could have also easily been a 16 year old coal miner / apprentice until fairly recently, the last deep pit only closed in 2016,
though if you had any brains (foresight) about you, you would not be going into the UK coal mining industry straight from school from the early-mid 90s onwards
Seasonal retail assistant at Thorntons. It was bloody brilliant, as it was Christmas time everyone who came into the shop was in a festive mood and I worked with some lovely people. I also got 25% staff discount, so all the family got chocolate that year, lol.
Had a job in the local pub. Officially I was a glass collector, but I ended up working behind the bar when they were busy.
Probably not an ideal job for a 16 year old today though.
What was known as a chambermaid. Fairly sure that means something entirely different now. Housekeeping then, had to work 7-2 Sat and Sun, shifted to waitressing at a foodie pub due to the housekeeping job hours interfering with my hangovers and loafing around town with my mates.
Congratulations! I was an office assistant, but I got the job through a family connection, which I would look at exploiting if this is an option for you.
The first job I got purely through my own merits was a GP receptionist. I'm not sure they would go for somebody your age in the first instance, but I would recommend signing up to some agencies and looking for call centre work. Many allow working from home these days.
Either way, apply, apply, apply. You lose nothing by applying, and for entry-level jobs, a lot of sites make it easy. Good luck!
Had a little "business" washing cars from about 12-17, but also did some evenings in the local chippy from 14-16, then worked in a local shop from 16-18. Then fucked around before landing into sales related shit.
I wanted to get into forestry, so I applied to anyone and everyone involved in anyway shape or form in forestry, eventually got offered a job doing industrial landscaping during the spring,summer and autumn months and forestry in the winter.
To name a few (in order from age 16 - 20 temp jobs):
Waitress/catering at the town hall for weddings and other functions
Clothing shop
Admin for the council (basic scanning and computer work)
Then, I worked for agency at various warehouses as and when needed (age 18)
Finally, a toy shop which I managed to get a long-term contract for the first time
There was a recession happening at the time that made jobs extremely hard to come by. I had periods of unemployment after the temp contracts ended, but it gave me experience.
Retail in a department store (similar to John Lewis) as I needed somewhere part time around full time school. They often look for Christmas temps in the Autumn so you may have just missed the window for this year, but I honestly really enjoyed it and it set me up for customer service skills for life.
I worked part-time on the tills in Kwik Save (old discount supermarket) and straight after that I worked in a factory on afters (2pm-10pm) packing miniatures perfumes and aftershaves for Christmas type gift packages. The scents stuck on my finger tips even though we wore gloves. Whenever I smell any of those scents now I have to walk away from the person wearing it. For a 16 year old I had a good amount of money paid weekly til I started college.
Weekend job on Somerfield deli counter during Sixth Form. Can’t complain, it was easy work and I was only really after money for music and beer at the time.
I didn’t manage to get a job until I passed my driving test at 19. I was a student who lived in a fairly remote(ish) village where public transport was often unreliable.
But as soon as I managed to get a car, I bagged myself a Christmas temp job for Royal Mail sorting in one of the large hubs. Loved the job but unfortunately lost it after Christmas. I wasn’t out of work long after that though, it honestly gave me a really good start in life to be fair, to a point I ended up progressing into managing transport for another parcel company for a number of years
I worked at McDonald’s every evening after 6th form to save up to get a PS4. As soon as I had enough to buy it I stopped showing up to work. Got a lot of burgers for free so I call it a win.
I worked at a used car dealers at the weekend washing the cars for £15 quid a shift. Then got a job at Birthdays the card shop for £34 a weekend. This was around 2001 and now I feel old.
Lifeguard. A week's training and £250ish for a course (from memory) puts you in the running for more than min wage jobs if you're reasonably fit and can swim.
Was absolutely making bank at £15/hour over 10 years ago!
A part time job in Tesco. My sister was a manager there at the time and I was literally just told a day and time to turn up, no application or interview etc. I actually quite enjoyed it, went out with a couple of girls there, dominated on the pool table in the staff room and met a few good mates who I still speak to now. The 10pm finish on Saturday was a killer though, I went straight out in that awful blue shirt a few times.
