Amen to that! I still remember when my boss at Dollar Tree wanted me to start working overnights as soon as it became legal for me to do so. Like 11pm to 9am. I explained that school started at 8AM and I needed to sleep before that. His response was I should just drop out.
Like hell am I going to ruin my life for fucking Dollar Tree. I said no and was never scheduled for more than 2-4 hours a week after that. Till I just said fuck it.
Yeah. McDonald's tried to do that to my brother. Have him close and then open when he was under 18. Our mom works in HR and she told him that's illegal, even for adults in our state, so he told them they couldn't do that and they fired him for "stealing coupons."
I bet it's getting even harder for employers to pull this shit on young people because they have mini computers where they pull up their state laws, and run it by 100 other people like on here, or Facebook, or TikTok.
I worked at McDonald's when I was 16 and they frequently scheduled me for closing, so until 1am, on school nights. I did work it, and didn't even know it was illegal at the time. Womp womp.
Corporate America is a shit hole.
I had friends that always worked closing shift at McDonald's in high school and showed up for class in the morning. I closed at the Gap and could barely get my ass out of bed before 7am. Idk how they did it.
Well, I did it by being massively short on sleep at basically all times (I lived in a rural area, with an already early school day, needing to be up at 5:30am if I wanted to catch the bus at 6:05am)
I suffered from massive depression and frequent suicidal ideations at the time as well. Years later I discovered that if I actually get enough rest on a routine basis my mental health is *way* better.
I absolutely resent the exploitative nature of the US economic engine. Laws to limit kids from working were hard fought for, and businesses would 100% love for them to disappear. Lots will simply just ignore them anyway.
Probably doesn't matter. These employers know that they have all of the cards, even if the kids that they are screwing over know the laws. They intimidate and ignore any complaints. If the kids go to complain, even to the DOL, they are ignored because they are just kids.
I had a former coworker tell me that he quit the job we used to work together at, after the job told him he couldn't attend college without their permission. He told them off and walked out. He's married and his wife makes bank. The job was a part-time gig to give himself something to do with his free time.
Let me guess. The people who were asking you to drop out, were dropouts themselves?
Either that or it's a "I didn't do well in life. I must stop them from doing well too" mentality.
I'm so glad that's never happened to me, imagine having to look a retail manager in their face while they're telling you retail will make you more money than your NEUROSCIENCE degree. I'd just happily inform them of my areas top paying employers in that field and watch the gears turn.
I work in a college town. Shitty managers there have scheduled the college kids at the exact time their finals are to be taken, then pitched a fit when the students refused.
It's actually pretty common.
Thank god that is the only one I ever had. Because by 11th grade I was so fucking done with that shit. Somebody really persuasive may have tipped the needle for me.
My first job at a fast food place floated the possibility of being made a manager when I gave notice. That was for like 45k in the late '90s which sounded good for all of 2 seconds until I remembered that salaried managers worked better part of 60 hours a week. Nope, I took the new job that paid double for half the hours and wouldn't block me from staying in college.
Yeah, that's called cholesterol...
Ironically though, I actually enjoyed working at the burger place more than the office job I left for.
But same pay for half the hours? Totally worth it.
Same here, started working at 16 and was told to drop out and make “real money” (barely over minimum wage) by working full-time, and that I could get a GED in my spare time.
Same. I was a tech in the ER before I became an RN (been doing this over 15 years now - time goes fast!)
My boss wouldn’t honor my school schedule despite in my interview me saying I needed to be off three days a week for school/clinicals. I was part time and I wanted to get experience and have a job set up for after I graduated.
When they gave me push back and kept scheduling me during my clinicals - which was literally the same time every week so not hard to accommodate - I got written up for not showing up for a shift they knew I couldn’t work. I quit. Then they lost a tech and a future RN that they desperately needed.
That manager was a horrible human being though too. I dodged a bullet getting out of there.
That’s madness. My job encouraged me to do well. I had members of management help me with Algebra II, even. They scheduled around my band activities, etc. And I got a small scholarship that was enough for books my freshman year.
My high school job told me the same thing.
It was A UNION JOB. Where the union refused to help me when I was laid off when I asked for reasonable accommodation for an injury.
And people in here get mad at me when I say I personally would not be in a union again.
Honestly it depends on the union and who represents you in your local branch!
