in a limited way) what goes on in a hospital without being a patient. I don't think "work experience" or volunteering as a teenager is akin to slave labor-it gives teens a chance to realize what real work is like. It's also a good way to find out if a certain type of work is something you'd like to do when you grow up.
 
Yeah I had to do it too. If you don't do it you don't graduate (at least not until you've completed the hours). It really sucked. But my mom worked at the time in a day care, and I was best friends with the daughter of the owner, so she filled out the papers for me and made it look like I'd worked there. It was fair though, considering that I'd spent 5 years...since my mom started working there...going everyday after school and during the Summers and helping other teachers with the kids 'cause I liked to do it. So the owner did me a favor. But I had friends in high school who didn't graduate on time 'cause they didn't do their hours.
 
There's a difference of course, between volunteering and being required to do something. Are the kids allowed to choose where they'll work? If nothing else, it gives them a taste of the real world-not everyone bounces out of bed in the morning breathless with anticipation at going to work. The sooner they learn what work is like, the better. Come to think of it, it might turn them off work altogether and make them think going on welfare is easier, but still... :rolleyes:
 
Miss Shelf said:
There's a difference of course, between volunteering and being required to do something. Are the kids allowed to choose where they'll work? If nothing else, it gives them a taste of the real world-not everyone bounces out of bed in the morning breathless with anticipation at going to work. The sooner they learn what work is like, the better. Come to think of it, it might turn them off work altogether and make them think going on welfare is easier, but still... :rolleyes:
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She found the place herself and its only round the corner from where we live,and i want her to realise what work is all about and that when she leaves school next yr shes not free loading off me,she gets off her ass and she gets herslf a job :)
 
ruby said:
She found the place herself and its only round the corner from where we live,and i want her to realise what work is all about and that when she leaves school next yr shes not free loading off me,she gets off her ass and she gets herslf a job :)
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Good for you! :) Her choice of work experience will give her an idea of how much work small children are, I know that helping to take care of my sister's first baby during my school summer vacations made me realize that there's nothing romantic about taking care of a baby, so I didn't have any illusions about having a baby at an early age.
 
I never did work experience. When my friends all turned up at the places they found for themselves I took the train to East Kilbride and bought the new Sepultura album, Chaos AD.
 
ruby said:
Next wk my 15 yr old daughter starts her work experience in a kids nursery for two wks.

As a parent do you think this work is valuable experience for your child?

Or do you think its free labour?

These kids dont get paid a penny for working an 8 hr day along side someone who picks a wage up for doing the same job.
Click to expand...

As a career-exploration thing, I believe it would be great in a school setting. Having kids reflect and create portfolios of different jobs and what they enjoyed and learn would be a very useful thing to do. If they are just required to rack up hours, then it's just rented serfdom.
 
I am not familiar with schools requiring mandatory work experience of the kids. However, I believe that work experience for kids in school can be helpful to them. My grandaughter worked as a Candy striper and this year she is working part time in a paying job at CVS Drugstore. Both have been helpful in her learning experiences.
 
My local highschool has mandatory community service requirements for graduation. I don't think it goes so far as making them work long hours at a daycare, but I can see the value of having kids do something useful. Besides, whether its volunteer work or work for hire, this sort of experience looks good on resumes and college applications. In the case of the girl working in a daycare, I wonder if she's being taught anything recordable about child development, or if she's just there for crowd control.
 
I never got to do my work experience because when I moved schools the school I was moving to had just finished doing it and the school I came from wasn't doing it for a month or so. I really wish I'd been given the chance to do it since now I'm considering a part time job I don't know what I'd be able to do and I don't have anything to give as a reference or to help me decide what to try for.

I think it's a good experience for teenagers as it gives us a taste of what working is like and what we'd enjoy/be able to do.
 
I done my school work experience in a reception class at an infant school, like most people. I think it's "free labour" because you don't get to experience the work itself, you get lumbered with the jobs no-one wants to do like sweeping floors and making cups of tea.

I think if it's compulsory, which it is, and was when I was at school, the school should find suitable placements where the pupils could actually learn something / do something worthwhile.

On the other hand, volunteering, where you actually get to do a real job, but don't get paid, is worthwhile. I've volunteered in animal sanctuaries, the local council and in a hospice almost continuously since I was 14, and found it very rewarding.
 
A little off- topic.

Volunteer work is rewarding and I recommend it for everyone. Don't stop after your teen years. My wife did volunteer work at a hospital for 10 years. I did a little myself but it was with a College.
 
My thought on it is that if these spoiled little brats (mine included) can get a feel for the "real" world.... then maybe they will choose to start AND finish college in order to get the job or career they want with good benefits and good pay....

McDonalds doesn't pay well these days:rolleyes:
 
In NZ there is no compulsory work experience required to pass exams, however it is optional. My 18 year old son is involved in work experience at present as he is not sure exactly what he wants to do for a job. Because he is 18 he is paid a small benefit to support himself. That in itself is a good thing because he's suddenly found out just how expensive it is to live. He has been treated well so far, but naturally employers tend to give them the menial jobs. It's probably a slightly different situation to your daughters Ruby, but it seems to be giving him confidence to tackle all sorts of things and mix with a wide range of people. Hopefully he will end up with a job from one of the placements.
 
I've worked with companies that took on students for their work experience. I was responsible for setting up the work programme. The local schools would have their students write to the company in question outlining their intesests. We always tried to make their experience as diverse and interesting as possible. I would never have asked a student to do menial tasks like making coffee or sweeping the floors.

If done properly (including proper coordination with the school) the experience should prove useful and give the student a flavour of what it would be like to follow up in that particular vareer field. We usually gave them a thank you by way of card and monetary reward.
 
Referring to your article SFG75:

Good grief. More of PC rubbish getting totally out of hand again. Children have so many "rights" now, heaven help us if we inflicted values of caring about others in case it hurts their precious self-interest. I think compulsory volunteering is an excellent idea - I mean 60hours over 4 years is hardly slave labour.
 
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