POCKET MONEY

Most teenagers in Britain receive pocket money (a small amount of money each week) from their parents. A report by the Bank of Scotland interviewed over 1,000 young people in Britain and found that 77% get pocket money. Different families give different amounts of pocket money, of course. The average for eight- to fifteen-year-olds in the UK is about £6 a week. Children in Scotland receive more than the national average and Londoners get the most. Teenagers, logically, get more money than younger children. Some fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds receive more than £100 a month. The report found that many children save at least a quarter of their weekly pocket money and that more boys than girls save their money.

Part-time work

A part-time job is an option for teenagers who don’t have pocket money or who want to earn extra money. About 15% of teenagers have a job. Popular part-time jobs for teens include babysitting, delivering newspapers to houses, shop work, and working in a restaurant or café. There are strict government laws about working hours. Only children over 13 can work. There are some exceptions, for example, for actors. On a school day, they can work a maximum of 2 hours a day but not during school hours. At weekends and during school holidays, they can work longer hours. The national minimum wage for people aged 16-17 is £3.57 per hour. 18-year-olds must earn a minimum of £4.83. There isn’t a national minimum wage for people under 16.