Question:
My son is a high-school junior who just received his driver's license. Now he wants to get a job to pay for gas and other expenses. I don't think he should work while he's in school. I'm afraid his grades will slip. Should I let my teen get a job?
Answer:
According to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, American teens work longer hours at after-school jobs than their peers in 18 other Western countries. So many, in fact, that a 1999 report by a committee of child-labor experts recommended that Congress limit the hours kids under 18 are allowed to work during the school year.
Is a school-year job for a 16-year-old a good idea? Education experts and expert parents seem to weigh in with the following definitive advice: that depends.
Parents who've "been there" recommend the following:
- Limit the hours your teen works. Research shows that students who work about an hour a day actually do better than students who don't work. But students who work more than three hours each day tend to have lower grades than other students.
- Maintain high standards for school work. At this age, school must be his main job and first priority. He is building today the base of knowledge, skills and experience upon which his future career will depend. If good grades come easy, however, the benefits gained from a high-quality work experience could be valuable to him without hurting his school work.
- Help him choose a high-quality work experience. Work experiences can teach time management, responsibility and professional skills. But these kinds of benefits are often found in more high-quality school-to-work programs or pre-professional jobs -- not at most burger joints. Choose wisely with an eye to future interests and careers.
- Be prepared to "pull the plug" on employment. Before beginning a job search, agree together that if the job lowers his grades, your son must find a less demanding job or "retire" until summer.