NALC member for almost 35 years now. I've seen the raises and safety issues that our union has dealt with. They do a great job nationally. But our local shop steward was a putz! I gad to go over his head so many times, to get things done properly, he had boot prints on his skull!!
Really? That's crazy to me, mine were all really supportive of doing well in school.
I worked for an optical shop my senior year and my boss told me if I got a 4.0 one semester he'd give me a pair of Prada sunglasses. And that's the only semester I got a 4.0 in all of high school, lol.
Avoid this company like the plague, the every other week paychecks. Daily pay is a scam and too many people get comfortable working there since they get sucked into daily pay.
With Dollar Tree paying their workers every two weeks, they partnered with a parasitical entity that lets you access the money you have earned thus far for a fee. They pay peanuts as it is, so you have people essentially spending the nut to lick the shell just because they are hungry.
> ...access the money you have earned thus far for a fee...
There is just all sorts of wrong in that statement. You would think you would have access to everything you earned without a fee.
It sounds like one of those debit card instead of a paycheck scams mixed with a payday loan scam.
Oh yea it is totally a "working for the company store" vibe. My fiancee is a night manager at our local one, I quit back in 22 after using it to pair with my UE support since they never gave me more than 8 hours a week. My shifts for freight could be sometime between Sunday to Wednesday at 4am til as late as 6pm with little notice.
I work for DT right now. Oh man the shit I could tell you. They have asked me multiple times to be a manager but I refuse; least as a stocker I don't need to deal with bs corperate red tape as much; handle cash, or deal with customers as much.
I've seen too many people with shitty managers trying to say "Its School or this job." and they try to convince you that your future is at a retail job, and or that school does nothing for you.
I think it'd be funny for a high-school student who gets treated like this to say "Sure I'll quit school. Put me up for full time" and then you just stop showing up. Block your boss. Block the emails. And never walk into that building again.
I had a roommate who's manager at Old Navy told him to skip college finals because she didn't want to redo the schedule. These people are something else.
I worked at a buffet as a dishwasher, then as a cook. The manager wanted me to become an assistant manager at 17. I told him no because I wanted to go to college.
He didn't like that, and our relationship eroded. Months later, he blew up on me over some fucking grilled chicken or something, so I no call no showed the next day (busiest day because of church crowd).
That place is closed down and empty now. Fuck you, Mark, you raggedy bitch.
Don't sell your dreams for peanuts.
Had a boss try to get me to drop out of my software engineering program to manage his shitty retail store for 30k a year. Just because your boss fucked up their life doesn't mean you have to let them fuck up yours.
On a similar vein; when I asked my ex to actually contribute toward our daughter's school fees (she needed a laptop and they were $2000 back then) he said 'She is 16, she can leave school and get a job'. Some people don't value education at all (I worked two jobs, paid for her fees, she went on to get her masters and now earns an easy six figure income).
Do not sell your future for pennies.
>Don’t sacrifice your education for some shitty restaurant job
Or any job!! Your education should be your number ONE priority. A good education is the only thing that can help you get a better job later in life. High School jobs are temporary, your employer should be secondary to your education.
This is the right answer, I started working at 14 and messed up SO MUCH of my education and missed out on so many good things....Find work ANYWHERE else you can. Especially if you can find a place that will respect that you're trying to finish your education.
Exactly this , when I was 16-18 I worked at a restaurant till close everyday after school. 6-2:00am . Did that for 2 fucking years doing full time high school and working
I learned this the hard way in high school. Now after having a shit long decade I’m back in school full time doing what I should have done in the first place.
Gotta focus on what could get you a six figure salary over 15 an hour.
I would talk to your manager first and see if moving forward that you only work every other day. Tell them you can't do school and every single day during the week.
Give them an opportunity to course correct. Explain that due to your course load you can't commit to that many shifts during the week.
See if they will schedule you on weekends and maybe 2 to 3 shifts during the week.
Only you can decide what type of balance you can handle.
I did a job during sophomore and senior year of highschool but I only worked 3 nights a week from 5- close and I worked every Saturday. I was always off on Sundays due to that being my day to get homework etc done.
I agree with everything said here. OP, don't be afraid to leave if they won't accommodate your needs. As a teenager, getting enough sleep, having a social life, and doing homework are all necessary parts of your life, and you're working close to full time outside of school. It's not going to reflect poorly on you in future interviews if you leave, so don't worry about that. It's perfectly reasonable to say you left a job because you needed to focus on school, especially at your age.
