School children must have a permit to do a part time job. Read our guide for parents, carers, employers, schools and pupils.
Law overview
The law governing child employment exists to ensure that children are protected and not exploited if they have a part time job, while still of compulsory school age.
What we mean by compulsory school age
A child is of compulsory school age until the last Friday in June of their Year 11, if their 16th birthday occurs between the previous 1 September and the following 31 August.
The law says:
Applying for a work permit
Employers should apply for a permit before the child starts work.
The child's school and the child's parent or carer will need to fill out parts of the application form too.
If you need a copy of the work permit application form, further advice or guidance, please contact the Child Employment and Entertainment Team.
Parent and carer duties
If your child has a job you must make sure that:
- you know where your child is working
- their duties and hours of work are allowed
- they get a work permit
School duties
Schools can help to prevent children being exploited in employment by:
- raising awareness of child employment issues in school
- making sure pupils know they are legally required to have a work permit
- notifying their attendance improvement officer (AIO) of pupils who are working
Employer duties
If you are employing school age children you have a legal duty to:
- apply for a work permit within seven days (all children in employment are legally required to have a work permit)
- undertake a risk assessment
- make sure that children are employed for the correct number of hours
- make sure that children are employed doing work which is not harmful to their safety, health or welfare and does not interfere with their attendance at school
- make sure that no child is employed in a prohibited job
Types of work
Children are only allowed to do certain types of work.
Jobs allowed
Work children can do
- Agricultural or horticultural work
- Delivery of newspapers, journals and other printed materials, and collecting payment for the same, subject to the provisions of byelaw 3(1)
- Shop work, including shelf stacking
- Work in hairdressing salons
- Office work
- Cafe or restaurant work
- Work at riding stables, kennels and catteries
- Car washing by hand in a private residential setting
- Domestic work in hotels and other establishments offering accommodation
Jobs not allowed
Work children cannot do
- Work in a cinema, theatre, discotheque, dance hall or nightclub, except in connection with a performance given entirely by children*
- Selling or delivering alcohol, except in sealed containers
- Delivering milk before 7am
- Selling or delivering fuel oils
- Work in a commercial kitchen
- Collecting or sorting refuse
- Any work that is 3m above ground level or, in the case of internal work, more than 3m above floor level
- Work involving harmful exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents
- Collecting money, or selling or canvassing door to door, except under the supervision of an adult
- Work involving exposure to adult material or in situations which are for this reason otherwise unsuitable for children
- Telephone sales and canvassing
- Work in any slaughterhouse or in that part of any butcher’s shop or other premises connected with the killing of livestock, butchery, or in the preparation of carcasses or meat for sale
- As an attendant or assistant in a fair ground or amusement arcade or in any other premises used for the purpose of public amusement by means of automatic machines, games of chance or skill or similar devices
- Providing personal care to residents of any residential care home or nursing home unless under the supervision of a responsible adult
*This does not prevent children taking part in performances under the provisions of a licence granted in accordance with the children and young persons act 1963, and the associated regulation risk.
Read more about child performance licences.
Working hours
Employed children must:
- do no more than four hours of work without a rest break of at least one hour
- not work before 7am or after 7pm on any day (night work is not allowed)
- have at least two weeks of holiday per year, which must be work and school free
There are also rules depending on the child's age and whether it is term time, a weekend or a school holiday.
Term time working hours
A child can work for no more than 12 hours per week.
A child can work a maximum of 2 hours on a school day in one of the following ways:
- one hour starting not earlier than 7am before the start of school, and a maximum of one hour between the end of school and 7pm
- a maximum of two hours between the end of the school day and 7pm
School holiday working hours
Children under 15 can work no more than 5 hours work per day and no more than 25 hours per week.
Children over 15 can work no more than 8 hours per day and no more than 35 hours per week.
Weekend working hours
Saturdays
Children under 15 can work for no more than five hours per day.
Children over 15 can work for no more than eight hours per day.
Sundays
Children can do no more than two hours of work on a Sunday.