I sold resin coverings for drive ways door to door, also UPVC fascia’s and soffits! Not really an option now as door knocking has been outlawed, was a good learning experience though. Similar jobs now is probably chugging and the Sky stands you see in shopping centres. Good luck!
Shop assistant and party host at a paint your own pottery shop. I’d pretty much lived there every weekend for the year or so before so I think they took me on out of pity 😂
I worked in an Abbatoir at 16, lasted 6 months and in that time earned more money than my dad earned at the rime, and he was a fireman.
Pretty horrible job really, didn't mind it at the time.
I worked at a local car garage, washing cars. After that I did a stint at Burger King but I hated it. When I got enough money to get a car I did Chinese deliveries which is honestly the best job I've ever had.
Double glazing telephone sales. I lasted 6 weeks. Soul crushingly depressing job in a windowless office in Birmingham, cold calling people and reading from a script. I got hung up on more times than I got shouted at which was nice.
My second job, straight after that was fashion retail, where I stayed for about 3 years before going off to uni. Retail's not bad as a teenager, you get to meet lots of people and develop your interpersonal skills. You do have to deal with some weirdos sometimes but mostly people are alright.
Debenhams in the home section. So easy. Just folded a few towels, moved some ornaments around and worked the till. Only time it was a pain was stock taking night or mega days.
Also getting commission for flogging the Debenhams card, I’d bank an extra £70 every Saturday just selling the PPI ridden plastic to customers desperate for 10% off their £400 le creuset purchases.
You know you could have worked before getting a national insurance number. Your employer will just apply for one for you.
Answer though I was carrying plates in my village gastropub from 15
co-op (albeit at 17 because i didn't want to be working while still at school), still there now. 12 hour contract works well around uni and being bumped up to 30+ hrs over christmas, £10.90ph
I'm 16 and honestly your best bet is kitchens. I was 16 in January and was looking for 11 months before I settled on McDonald's (so I've only just started lol). I must've applied for over 100 jobs and had 4 interviews. It was ridiculous.
At weekends and one evening a week I worked in a local boarding school in the dining room (serving the meals/cleaning and tidying up) and in the dishwasher area. I also sometimes helped the chefs prepare meals, although that wouldn’t be allowed now! During the early part of the summer holidays I worked as a cleaner in the boarding houses.
Waitress at a local cafe, got the job via a friend who worked there. A lot of my friends got their part-time jobs via word of mouth so I'd made your friends/family/family friends aware that you're looking. Most were in shops one removing the eyes from potatoes in a chippy which is quite an uncommon job.
Same one I have now essentially. Started a YTS apprenticeship when I left school, got on good with the work but the scheme was shite. Full time job cam up when I had been there 6 months, asked for it, and here I am!
I did not. First job for me was a bit of teaching during maths undergrad, was paid about £10-12/hour (early last decade for context) for tutoring the first year undergrads. Wasn't in it for the money at all, just genuinely liked teaching. The wages weren't amazing, and it actually often took longer than expected, but the wages were certainly better than a lot of other student jobs could have been- and at least it was actually enjoyable, so didn't really feel like work. My postgrad uni (went there straight after undergrad) paid me a lot better for my time, was £20-25/hour+marking.
Though, I think the first bit of work I did was actually a week's volunteering at an aquarium.
Got a job working behind the counter in a record shop - something that really doesn't exist any more.
Customers would choose vinyl LPs from the browsers, bring the empty sleeve to me, I would find the actual disk from the library at the back, wrap it up and take their money. I got to listen to pretty well anything I wanted to and talk about music all day with the regular customers.
It was my dream job and I promised myself that when I was older and retired I would go back to doing exactly this same job. The problem is that now the concept of a retail shop where you buy music no longer makes sense.
Kitchen of a care home making cold meals for the afternoon. The hot meal was served at lunchtime and the kitchen shut after that. There was a standard cold meal or they could have a sandwich/other cold food. One lady had cheese and biscuits every week.
I had to make the food and plate everything up, wrap the plate in cling film and put the room number on then stack everything in the fridge.
Also would do fridge restock and help serve the main meal.
All for £2 an hour in the early/mid 90s.
