Child Employment
If you are 13 or older, you can have a job at weekends, in the holidays, or after school. There are rules about how long you can work and what jobs you can do. You can also help in your family’s business.
- You must not work more than 12 hours a week when you have school.
- You cannot work for more than 4 hours without taking a 1-hour break.
- You are not allowed to work before 7 in the morning or after 7 in the evening.
- You cannot work for more than 2 hours on a Sunday.
Jobs you are allowed to do:
- Working in a shop, like helping at the checkout
- Putting things on shelves
- Delivering newspapers or leaflets
- Office work
- Serving food and drinks in a café or restaurant
- Washing cars by hand
- Light work on a farm or in a garden
- Helping at a riding stable
- Sweeping up in a hairdresser’s
- Helping in hotels
- Jobs in entertainment
Jobs you are not allowed to do:
- Working in a kitchen in a restaurant or pub
- Serving alcoholic drinks
- Working in cinemas, discos, nightclubs, or theatres
- Working in a factory or big workshop
- Building work or working with scaffolding or garages
- Jobs with gambling
- Helping with milk delivery or in butcher shops
- Selling things on the phone
- Serving petrol or handling anything dangerous
- Selling things door to door or on the street
- Lifting heavy things
If you are an employer, you need a work permit:
You need a work permit to have a job when you are under 16. Your employer must make sure you:
- Have a work permit for your job
- Work only the hours written on your work permit
- Do only the job on your work permit
- Wear the right clothes for your job
- Are healthy enough to do the job.
Employers must also do a risk assessment.
To hire anyone under 16, the employer must fill in the County Council employer application form. [87.5 KB] [doc]Your parent or carer must sign it. The child employment team will reply within 10 days to say if you can have the job. If you can, you’ll get a work permit.
Work Experience
Work experience is different from having a job. It is part of school life and has its own rules. The jobs and hours are not the same as for normal work.
Who to contact at East Sussex County Council:
- Email: Child Employment team
- Telephone: 01273 481 967