Summer job and part time job!

[evie.equine]

Hi there I have been struggling to find a summer job for myself (13 in the summer). I am looking for a way to earn a bit of money because I am currently saving for my first pony but no where seems to have replied/accepted my requests to help out! If anyone knows of a yard/equestrian facility that is in need of a helper (around the West Yorkshire area) feel free to contact me!

 

[fredflop]

Due to employment laws I think you will really struggle

 

[Winters100]

Well done you for looking. As I understand it you are allowed to work up to 25 hours a week during the school holidays, but you may find that a lot of employers are put off by your age, so it would be good to start with people who you know, and who are already aware that you are (hopefully) reliable and responsible.

Things that come to mind are:

Babysitting. This does not necessarily even have to be when the parents are out, when we were young Mother had a young girl come in on Saturdays to play with us so that she could get on with her jobs - with parents working from home this might be very attractive. If you go along this route make sure that you have some fun ideas for how you would entertain the children, remembering that parents love any game that has the word 'educational' in it.

Washing cars

Cutting lawns

If you want to offer either of the 2 above you need to stay safe, if you are going to someone's house your parents must always agree and know where you are.

Dog walking. Even cleaning up the garden after the dogs might be something that an older dog owner would pay for.

Helping an older person around the house, or even helping them with tech if you are good in that area. Some years ago, when I could not stand to hear yet again from my Mother that the email 'doesn't go' I had a nice local teenager, whose parents I knew well, come in for a few hours a week to help her out with it. Warning though that for this you need endless patience.

Tutoring younger children. If you are good academically this might be a possibility.

I would recommend putting together a good CV and taking it in person to local businesses once they are open. Try garden centres, cafes etc. Maybe also worth contacting local gardeners and asking if they need an extra pair of hands over summer.

Remember to ask all of your contacts and make them aware that you are looking to earn money. Ask your parents to do the same.

Good luck with your search and let us know when you find something

 

[Winters100]

Sorry I just noticed that it is a job on a yard that you are looking for. I am afraid that I can't really see this working out for you. Yards can be dangerous, and if I owned a yard there would be no way I would risk having a 13 year old injured while working there. That having been said there may be private owners who would pay for specific tasks, for example tack cleaning, mucking out or poo picking. You could join local horse related FB groups and offer these services. Also think about how you find people / places with multiple horses, because cleaning 1 bridle might be a chore, but generally everyone will manage to find time, but cleaning 10 would likely make you more likely to pay. So you could make a flyer and ask local yards if you can put it up, and also think about things like polo clubs. If it is tack cleaning that you offer make sure that you know how to do a proper job, because you will need to find new clients by word of mouth. Do stay safe when doing this. Your parents should see what you want to post and be happy with it, and if you are going somewhere make sure that they know about it and agree.

 

[Red-1]

If you want to make money, I would take Winters' post seriously. 13 is just a tad too young for earning on a yard IMO, too many risks and also too many people who would do the simple tasks for free.

When I was earning for a pony, I did washing up at the local tennis club. You could also deliver papers. Even just 1 year older would open more doors, I think.

Maybe ask the local show centre to see if they need pole pickers?

 

[coblets]

Most yards you'll come across won't accept volunteers under the age of 14, let alone hire someone that age. But might be easier to find a volunteering position at a yard to get some experience, and then try again next year. Or just go for a non-horsey part time job.

 

[Wishfilly]

As others have said, I think you need to decide if you want to gain experience on a yard or paid work. Most yards won't employ staff under 16 for insurance/employment law reasons, in England at least. There are too many rules that will make it difficult for people to employ you in an equestrian setting.

If you are looking specifically to earn money, you are better off looking for other jobs e.g. paper rounds, dishwashing etc which more frequently employ young teenagers.

If you would like to gain experience, I'd look for local riding schools who will accept you as a "helper", but this is very likely to be unpaid or paid by a free ride.

It's very tough and in a few years, there will be a lot more options available to you.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

A couple of enterprising young ladies from my village were offering themselves for "jobs" during lockdown last year.

By "jobs" I mean stuff like dog walking, poo picking, etc etc.

They way they went about it was that their dad put a post on local social media , saying what they were able to offer, and then when people responded he went along with them for the first time so he could meet the people who would be "employing" them. This was for everyone's safety and peace of mind.