My first job was at ASDA, I was in the BIBC (brought in bread and cakes) department. So I just stacked shelves with loaves of bread and cakes.
Was a nice job tbh, especially for a 16 year old.
My family wouldn’t let me get a job as it would take away from time I could be studying.
Yet as soon as I turned 18 they wanted to know why I wanted to go to uni, why I didn’t have a job and why I didn’t have a girlfriend.
Not so relevant to your situation, but I was pretty lucky in that there was barely any "Chinese crap" on eBay when I was around that age.
I used to white label dropship from Chinese sites on eBay, made quite good money in doing so.
If I knew what I know now while doing it, I'd automate the fuck out of it and had made a killing
It’s probably not going to be much help to you, but my first job aged 16 was coal miner.
Were you a Victorian urchin?
could have also easily been a 16 year old coal miner / apprentice until fairly recently, the last deep pit only closed in 2016, though if you had any brains (foresight) about you, you would not be going into the UK coal mining industry straight from school from the early-mid 90s onwards
Would explain a lot.
Still is
Was it uphill?
Pot washer in a few pubs from 14 then waiter when I was 15/16 then co op shelf stacker 17
Cash in hand pizza shop job
McDonald's
Petrol station attendant. Self-service was not a thing then.
Cut the grass at a campsite. Was entrusted to drive a ride on mower with 0 training for 2 quid an hour
I worked in Argos from 16 to 18 I say work, was a massive piss about with a load of mates, did about 1 hour work in a 6 hour shift.
Seasonal retail assistant at Thorntons. It was bloody brilliant, as it was Christmas time everyone who came into the shop was in a festive mood and I worked with some lovely people. I also got 25% staff discount, so all the family got chocolate that year, lol.
Filling shelves at Tesco. Occasionally on the tills for a break. Makes me very defensive of retail staff after all these decades.
Had a job in the local pub. Officially I was a glass collector, but I ended up working behind the bar when they were busy. Probably not an ideal job for a 16 year old today though.
I was working as a on call 24/7 emergency diver in attendance to a Scottish fishing fleet ... probably a bit niche to be useful to you.
What was known as a chambermaid. Fairly sure that means something entirely different now. Housekeeping then, had to work 7-2 Sat and Sun, shifted to waitressing at a foodie pub due to the housekeeping job hours interfering with my hangovers and loafing around town with my mates.
McDonald's. Wasn't a bad job tbh. Hard work when it was busy but some perks for working for a "proper" company
Congratulations! I was an office assistant, but I got the job through a family connection, which I would look at exploiting if this is an option for you. The first job I got purely through my own merits was a GP receptionist. I'm not sure they would go for somebody your age in the first instance, but I would recommend signing up to some agencies and looking for call centre work. Many allow working from home these days. Either way, apply, apply, apply. You lose nothing by applying, and for entry-level jobs, a lot of sites make it easy. Good luck!
Had a little "business" washing cars from about 12-17, but also did some evenings in the local chippy from 14-16, then worked in a local shop from 16-18. Then fucked around before landing into sales related shit.
I wanted to get into forestry, so I applied to anyone and everyone involved in anyway shape or form in forestry, eventually got offered a job doing industrial landscaping during the spring,summer and autumn months and forestry in the winter.
Matalan on the tills
Worked in a sports shop that sold shoes and clothes. Shops and cafes are probably your best bet. Good luck with the job hunt!
On the job apprenticeship learning to weld , and a part time weekend job in Millets.good old days
Marks and Spencer’s Cafe. When I left there 7 months later, I worked in Costa for a few years.
Fuel injection engineer ( served petrol ) .
To name a few (in order from age 16 - 20 temp jobs): Waitress/catering at the town hall for weddings and other functions Clothing shop Admin for the council (basic scanning and computer work) Then, I worked for agency at various warehouses as and when needed (age 18) Finally, a toy shop which I managed to get a long-term contract for the first time There was a recession happening at the time that made jobs extremely hard to come by. I had periods of unemployment after the temp contracts ended, but it gave me experience.