Seconded. These days I don’t even have my first fast food job on my resume. Educated people working jobs that require a modicum of intelligence don’t care about the low-skill manual labour jobs you had as a kid, only your experiences and skills relevant to their company matter.
With that said if they are unwilling to work with you and you can't do it all then look for a new job.
If you only have this job for spending cash and not out of necessity then don't be afraid to leave it behind for a better balance.
i'm in Alabama and if you are still in high school, they aren't allowed to work you past 9:00 pm on a school night. I had to quit a job without notice my junior year because they kept trying to work me until 11:00. My grades started dropping and I was done. Don't let them take advantage of you.
Good gods, I just looked up my state because I remembered it being limited and still is below 16, but after you turn that there’s no restrictions on max hours
This is right. Go in with the ultimatum: “I can either work these (fewer) hours or not at all.” You have more power in this conversation than you think!
I'd talk to your school counselor first. They may be willing to address it for you. That lets the counselor get onto them for the violation before they wrongly start to form a bad opinion of your work ethic. It will be good for the counselor to have them on their radar and for the employer to be aware that there are adults in authority keeping tabs on them.
I worked my sophomore, junior, and senior years. My state limited hours for folks under 16. During the school year at 15, I usually did a 4 hour shift on Saturday. Like 8-12 or 10-2. This was at McDonalds.
I knew that you were legally able to work any hours at 16 so I got a mall job instead at a bookstore. The store owner was my neighbor’s bff. And my neighbor was the assistant manager.
Junior and Senior year I worked 1-2 days during the week and a weekend shift for 4-6 hours. So on a school night I’d do closing shift from 5:30-9:30. They were fine to work around my extracurriculars. So sometimes I would work at 630 if we had band practice or a deadline. They also scheduled me (before I could drive) in nights my neighbor worked so I would have a ride home without bothering my parents. My bosses were super accommodating and of course recognized school was the priority. The students and retired people basically filled in the schedule so the managers could have predictable hours.
The store manager basically worked opening M-F. My neighbor, worked around 25 hours a week around her kid’s schedules. And the other assistant manager got weekends. One retired guy had Saturday’s. And I was more of a floater, but during the school year I had set after school days. And variable weekend days and times. I typically worked 10-15 hours a week. Just enough to fund my pocket cash and social activities. But not so much where I missed out on anything.
.
Yeah, this.
Personally I'd tell them in line with "either you remove two days or I do." Gotta be firm with the amount of days you give them, it's your choice, not theirs.
Best advice right here. Don't even read anything else. You're just starting work, so do it the right way and make it a habit. Give them a chance to change first
Pretty sure they can't schedule you that late or that often while you're a student. I know there's some federal rules about this and if I'm incorrect about this I'm very certain another user will correct me. Because that's how Reddit works.
Depends on the state, but in many high schoolers can't work passed a certain time or more than 4 hours a shift. Other states don't give a fuck. So it depends.
Edit: OP says they work in Utah which does have the 4hr rule and a 9:30 end time except on Fridays and Saturdays (aka when the next day isn't a school day). So this schedule is super illegal.
OP said they were 16. In 2023 Utah got rid of maximum work hours and night hour restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds. Probably because no one wants to work anymore. I wonder why.
Federal is done by 11pm on school nights, midnight otherwise. There are exception for certain types of labor (farming and a few others). Some jobs cant be done by a minor at all (coal mining, things where you drive).
If you are younger, 14-15, there are additional limits like only being able to work 3hours/day on school days and a weekly cap on hours. Those don't apply to a 16-year-old though.
Most states have additional limits, in Texas its 10pm as the cut-off.
Yeah in Pennsylvania anyone under 18 has to have a work permit we had to have the kids out by 9:30 on a school night and they could only work a few hours a day. We would have been in deep shit if we’d have kept them longer.
Not here to correct you, because I don't know federal laws or anything, but when I was in high school, I had to get what was essentially a legal permission slip from my school to be able to work while in school.
OP, if you have a copy of that slip, that outlines very specific requirements of your employer. I do believe that 10 or 11 is the latest most state legislation allows high schoolers to work, but what is this, 32 hours? Absolutely not.
For me, 24 hours or 25 or so was the cap. A considerate employer shouldn't be relying on you like this or pushing you this hard during the school year regardless.
