Forget lying in bed on a Saturday morning to watch TV. If you want to earn money to pay for things like your mobile phone bill, cosmetics and the latest games then you'll need to get a part-time job.
Looking for staff
If you’re young and not particularly bothered about working for peanuts the fast food industry will welcome you with open arms. Flipping burgers is probably the easiest job to get and you get a silly hat to take home and some great stories about what they really put in the ‘special sauce’.
If you want something a bit less greasy, the retail sector loves part-timers, especially at Easter, summer and Christmas. Department stores like Debenhams pay the best but work varies. You could end up doing anything from posing in the designer section to selling socks on the old age pensioner’s floor.
The next best thing to your Uncle Mark having a fruit ‘n’ veg stall is a supermarket and Stockton isn’t short of them. They offer the most flexible hours and some will even pay time and a half for Sunday work.
Get rich quick
Beware of jobs that advertise ‘Looking for open-minded people that like chatting on the phone’ - you don’t want to be doing that kind of chatting. Sales offer good money but are always run on commission, so check how much double glazing you would have to sell before lunch was on you.
When can you start?
Getting hired can take time and be tricky. Check the Herald & Post and the Evening Gazette for advertisements and recruitment fairs. Register with an employment agency and websites. Hitting the high street armed with a glowing CV is also a good place to start but be prepared for immediate knock-backs.
Working Vs Living
Though the experience of being independent can be quite pleasant, most employers expect you to actually do some work – shocking, isn’t it? It gets worse when you find yourself tired, your job totally boring and most depressing of all, you have to cancel Friday night with your friends as you have to be up early on Saturday morning.
If you are still at school or college a part-time job cuts down on the amount of time you have left to spend on your studies. So keep things prioritised. The offer of extra hours and more cash might sound attractive but don’t let studies and having a life take a back seat.