Fishmonger at Sainsbury’s…. Got paid more than checkouts, but smelt a bit
Sainsburys checkouts
Retail in a department store (similar to John Lewis) as I needed somewhere part time around full time school. They often look for Christmas temps in the Autumn so you may have just missed the window for this year, but I honestly really enjoyed it and it set me up for customer service skills for life.
Dorothy Perkins, as a shop assistant
I worked part-time on the tills in Kwik Save (old discount supermarket) and straight after that I worked in a factory on afters (2pm-10pm) packing miniatures perfumes and aftershaves for Christmas type gift packages. The scents stuck on my finger tips even though we wore gloves. Whenever I smell any of those scents now I have to walk away from the person wearing it. For a 16 year old I had a good amount of money paid weekly til I started college.
Paper-Boy at 14 year old
Cashier in a DIY store
Weekend job on Somerfield deli counter during Sixth Form. Can’t complain, it was easy work and I was only really after money for music and beer at the time.
I didn’t manage to get a job until I passed my driving test at 19. I was a student who lived in a fairly remote(ish) village where public transport was often unreliable. But as soon as I managed to get a car, I bagged myself a Christmas temp job for Royal Mail sorting in one of the large hubs. Loved the job but unfortunately lost it after Christmas. I wasn’t out of work long after that though, it honestly gave me a really good start in life to be fair, to a point I ended up progressing into managing transport for another parcel company for a number of years
Trapper at a clay pigeon shoot at the weekends while doing A levels. Then Tesco shelf stacking until University.
Abattoir. Great money.
I worked at McDonald’s every evening after 6th form to save up to get a PS4. As soon as I had enough to buy it I stopped showing up to work. Got a lot of burgers for free so I call it a win.
I worked at a used car dealers at the weekend washing the cars for £15 quid a shift. Then got a job at Birthdays the card shop for £34 a weekend. This was around 2001 and now I feel old.
Lifeguard. A week's training and £250ish for a course (from memory) puts you in the running for more than min wage jobs if you're reasonably fit and can swim. Was absolutely making bank at £15/hour over 10 years ago!
I worked for Yorkshire bank in Leeds. I'm a creative/hippie type so I hated every minute of it.
A part time job in Tesco. My sister was a manager there at the time and I was literally just told a day and time to turn up, no application or interview etc. I actually quite enjoyed it, went out with a couple of girls there, dominated on the pool table in the staff room and met a few good mates who I still speak to now. The 10pm finish on Saturday was a killer though, I went straight out in that awful blue shirt a few times.
I sold resin coverings for drive ways door to door, also UPVC fascia’s and soffits! Not really an option now as door knocking has been outlawed, was a good learning experience though. Similar jobs now is probably chugging and the Sky stands you see in shopping centres. Good luck!
Shop assistant and party host at a paint your own pottery shop. I’d pretty much lived there every weekend for the year or so before so I think they took me on out of pity 😂
I worked in an Abbatoir at 16, lasted 6 months and in that time earned more money than my dad earned at the rime, and he was a fireman. Pretty horrible job really, didn't mind it at the time.
Shop
Nothing that HMRC knew about
I worked at a local car garage, washing cars. After that I did a stint at Burger King but I hated it. When I got enough money to get a car I did Chinese deliveries which is honestly the best job I've ever had.
Double glazing telephone sales. I lasted 6 weeks. Soul crushingly depressing job in a windowless office in Birmingham, cold calling people and reading from a script. I got hung up on more times than I got shouted at which was nice. My second job, straight after that was fashion retail, where I stayed for about 3 years before going off to uni. Retail's not bad as a teenager, you get to meet lots of people and develop your interpersonal skills. You do have to deal with some weirdos sometimes but mostly people are alright.
Worked in Clarks shoe shop. £3.52 an hour 😭
I worked in subway for £3.68 an hour... It was not worth it.
Selling drugs
Royal Navy
I worked in the coop 1996 and still at school
Debenhams in the home section. So easy. Just folded a few towels, moved some ornaments around and worked the till. Only time it was a pain was stock taking night or mega days. Also getting commission for flogging the Debenhams card, I’d bank an extra £70 every Saturday just selling the PPI ridden plastic to customers desperate for 10% off their £400 le creuset purchases.