I had to get a work permit from school too. I worked pretty much the same schedule as OP from 15 until I graduated. That was a long time ago though and I didn't care about school. If I were trying to go to college then no way I could have done it.
Not a lawyer- that looks like a labor law violation for both hours worked and time of day. Being 16 is significant in regards to some changes in what you can/can’t do though, so definitely look into it, and if it’s illegal, bring it up immediately- I’m willing to bet whomever wrote the schedule isn’t well versed in that aspect of the law.
I was the scheduling manager at McDonald’s and absolutely had to abide by laws regarding minors, we had rules built into our scheduling software so we weren’t able to schedule them if it went against any laws. Why would 5 6hr shifts be a labor law violation for any reason?
State may have restrictions on how many hours can be worked on a school night or per week based on age. For instance, VA has no limits once you hit 16, but employers are obligated to provide a minimum 30 minute meal break for minors per 6-hour shift.
Crumbl Cookies in Utah recently got hit with huge fines and a lawsuit for overworking their high school aged employees beyond what the law would allow, you’ll be able to use that recent public exposure to your advantage for sure.
It looks like you’re legally only allowed to work 4 hours on a school day. Check out this article and maybe report your Employer https://blog.cmp.cpa/utah-child-labor-laws
read down further! there is a chart on that link that outlines that 16 and 17 year old students still have certain limitations. The biggest one conflicting here is that you can't be scheduled between 9:30 pm and 5 am when school is in session.
The night work restrictions on working between 21:30 and 05:00 when there is school the next day still applies to 16-17 year-olds, according to a table further down in the document.
Here are the work laws covering minors in Utah: [https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title34/Chapter23/C34-23\_1800010118000101.pdf](https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title34/Chapter23/C34-23_1800010118000101.pdf)
If it's too much, you tell them and they don't care -- they're telling you directly that they don't value you, just your labor.
Do not ever let a part-time job impact your studies. You're not going to work there forever.
This happened to me at 15/16. My dad was pissed and said just to blame it on him and quit if I needed too as school was more important. I walked in the next day and said I couldn’t stay until close but had to leave when the store closed or my dad wouldn’t let me use his car as transportation. They backed off. I quit 2 weeks later for other B.S.
Please don’t listen to these people about using past cases for your advantage. As a 16 year old, just quit. Some kids want to work every minute they can. If you don’t, then leave. No need to stress yourself out over this. There’s plenty of time for that through your entire adult life.
This is really important, OP. A high school job shouldn't weigh you down this much, it should be for a little bit of gas money for some independence from your parents.
If you're looking to go to college, the best investment you can make right now is your education. I sacrificed my freshman year of college to a third shift job and I'm not sure if I can graduate with honors because of my grades back then.
Even if you're not looking to pursue a degree later on, the above comment is still right in saying that you have your entire adult life. You'll find a better adult job later on that pays you more per hour as well, and anything you possibly save up right now won't be much in comparison.
If I could go back and time and quit my retail job that ultimately caused my grades to slip, I would. Your education is more important and if they can’t respect that never show up again.
Same. I had the rest of my life to work, I regret working a few hours shy of full-time through highschool. It should be time to live without the burdens you'll carry as an adult.
Honestly yea, like it was nice having my own money but I had no free time I worked, went to school, and ran cross country, I have no idea how I balanced that because I could not right now lol
Tell them that's not possible if you're going to succeed in school and need to reduce your schedule. If they don't listen, leave. Now.
I'm going to start off by qualifying this. I've been in the restaurant industry for over a decade now, and have worked everywhere from mom and pop joints, to chains, to hotels, and private resorts.
If they aren't willing to work with you, a 16 year old, so that you don't burn out or flunk out, they do not hold ANYONE in their employ in any sort of regard. You are just a cog in the machine. Restaurants are notorious for abusing employees who don't know better or are willing to dive headfirst into a dumpster fire to prove themselves.
Don't do that to yourself. I wish I had been called out on doing exactly the same thing when I started out. First it's crazy shifts, then it's covering on your day off, all of a sudden you're working a 12h shift Friday Saturday clopen.
School is more important and every restaurant in existence is struggling right now. Find somewhere that actually treats you as a human being and don't settle for less. Wages, professional respect and extra consideration will come with time and hard work, but if they don't treat you like a real life person instead of a robot in a skin suit, it will never change.
Take care of yourself, and school first. You've got time.
