Working for lessons

[lolahasrabies]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread! At my current riding school you can become a working student after doing a stable management course and exam. You can get lessons in exchange for work. For those of you who work for lessons or have in the past, what would you expect to be a reasonable offer for both rider and trainer (eg. Xhours for one group lesson)? Lessons at my school are £20 for a 30 minute group or £30 for a private, and I’m 13, so i would be payed quite a bit less than an adult. I worked at another school before, but this one was a lot more relaxed, so it was never a set number of hours, more of just a “you’ve done a lot of work for the last few days, want a lesson?” Kinda thing. I want a rough idea of what to expect. Thanks! -Amelie
Ps. Sorry for the long post!

 

[oldie48]

Hi Amelie, it's all a bit of a legal minefield so I guess that's why no-one has answered. why not get your parents to have a chat with the RS owner? They need to ensure that whatever you are doing for work is safe, are you insured if you have an accident etc. It used to be common practice for keen enthusiastic children to help out at their riding school in return for the odd lesson but I think it's less common now because of the need to comply with employment law.

 

[ihatework]

I would expect, as a minimum, the equivalent of apprentice rates (3.90ph) - which would equate to the best part of a decent days work in return for a lesson.

 

[Littlefloof]

A quick Google suggests that in the UK, 13 year olds must not work before 7am, after 7pm or for more than 4 hours without a 1 hour break. 13 and 14 year olds must not work for more than 2 hours on a school day.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.