Children must not work more than 12 hours a week in term time and 25 hours a week during the school holidays.
Children and young people in employment
Business owners looking to employ 13-16 year-olds should make sure they know and comply with the law.
Employers are obliged to notify the local authority where the employment is to take place and must apply for a work permit to ensure they are covered through their business insurance. Without a permit, an employer is breaking the law and can be prosecuted.
Employers should read the important information below to find out about the types of work children are allowed to do, the hours they can work, and how to apply for a child work permit.
Parents can find out important information about what their children can and cannot be asked to do, to ensure they have a positive experience in the workplace.
Children are classed as employed even if they are:
- given something other than money as payment (‘payments in lieu’), such as vouchers for clothing stores
- working in their family’s business
Hours children can work
No child is allowed to work during school hours and children who are younger than 13 years old are not allowed to work at all.
13 to 14 years old
Term time
- School days: no more than 2 hours per day. The 2 hours can either be 1 hour before and 1 hour after school or 2 hours after school
- Saturdays: 5 hours per day
- Sundays: 2 hours per day
School holidays
- Weekdays and Saturdays: Up to 5 hours per day
- Sundays: 2 hours per day
Other conditions
- A child can only work between 7am and 7pm even if it’s during the school holidays.
- Children should be given a 1-hour break after every 4 hours they work. Their employers can choose to give them extra breaks on top of this 1-hour break.
- Children should have at least 2 consecutive weeks off, during school holidays.
15 to 16 years old
Term time
- School days: No more than 2 hours per day. The 2 hours can either be 1 hour before and 1 hour after school or 2 hours after school.
- Saturdays: 8 hours per day
- Sundays: 2 hours per day
School holidays
- Weekdays and Saturdays: Up to 8 hours a day
- Sundays: 2 hours a day
Other conditions
- A child can only work between 7am and 7pm even if it’s during the school holidays.
- Children should be given a 1-hour break after every 4 hours they work. Their employers can choose to give them extra breaks on top of this 1-hour break.
- Children should have at least 2 consecutive weeks off during school holidays.
Work Experience
It is important to understand that:
- work experience for young people is organised by schools and academies
- work experience is covered by different legislation
- work experience does not come under the remit of the Child Performance and Employment Team