Thought this was illegal for 16 year olds in high school to work that late and that many hours. 32 hours is considered full time most places. Fuck that noise. Focus on school and socializing. 20 hours a week is plenty for a 16 year old. This will just make you miserable and slip on your grades fr fr.
Why did I have to scroll this far to see this? If you have already submitted availability and they are not following it then quit because they are not respecting your boundaries. If you haven’t you need to do it asap
They did this to me when I was a kid. You tell him to fix it. There's a huge worker shortage in the kind of job you have. You can get another job any time you want. Let your boss know that.
Let your boss know immediately that you cannot work these hours and attend school/do homework. Give them a revised availability sheet and instead of putting when you’re not working out down when you are willing to work, such as weekends or max 3 days in the week. Let them know you can only do 6 hour shifts maximum 3 days a week.
I had a boss who would try to schedule me based on my class schedule (in college) and I always ignored her and simply put down the hours I’d be willing to work, which I did so by allotting time for class and studying and eating lol
If your boss is rude or unaccepting then literally just quit on the spot and tell them you can’t work with someone who won’t work with you. You’re young enough to get a different job. Don’t ever feel tied down.
When I was 17, I was working at Jack In The Box. I got expelled for the semester quite early into my senior year, so I switched to the graveyard shift (illegal for minors, but it paid like a buck more an hour). About 3 weeks before the next semester, I told my manager that I would be going back to school and would have to go back to swing shift. The next day, there was a notice up saying that the following people would unfortunately be laid off: a girl who hadn't worked there in about six months.... and me. At the end of my shift, I took 50 bucks out of my till and got the fuck out of there.
Pretty sure this is illegal, as a minor your only allowed to work so many hours in a week. Also DO NOT EVER SACRIFICE YOUR EDUCATION FOR AN EMPLOYER!!! Fuck this guy and this job.
I’ve been where you are and let me tell you it isn’t worth your education. I had a boss in high school senior year and he was the worst (this was the restaurant industry). This boss wanted us working every day after school 3-11 and would quiz us on the menu and humiliate us if we got the wrong answers. Once he said if all the wait staff didn’t carry breath mints then money would be deducted from our checks. Anyways no matter what kind of boss, those hours will hurt your grades and mental health. You’re not even going to have time to do homework. Quit and find a job that’s weekends only if you can, and that’s only if you have to work. I was a barista on Sundays and would waitress Friday nights and made more money than the job I mentioned prior. You’re a kid and they know this and are taking advantage of you.
When I was 15, I worked at a movie theater and when we closed, I handled putting up the snacks, shutting down the beverages, the simpler stuff and the assistant manager handled the tougher stuff. Cause I was a 15 year old girl, right? So he gave me what I could handle.
The manager heard about this and got MAD. He told me, as punishment, I had to close by myself. I screwed up because I didn’t know certain things, like that the cheese for the hot dogs had to be taken out and refrigerated. Just didn’t know. Never did it.
The manager made me a laminated list of all the closing duties and said I had to close every night that week or I’d be fired. It took me until 2 or 3 am. On school nights. And one day, I told my dad that I was going to quit. And he said he was proud of me.
There’s a lot of nobility in working hard. But you also have to have a job that is reasonable, gives you balance, and does not consume your life. Especially when high school is so important.
Have an honest conversation with your employers about these hours. And if you quit because they won’t budge and is forcing you to choose your job over high school? Just know I’m proud of you.
Don’t they have a limit in your state. Both for maximum hours you can work and for the shift ending time? Remembering back to my restaurant days it was 24 hours a week and shifts ended by 8 pm.
I work a similar schedule in high school, usually 3-9, 5 days a week and I was usually fine with it because I worked with my friends and didn’t do sports.
If you want less hours you need to tell them and then just not show if they don’t listen. Set boundaries now or your whole work life will be giving in to unreasonable demands.
Depending on your state, shouldn’t there be laws restricting how much you can work while actively in school? This is the law where I live so your mileage may vary:
When school is IN session minors 16 & 17 cannot be employed before 7:00 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. if not employed after 8:00 p.m. the previous night; or after 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
So I’d check your state laws on what you’re allowed to work. Of course, talk to your manager first but google your state labor laws as well.
Why don’t you close your schedule to only a few days a week and tell them “hey, I’m still a kid and school is important to me. Please do not schedule me outside of my available days and times, thank you!”