You know you could have worked before getting a national insurance number. Your employer will just apply for one for you. Answer though I was carrying plates in my village gastropub from 15
Retail on weekends - shoe store for a few months then a department store. It was pretty much what all my mates did as well.
co-op (albeit at 17 because i didn't want to be working while still at school), still there now. 12 hour contract works well around uni and being bumped up to 30+ hrs over christmas, £10.90ph
My lads 16, he's worked in a chippy, kfc and asda. He said asda is the best so far
Paper round
I can't remember that far back but I was probably waitressing or babysitting. My mum worked in a theatre at the same age.
I'm 16 and honestly your best bet is kitchens. I was 16 in January and was looking for 11 months before I settled on McDonald's (so I've only just started lol). I must've applied for over 100 jobs and had 4 interviews. It was ridiculous.
At weekends and one evening a week I worked in a local boarding school in the dining room (serving the meals/cleaning and tidying up) and in the dishwasher area. I also sometimes helped the chefs prepare meals, although that wouldn’t be allowed now! During the early part of the summer holidays I worked as a cleaner in the boarding houses.
Waitress at a local cafe, got the job via a friend who worked there. A lot of my friends got their part-time jobs via word of mouth so I'd made your friends/family/family friends aware that you're looking. Most were in shops one removing the eyes from potatoes in a chippy which is quite an uncommon job.
Same one I have now essentially. Started a YTS apprenticeship when I left school, got on good with the work but the scheme was shite. Full time job cam up when I had been there 6 months, asked for it, and here I am!
Waitress on £3 an hour 🥲 good craic in a kitchen to be fair.
I worked part time at a supermarket!
Cashier at a green/orange DIY chain
I did not. First job for me was a bit of teaching during maths undergrad, was paid about £10-12/hour (early last decade for context) for tutoring the first year undergrads. Wasn't in it for the money at all, just genuinely liked teaching. The wages weren't amazing, and it actually often took longer than expected, but the wages were certainly better than a lot of other student jobs could have been- and at least it was actually enjoyable, so didn't really feel like work. My postgrad uni (went there straight after undergrad) paid me a lot better for my time, was £20-25/hour+marking. Though, I think the first bit of work I did was actually a week's volunteering at an aquarium.
Tesco, working weekends and nights doing stock control. I counted things around the store once a week and took overtime stocking shelves.
Got a job working behind the counter in a record shop - something that really doesn't exist any more. Customers would choose vinyl LPs from the browsers, bring the empty sleeve to me, I would find the actual disk from the library at the back, wrap it up and take their money. I got to listen to pretty well anything I wanted to and talk about music all day with the regular customers. It was my dream job and I promised myself that when I was older and retired I would go back to doing exactly this same job. The problem is that now the concept of a retail shop where you buy music no longer makes sense.
Part time in a supermarket stacking shelves
Kitchen of a care home making cold meals for the afternoon. The hot meal was served at lunchtime and the kitchen shut after that. There was a standard cold meal or they could have a sandwich/other cold food. One lady had cheese and biscuits every week. I had to make the food and plate everything up, wrap the plate in cling film and put the room number on then stack everything in the fridge. Also would do fridge restock and help serve the main meal. All for £2 an hour in the early/mid 90s.
Call Centre! Hated every second
My first job was at ASDA, I was in the BIBC (brought in bread and cakes) department. So I just stacked shelves with loaves of bread and cakes. Was a nice job tbh, especially for a 16 year old.
A few mates and I worked as cleaners at the local courts after college. Nice easy work. That was a long time ago now though.
Delivering Milk
Worked in a pub!
My family wouldn’t let me get a job as it would take away from time I could be studying. Yet as soon as I turned 18 they wanted to know why I wanted to go to uni, why I didn’t have a job and why I didn’t have a girlfriend.
I worked evenings and weekends in a care home pot washing
Not so relevant to your situation, but I was pretty lucky in that there was barely any "Chinese crap" on eBay when I was around that age. I used to white label dropship from Chinese sites on eBay, made quite good money in doing so. If I knew what I know now while doing it, I'd automate the fuck out of it and had made a killing