The Importance of Child Labour

Introduction

The Financial Times reported this weekend that the proportion of 16-17 year olds with a job has fallen by nearly 30% in the last 22 years – from just under 50% in 1992 to about 20% now (https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ec991ee-34ed-11e4-ba5d-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=uk#axzz3ChrnNMFE).

The reasons cited for this include academic pressure and the economic cycle (older workers taking the jobs formerly filled by young people).

I worked throughout my time at school and university, first as a paper boy (setting up my own round), then as a maths tutor and finally I did a couple of internships at accountancy practices over the last two summers of university.

From each of these roles I gained valuable experiences which have stayed with me today. I’d like to briefly explore three areas in which working as a young person has helped me in my career and I’d be keen to hear anyone else’s in the comments.

Relationships

First of all, and most vitally, exposure to working showed me the different relationship dynamics that emerge as you enter the world of work. As a paper boy I suddenly had a supplier (the local paper shop who sold me the Football Echo at cost, thank you Mr Slater) and customers (the people I delivered to for a small fee).

These were a different kind of relationship to those I enjoyed with my friends at school, my teachers and even my parents and learning about the dynamics of these stood me in good stead when I entered the world of adult work.

I believe that in professional relationship building there is no substitute for practical experience and through working when I was young I was able to start early.

Responsibility

As a paper boy and maths tutor if I didn’t turn up I didn’t get paid, I risked jeopardising those relationships I’d developed (see point one) and therefore was risking the future of my business. If I didn’t give my all in tutoring that pupil may not have achieved the C grade which was within their reach and this could have had consequences for their future.

The onus was on me to deliver and if I didn’t live up to my responsibilities then no-one else would.

This taught me the value of delivering what I’d promised and when, in order to maintain my integrity and people’s trust in me.

Results

Finally, I found that there was no feeling like seeing the results of my hard work. Whether this was seeing the joy on someone’s face when they achieved a C grade in maths after they’d always been predicted a D or being able to buy that DVD box set that you’d been saving up for for weeks, I quickly learnt how amazing a feeling it is to see your hard work being rewarded. This started a virtuous cycle of wanting to work hard to experience that feeling again, and again… The value of that has stayed with me and I know it will continue to throughout my career.

Conclusion

The job market for young people may have contracted recently. There may be more academic pressure on young people today (although I’m not sure this is true). But I strongly believe that those who have experienced the world of work prior to their first full time job will feel the benefit long into their careers. So, if you’re a young person, go for it and get those experiences. If you’re responsible for caring for a young person then encourage them. I really believe that spending time working when you’re young is a sound investment for your future.