The time comes around all too quickly – your child is now a teenager who has started to dream about making their own income rather than relying on you to supply them with pocket money. Or, is it that you have started to dream about your child becoming independent with a cash flow of their own? Often by the ages of 15 or 16 in Australia, kids are chasing down opportunities for casual work – and their parents want to help them to find a suitable job that will teach them life skills, whilst remaining fun and easy to fit around school and sport commitments.
When it’s time for your teenager to find a casual job, it can be challenging to know how to steer them towards the right opportunity. Every parent wants their child to find a job that will enrich their life and provide them with practical knowledge. Furthermore, great casual work will teach teenagers skills they can apply to their everyday lives and future careers. While there are some great training and mentorship programs available through the likes of fast-food businesses, these casual jobs don’t necessarily provide the healthy, active environments you envisaged for your child’s first job. So, what should you look for to help them find the right fit?
FLEXIBILITY
A great starting point is to look for a casual job with flexible hours and the option of short shifts that can work around school hours and extracurricular activities like homework and school sports. This can be particularly important in the final few years of school. Ideally, you want your teenager to learn the importance of being a reliable employee and to also be a responsible student whilst they are still at school. Learning how to balance these commitments can provide your child with a life-long lesson in prioritisation.
WORLDLY SKILLS
Many parents would like for their teenager to be learning skills that can take them far beyond their casual employment and help to set up the foundations of a successful career. The perfect role for a teenager will teach them things like; the importance of communication and teamwork, the significance of attention to detail, how to follow written and verbal directions, working in line with processes and procedures and how to successfully navigate customer service interactions. Learning these skills early on can bolster your child’s employability in the future and help to boost their confidence.
ENGAGEMENT
There’s almost nothing worse than a disinterested teen, so it’s important they choose a casual job that will provide them with variety and enjoyment. Kids are likely to enjoy jobs that allow them to be active while interacting with their teammates. When there is an environment of both positive and constructive feedback and they can see their contribution to the team and the business, kids are inclined to take their responsibilities seriously and show up with the best of themselves.
MAYBE IT’S MAGIC
At Magic Hand Carwash, we’re employers of youth and we take our role in readying teenagers for the world seriously. Franchisees within our network work closely with groups of teenagers to upskill them before deploying them in the driveway. They spend time teaching them to work together and how to listen for instruction, move safely and focus on the task at hand when they are working at cleaning cars. Our franchisees also teach them the importance of the customer experience and why delivering a perfectly clean car to the customer every time is critical to the success of the business. Magic is a popular choice for teenagers, both male and female, due to the active nature of the work, the camaraderie built working on the job, and the ability to fit in short shifts on weekday afternoons and weekends.
If your teenager is interested in learning more about the opportunities at Magic Hand Carwash, they can submit their details on our website.
