Teenage Jobs Nostalgia

‘We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children,’ could be a power statement from a well-educated intern who wants to be in the C-suite before turning 25. Their positive vibes breathe life into a beige, poorly ventilated meeting room in a multigenerational workplace. They have impressive academic credentials, know all the buzz words and are best buds with AI. Impressive, but if they did not have a weekend job as a teenager, they have not earned my respect.

Did they ever tell a customer to stop farting in the salad aisle in Waitrose? Blush when developing customers’ saucy holiday photos in Boots? Tell a well ‘ard kid from school he’s not old enough to buy Special Brew? Wait ages for someone to count out their £7.99 in change? Stop an unplanned pregnancy in the back row of the cinema? Catch a Pick ‘n’ Mix shoplifter in Woolworths?

From the late Seventies to the early Noughties, the Saturday job generation earned their first pay cheques in the shops, restaurants, cinemas and leisure centres integral to communities. The golden era of combining learning and earning is over. Some teenagers prefer to focus on their studies. Times have changed.

Let’s celebrate the nostalgia of the teenage jobs that paid us just enough money for the pretence of adulthood in our five-mile world. Choose Life. Choose a job. Working with your mates. No snogging in the canteen. End of shift. Get ready for a night out and see you again next week.

Memories of teenage jobs

Love it or hate it, you will always remember the jobs that introduced you to the world of work. Weekends, evenings or summer jobs as you navigated your way through higher education or life. Disposable income or vital income. You were there to earn money and some independence.

‘I spent three months working in a sock factory repackaging imported socks. I didn't talk to another human being for eight hours a day,’ says Robey.

‘I had several jobs at 16 as I had to pay rent. I had no car and my clothes were from a charity shop. I mostly attended evening classes so that I could work more hours. At 18 I got a job in a video store, by far the best job I ever had,’ says Heather.

Heather decided what U or PG films played on the TVs in the shop. ‘I put on everything from Labyrinth to Lawrence of Arabia. I loved getting to know the locals and recommending films for them, as well as watching previews of new releases and getting to take films home for free.’

Sadly, it was during the decline of the video store era. The film companies stopped offering rental periods, downloads became widespread, and one day Heather went into work and was told it was her last day – the store was going into liquidation. ‘We were all in tears,’ she says.

Nina loved selling jewellery for a neighbour's business at a market stand in different shopping centres in London, despite the cold. Sharon was an usherette at a seaside theatre and then worked in a pub. ‘I learned communication skills, how to deal with tricky customers and work with colleagues,’ she says.

Matthew worked on a farm stacking straw bales. ‘At the end of the day the farmer came out with beer for us all. First time I'd done physical labour with people of all ages and backgrounds.’

On the subject of physical labour, Steven says: ‘My first job at 13 was working on building sites during school holidays. My first weekend job was working in a high end HiFi shop. Were these the bests jobs I ever had? No. Working on a building site taught me my future was office work. Working in a shop taught me never to work with the public again.’

Tracey worked in a local shop slicing ham and cutting cheese and serving in the post office. ‘I had enough money to buy clothes and go out at the weekend, I met so many people and as a shy teenager it really helped improve my confidence. I found that I enjoyed working with the public and forged a career in hospitality after university.’

Everything changes

The Death of the Saturday Job report in 2015 found that a number of young people believed that they had their entire life to devote to work, so that engaging in relatively poorly paid employment, and diluting their focus on studying would be pointless, both in the short term (because of the nature of the work available) and also in the longer term (in terms of getting to university and getting a ‘graduate’ job).

But managing your life around your academic timetable is different to working full-time. If you are not an elite student who will have their choice of employers, it won’t stop you from getting a graduate job after university, but if it’s between you and someone with work experience and life skills from extra-curricular activities, I know who I would choose. I am a daydreamer with a good work ethic

When I was giving mock interviews to Year 10 students at a secondary school, most of them wanted to know how to earn loadsamoney. While they might make it as a rugby player, golfer, footballer or influencer, you need to have talent, discipline, opportunities and a ladder to climb. It takes time to develop workplace maturity to get through the day with a smile on your face.

I asked Robey, an HR professional, should a weekend job be a rite of passage as a teenager? ‘Absolutely not. Some teenagers are motivated to work. Some are not. It's as simple as that. Let the motivated ones work, but don't push the others into doing something they're not ready for,’ says Robey.

What are teenagers missing if they do not get this experience?

Robey says: ‘They are missing out on both positive and negative experiences that, overall, balance out. The single most significant benefit of having a job before the age of 18 is to have a CV to speak of, and a job reference, and a tax history. Those really are the only important elements and they're helpful but by no means the end of the world to not have when starting work as an adult.’

He has a point, but a weekend job gets you out the house. If you find a good one, you will not regret it. I will continue this conversation in my podcast. Maybe a teenager can promote it on their YouTube channel. Please, please, please!