Can you employ a 16 or 17 year old?
Yes, once they have reached school leaving age. In England a young person must then stay in some education or training until they're 18. That can be an apprenticeship, or work of 20 hours or more a week alongside part-time education or training, so a job with you can be part of it.
That rule doesn't apply in Scotland or Wales, where a young person can go straight into full-time work, and the rules are much stricter everywhere for anyone still of school age.
Check the school leaving age on GOV.UK ↗Hours, breaks and nights
- No more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.
- A 30 minute break if they work more than four and a half hours.
- 12 hours off between working days, and normally two days off in a row each week.
- Usually no work between 10pm and 6am. In some jobs, like hospitality and retail, they can work until midnight or from 4am in certain cases, but never between midnight and 4am.
- Keep records that show their hours stay inside these limits, for two years.
Pay
Once past school leaving age, a young person must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age, and gets paid holiday like anyone else. There is a separate rate for apprentices. The rates change each April, so check the current ones.
See the current minimum wage rates on GOV.UK ↗Keeping young people safe at work
You have the same health and safety duties to someone under 18 as to anyone else, and the Health and Safety Executive asks you to allow for what's different about them: they're new to work, may not spot a risk, and may not feel able to say when something is wrong.
In practice that means clear instruction, more supervision than you'd give an adult, and a risk assessment that takes their age and inexperience into account.
Read HSE's guidance on young people at work ↗Work with extra rules
Selling or serving alcohol under 18 depends on licensing law and your council's rules. Late-night work is limited, as above, and some work with machinery or chemicals needs close supervision. If your trade has its own rules, check them before you offer the role.
Meeting under-18s on Someo
Someo is open from 16. A 16 or 17 year old's picture shows that they're under 18, never their age, so you can plan around the rules before you say yes. Only places Someo has verified can find or message them, and verification is free.
Meet during opening hours with other people around, and welcome a parent, carer or friend if they'd like to bring one.