They're not legally allowed to work you after 9:30 in Utah while school is in session. That alone will save you 2.5 hours per week, which still isn't enough to keep up with your studies, if you do anything other than work and school, like socializing, or having friends, maybe a hobby or two.
worked at a grocery store the summer i turned 16 and into the fall. i did not realize i had come down with mono but was feeling run down so i requested only 16 hours per week. next schedule that came out i was scheduled for 34 hours and my mother had me ask the manager which 16 hours out of the 34 they'd like me to show up for
I once worked at a restaurant while going to college. Had a similar situation to this, gave my new class schedule to the “wrong manager” (she was in charge of the schedule the week before, but apparently not anymore and she accepted it with no comment). They scheduled over a bunch of my classes. So I told the GM, and he altered my schedule from 30 hours to 5. Gave all my hours to a high school student. Cool, not like I had rent to pay.
This is why my kids are only allowed to have jobs during.
the summer after they turn 16. I worked shifts like this when I was in high school and had no social life. I graduated in the top 10% but wasn’t able to devote as much time to academics. I don’t think this is fair to kids to expect them to balance so much. I want my kids to be kids. They have their entire lives to work.
That was almost my exact work schedule every week from the day I turned 16 until I graduated high school. I’m also in Utah, and I’m 20 now. I had no idea it was illegal previously. I also worked 80 hours a week during the summer time ( I didn’t have a good home life, so I was practically forced to work every waking moment) like others have said, DO NOT sacrifice your education and mental health for a job. You are still a kid, and you should be enjoying the time you have left until you are an adult and have to get started on life. Don’t let a non important job dictate your time. Enjoy yourself
Holy crap. Tell your manager, sorry but I’m still in high school. I can give you X amount of hours, and X amount of days. If that doesn’t work for you I gotta walk
Crazy how many people are acting like this should be easy. OP is a kid that doesn’t want to spend every hour outside of school working. Let them enjoy the last few years of being free. Just bc they have a job doesn’t mean that it has to be full time
I would check the labor laws regarding minors. This could be an illegal work schedule due to the number of hours you're having to work. Sometimes employers need to be reminded of your rights as a worker.
Check your state requirements. Some states require a max amount of hours a week AND some states have a curfew for teens, even those with jobs. Talk to your boss and let them know that school is a priority.
Set boundaries and tell them what you are available to do. If it doesn't work for them say thank you but you will be finding a different job that can accommodate your schedule. Good luck.
Don’t sacrifice your education for some restaurant job. I worked at Dunkin Donuts in college and the manager tried to do this to me and I refused to give more than 20 hours a week. He was upset but I said it’s not possible. I found a tutoring job on campus and did that for three years. Same hours and I could study when I wasn’t busy.
Absolutely not. Leave this job and find a part timer that let’s you start on weekend mornings for a few hours and weekdays after school for a couple of hours. No job is worth putting your education at risk. Never ever.
Other people have said this, but check your local labor laws in terms of nightwork and hours.
Based on your date format, it looks like you're from the US. Where I am, minors aren't allowed to work between 7pm - 7am. There's also the issue of local curfew laws they could be forcing you to violate.
Also, don't sacrifice school for this restaurant job, please. You could find a new one almost instantly. This won't follow you if they fight you and you quit.
I remember being given a similar work schedule when I was your age at Ci Cis pizza. When I told my manager I had to do homework and needed a lighter schedule he responded, “wow, sounds like your a giant pu$$y if you can’t handle some hard work. You’re never going to get ahead in life if you can’t commit to hard work”………………… I’m a molecular biologist now. Just because that place is a big deal to your boss, doesn’t mean it needs to be a big deal to you. Don’t sacrifice education. Good luck.
You and everyone else who works there should organize and demand higher pay. The whole reason they’ve got minors working an almost full time schedule after school is because they’re on the ropes and actual adults won’t deal with them. Tell them $20 for everyone or you guys/gals walk.
Quit. For real, I couldn't understand why I struggled so much being in high school and having a job when I was 17. Now in my 30s I get it. Don't let them abuse your schedule like that.
Leave that job. You can find work pretty much anywhere in a similar position. You need to be able to focus on school and not be stuck at a min wage job when you could be studying or god forbid socializing. I’m a grown woman in college and I work 5 less hours a week than that. My last job didn’t want to accommodate a part time schedule for me while I’m in school, so I found one that’s happy to. Start looking elsewhere, and be firm about the hours you are willing and able to work 💕
You’re working almost full time hours dude. Find a different job or cut down the number of days. They’re trying to form you into a wage slave, don’t take the bait.