After this first introductory meeting, the dad would then act as the "booking agency" as it were and tell the "client" when they were coming the next time, and/or if they weren't able to come or needed to change the time etc.

It kept everyone safe. I never communicated with them direct, only through the dad.

I drew up a proper list of duties - a bit of a "job description" if you like, and handed it to the dad.

These two walked my dogs, did little jobs like cleaning tack, cleaned out the guinea fowls pen, cleaned the car and swept up the yard. I paid them £5 each, per hour. It worked well. At the end of what would have been the summer holidays I then prepared a reference for the two girls saying what they'd done and how they had performed. This they could then keep with the Job Description I'd given them earlier - for their future reference and for them to keep.

Hoping this helps.

 

[evie.equine]

Well done you for looking. As I understand it you are allowed to work up to 25 hours a week during the school holidays, but you may find that a lot of employers are put off by your age, so it would be good to start with people who you know, and who are already aware that you are (hopefully) reliable and responsible.

Things that come to mind are:

Babysitting. This does not necessarily even have to be when the parents are out, when we were young Mother had a young girl come in on Saturdays to play with us so that she could get on with her jobs - with parents working from home this might be very attractive. If you go along this route make sure that you have some fun ideas for how you would entertain the children, remembering that parents love any game that has the word 'educational' in it.

Washing cars

Cutting lawns

If you want to offer either of the 2 above you need to stay safe, if you are going to someone's house your parents must always agree and know where you are.

Dog walking. Even cleaning up the garden after the dogs might be something that an older dog owner would pay for.

Helping an older person around the house, or even helping them with tech if you are good in that area. Some years ago, when I could not stand to hear yet again from my Mother that the email 'doesn't go' I had a nice local teenager, whose parents I knew well, come in for a few hours a week to help her out with it. Warning though that for this you need endless patience.

Tutoring younger children. If you are good academically this might be a possibility.

I would recommend putting together a good CV and taking it in person to local businesses once they are open. Try garden centres, cafes etc. Maybe also worth contacting local gardeners and asking if they need an extra pair of hands over summer.

Remember to ask all of your contacts and make them aware that you are looking to earn money. Ask your parents to do the same.

Good luck with your search and let us know when you find something

Thanks so much! UPDATE: I have just found out i can help out my riding school and get lesson time in return so the money that would have been spent on lessons will hopefully go to my horse savings account! £25 per week! this will help so much and i will learn lots too!!

 

[evie.equine]

Sorry I just noticed that it is a job on a yard that you are looking for. I am afraid that I can't really see this working out for you. Yards can be dangerous, and if I owned a yard there would be no way I would risk having a 13 year old injured while working there. That having been said there may be private owners who would pay for specific tasks, for example tack cleaning, mucking out or poo picking. You could join local horse related FB groups and offer these services. Also think about how you find people / places with multiple horses, because cleaning 1 bridle might be a chore, but generally everyone will manage to find time, but cleaning 10 would likely make you more likely to pay. So you could make a flyer and ask local yards if you can put it up, and also think about things like polo clubs. If it is tack cleaning that you offer make sure that you know how to do a proper job, because you will need to find new clients by word of mouth. Do stay safe when doing this. Your parents should see what you want to post and be happy with it, and if you are going somewhere make sure that they know about it and agree.

So I took your advice on a non-horsey job, I am going to see if they have any paper round vacancies, and I also managed to be able to help out at my riding school for some riding time (sometimes) which is great! I'd have to earn £10.73 (rounded to £11) every day to afford a horse (£75 a week £300 a month) doing 2 paper rounds a day (1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours) and do one job for my parents (£1 for some ironing or a small job) so hopefully this works out and I can save for a year probably a bit longer to be able to get my first pony and be able to afford upkeep!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Fantastic news OP!!

Well done you for getting out and getting yourself a position!

Wishing you all the very best; and especially as you are saving for your first pony. Your future friend is out there somewhere and he/she will be waiting for the day when you come together. Don't worry about finding them, the pony will find you, you'll see. How wonderfully exciting!

Just sooh encouraging to see a young person being innovative and getting themselves up and motivated to get what they want through hard work! I confidently predict you will do well in the future - whatever you do - and wish you every success.

Well done!