Young Talents in Canada

You know what they say: The early bird catches the worm! That’s why Canadian kids start working early. Here are some answers to the questions we want to know about working in Canada:

1) In Canada, children are not legally allowed to work until they are thirteen.

2) Children can only work after 7 a.m. and before 7 p.m. On a school day, they can only work for up to 2 hours.

3) If it’s a school day, 13-14-year-olds can work up to 2 hours in one day, either between 7 a.m. to the start of school or from when the school closes to 7 p.m. On Saturdays they can work up to 5 hours between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays up to 2 hours between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.

4) During term time, 13 and 14-year-olds can work a maximum of 12 hours a week (including weekends) but during the school holidays (including weekends) they can work up to a maximum of 25 hours per week: 5 hours a day, between 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. on any day except Sunday when they can only do 2 hours between 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

5) Yes, they are. 15 and 16-year-olds can work up to 8 hours on Saturdays and up to a maximum of 35 hours per week during school holidays.

6) They need to have a work permit. An application form for the work permit can be obtained from the school or Local Education Welfare Office.

7) It depends on the kind of work but could be anything up to around 10 Canadian dollars per hour. There is a National Minimum Wage in Canada but this doesn’t apply to workers under 16.

8) The most popular job for young people is probably delivering newspapers to houses before they go to school. They can also babysit, mow the lawn, walk the dogs or work in a café or restaurant.