Introduction

If you currently employ, or are considering employing young children below the compulsory school leaving age (usually 16 years old), there are certain employment laws that you must comply with.

It is a fact that many businesses are unaware that there are separate employment laws when employing young children and consequently, many employers ARE breaking the law.

 

Legal Age for Employment

 

The legal age for a young person to start paid work is currently 14 years old. However, some areas of the UK allow the minimum age to be 13 years old to cover certain types of work such as delivering newspapers or working in shops, salons, offices or cafes. You should contact your local government to find out if you are liable to employ 13 year olds for your particular type of work.

What Rules are Connected with Employing Young Children?

The following rules are connected to businesses employing young children (if they are paid or not), where work is carried out for profit. This does not apply to young children that baby-sit or help charities.

• No work is to be carried out during school hours or during school lunch breaks
• No work is to be carried before 7am or after 7pm
• Only 2 hours work can be carried out on a school weekday of which no more than one hour of this can be carried out before the start of school hours
• Work should last no longer than 2 hours on a Sunday
• Work should last no longer than 8 hours during a Saturday or during a school holiday. This is reduced to 5 hours for those aged under 15
• Work should last no longer than 35 hours per week during school holidays. This is reduced to 25 hours for those aged under 15
• Work should last no longer than 12 hours per week when the child is attending school
• Young children should have at least a 2 week break during the school holidays or at any point during the school year

Minimum Wage

Currently, the law states that the minimum wage for workers aged between 16 and 18 is £3.00 per hour.


Getting Permission to Employ a Young Child

All employers wanting to employ a child before the school leaving age should obtain an application form (from the Education Welfare Service), signed by the employer, parents and head teacher.

A copy of the form should then be sent to the school before the child begins employment.


What is the Exact School Leaving Date?

The law states that the official school leaving date is the last Friday in June during the final school year. Although many children will have reached the age of 16 years old, it is still possible for a child to be 15 years and 10 months at this time.

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