For local teens, summer means the beach, sun ? and a new job.
Summer can be a time for valuable training and experience for the youth in the working world.
“Especially for the 14-year-olds, it will give them a good impression of the workplace,” said Alice Cole, career development services project director with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. “They learn work ethics, to get to work on time, be respective to workplace authority and how to complete a job.”
In Maryland, more than 89,000 14- to 18-year-olds were employed in 2005. Baltimore County employed the most youths across the state, totaling abut 34,150. In order, the most popular industry sectors were food services, retail trade and arts, entertainment and recreation, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation reported.
These jobs paid an average of nearly $700 per month, with construction having the highest single average of almost $1,700. With this kind of money being earned, financial planners believe that it is never too early for parents to teach their children the value of saving.
“In a summer job [teenagers] are introduced to what taxes are taken out of a paycheck,” said Robert Wasilewski, a financial expert with Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors. “Now they?ll see what they actually get compared to what they think they will be making when told the hourly wage.”
The state takes steps to make sure that its youngest workers are not being exploited. Teens under the age of 16 may not work more than four hours a day when school is in session, eight hours any day or more than 40 hours a week over the summer. Residents 16 and 17 years of age may not spend more than 12 hours combined at school and work in any day.
Over the summer, they may work up to 16 hours in a 24-hour period.
Teenagers must acquire a work permit from their secondary school. These are legal documents that identify the worker as being between the ages of 14 and 18, and must be signed and filled out by both the employer and the employee before work can begin.