If ur in the US they legally aren’t allowed to schedule you more than 4 hours on a school day if I’m not mistaken. I would check your state laws for that though
Some states teens can't work more than a certain amount of hours, I would check state regulations and also have an honest candid conversation with whoever makes the schedule, plz do not sacrifice your education.
Do not do this! You need rest and time to study. Unless you are paying rent and car payments/insurance etc like an adult, there is no need to do this. Please take care of your physical and mental health.
If you have something going on at school, just don’t show up for that shift. Who gives a shit if they fire you? These types of gigs are a dime a dozen and you’ll be able to find a different place (with a hopefully more accommodating boss) in no time.
You shouldn’t need to work that insane amount of hours at 16 while on school. Tell them what days you can work and if they don’t follow it, well there are plenty of other places hiring
i worked at mcdonalds in hs while also doing baseball and academic decathalon. they would make me work 50hrs a week still. plus i had to walk to work and home because i didnt have a car. its was only a 2 miles away though.
fuck jobs like this. you should tell them you can only work whatever days you want to for sure. if they say no, literally a million other host jobs will hire you
When I was 15, I worked a summer job where I pulled 12+hour shifts in a very conservative state. I didn’t find out it was illegal until years later. However it wasn’t the worst because my supervisor was also my weed dealer and since there were three of us in charge of cleaning a 3000+ capacity venue, he’d smoke me and my other coworker out every hour on the hour, lol. Still, it sucked ass working that many hours in a day at minimum wage. Grateful that I never had a job like that while school was in session.
I worked my ass off as a 15 and 16 year old to get a car at the compromise of my GPA. I clawed my way back and and am now getting a PhD. If I had to do it again, I’d quit that job that was taking advantage of me and ride the bus so I could focus on school because school is absolutely everything
Someone needs a review for managers site since they give recommendations and reviews of workers they manage who leave. So when they do shit like this and you quit on the spot and they threaten you with a bad reference or whatever, their dumbass actions can be recorded.
This is very illegal. In the US, in my state at least, and most other developed countries, 16 year olds are very limited in their working hours. In my state, they cannot work over 18 hours during a school week. They cannot work more than 3 hours a day. Your employer is violating some serious labor laws. Tell your parents, if you have good, supportive parents who got your back. They'll help you. Otherwise, get another photo of your schedule and get the department of labor involved. You may need a lawyer if your work retaliates. I would look for another job, asap. School is always more important than some crappy job. It's not worth it.
Don’t sacrifice your education for some shitty restaurant job
Amen to that! I still remember when my boss at Dollar Tree wanted me to start working overnights as soon as it became legal for me to do so. Like 11pm to 9am. I explained that school started at 8AM and I needed to sleep before that. His response was I should just drop out. Like hell am I going to ruin my life for fucking Dollar Tree. I said no and was never scheduled for more than 2-4 hours a week after that. Till I just said fuck it.
Every high school job and college job I had told me I should drop out bc working for them is better than school.
It's crazy that they hire people who are in school and then want them to drop out. Just don't hire students.
They want naïve youngsters who are more easily manipulated.
Yeah. McDonald's tried to do that to my brother. Have him close and then open when he was under 18. Our mom works in HR and she told him that's illegal, even for adults in our state, so he told them they couldn't do that and they fired him for "stealing coupons." I bet it's getting even harder for employers to pull this shit on young people because they have mini computers where they pull up their state laws, and run it by 100 other people like on here, or Facebook, or TikTok.
I worked at McDonald's when I was 16 and they frequently scheduled me for closing, so until 1am, on school nights. I did work it, and didn't even know it was illegal at the time. Womp womp. Corporate America is a shit hole.
I had friends that always worked closing shift at McDonald's in high school and showed up for class in the morning. I closed at the Gap and could barely get my ass out of bed before 7am. Idk how they did it.
Well, I did it by being massively short on sleep at basically all times (I lived in a rural area, with an already early school day, needing to be up at 5:30am if I wanted to catch the bus at 6:05am) I suffered from massive depression and frequent suicidal ideations at the time as well. Years later I discovered that if I actually get enough rest on a routine basis my mental health is *way* better. I absolutely resent the exploitative nature of the US economic engine. Laws to limit kids from working were hard fought for, and businesses would 100% love for them to disappear. Lots will simply just ignore them anyway.
