Hands up if you’ve got a child or teenager in your house desperate to start earning their own money? Woohoo – well done for raising a determined and opportunistic child; we can’t wait to help your eager job seeker get their very first foot in the door!
But first, let’s talk about minimum age requirements. Over the next two blog posts, we’re going to look Victorian and South Australian guidelines. Even though they share a borderline, these two states have a different stance on minimum employment age.
Let’s start with Victoria, as this is where the majority of our are-able offices are located, and firstly focus on industries outside of entertainment, as they have a whole different set of rules.
Fifteen is the magic number
Once a child turns 15, they have relatively open access to the Victorian workforce. In industries other than entertainment, during the school term, they can work up to three hours a day, 12 hours per week, as long as those hours are outside school hours. School holidays will be a boost to their savings, with children allowed to work a maximum of six hours a day, for up to 30 hours a week.
Working with a permit
Children 13 years and older are able to find work in certain industries, like retail or hospitality, if the business holds a child employment permit. Businesses with these permits are required to provide a safe work environment, appropriate supervision, limited working hours, and ongoing responsibilities, like working with children checks. As soon as the child turns 15, the permit is no longer required. And children keen to take on delivery jobs, like junk-mail distribution or newspaper and pharmacy deliveries, can start from as young as 11.
Running away to join the circus
As with everything, there are exceptions to the rules! There is no minimum age for children working in a family business, such as a family farm or family-run grocery store, or those in the entertainment and advertising industry. However, there are still plenty of guidelines around these exceptions (as laid out in the Child Employment Act 2003) that relate to the type of duties they can perform and the hours they are allowed to work.
For instance, a six-year-old actor starring in a television commercial is able to work four days a week, for up to six hours at a time. And a four-year-old circus performer can work between 9am to 6pm, for up to four hours a day, three days a week.
For more information on these different regulations, head to www.business.vic.gov.au. If your child is chafing at the bit, and they want to get their game plan sorted so they’re all ready to apply for jobs as soon as they turn 15, please feel free to call our friendly employment consultants on 1800 566 066.