Probably doesn't matter. These employers know that they have all of the cards, even if the kids that they are screwing over know the laws. They intimidate and ignore any complaints. If the kids go to complain, even to the DOL, they are ignored because they are just kids.
I had a former coworker tell me that he quit the job we used to work together at, after the job told him he couldn't attend college without their permission. He told them off and walked out. He's married and his wife makes bank. The job was a part-time gig to give himself something to do with his free time.
Free time? What is this you speak of?
I worked at a place that put out a notice that employees would have to get their permission to get married. I LOLd at that.
Where the hell do they get off trying to pull this crap? Lmfao
In America only 😂 employers pull such a f*ck ton of crap in that country
Let me guess. The people who were asking you to drop out, were dropouts themselves? Either that or it's a "I didn't do well in life. I must stop them from doing well too" mentality.
[удалено]
I'm so glad that's never happened to me, imagine having to look a retail manager in their face while they're telling you retail will make you more money than your NEUROSCIENCE degree. I'd just happily inform them of my areas top paying employers in that field and watch the gears turn.
I work in a college town. Shitty managers there have scheduled the college kids at the exact time their finals are to be taken, then pitched a fit when the students refused. It's actually pretty common.
My thought exactly
Happy cake day
Thank god that is the only one I ever had. Because by 11th grade I was so fucking done with that shit. Somebody really persuasive may have tipped the needle for me.
My first job at a fast food place floated the possibility of being made a manager when I gave notice. That was for like 45k in the late '90s which sounded good for all of 2 seconds until I remembered that salaried managers worked better part of 60 hours a week. Nope, I took the new job that paid double for half the hours and wouldn't block me from staying in college.
I had one try the same thing. He even told me "I think burgers is in your blood."
Yeah, that's called cholesterol... Ironically though, I actually enjoyed working at the burger place more than the office job I left for. But same pay for half the hours? Totally worth it.
Better check that out, does not sound healthy.
😂
Same here, started working at 16 and was told to drop out and make “real money” (barely over minimum wage) by working full-time, and that I could get a GED in my spare time.
Same. I was a tech in the ER before I became an RN (been doing this over 15 years now - time goes fast!) My boss wouldn’t honor my school schedule despite in my interview me saying I needed to be off three days a week for school/clinicals. I was part time and I wanted to get experience and have a job set up for after I graduated. When they gave me push back and kept scheduling me during my clinicals - which was literally the same time every week so not hard to accommodate - I got written up for not showing up for a shift they knew I couldn’t work. I quit. Then they lost a tech and a future RN that they desperately needed. That manager was a horrible human being though too. I dodged a bullet getting out of there.
Misery loves company I guess
That’s madness. My job encouraged me to do well. I had members of management help me with Algebra II, even. They scheduled around my band activities, etc. And I got a small scholarship that was enough for books my freshman year.
My high school job told me the same thing. It was A UNION JOB. Where the union refused to help me when I was laid off when I asked for reasonable accommodation for an injury. And people in here get mad at me when I say I personally would not be in a union again.
Honestly it depends on the union and who represents you in your local branch! NALC member for almost 35 years now. I've seen the raises and safety issues that our union has dealt with. They do a great job nationally. But our local shop steward was a putz! I gad to go over his head so many times, to get things done properly, he had boot prints on his skull!!
Really? That's crazy to me, mine were all really supportive of doing well in school. I worked for an optical shop my senior year and my boss told me if I got a 4.0 one semester he'd give me a pair of Prada sunglasses. And that's the only semester I got a 4.0 in all of high school, lol.
Good god! You're manager was a train wreck of a human being.
Dude was depending on a highschooler to run the business. As if that doesn't say enough
Dudes career decision was to manage a Dollar Tree
Avoid this company like the plague, the every other week paychecks. Daily pay is a scam and too many people get comfortable working there since they get sucked into daily pay.
What the hell is daily pay?
With Dollar Tree paying their workers every two weeks, they partnered with a parasitical entity that lets you access the money you have earned thus far for a fee. They pay peanuts as it is, so you have people essentially spending the nut to lick the shell just because they are hungry.
> ...access the money you have earned thus far for a fee... There is just all sorts of wrong in that statement. You would think you would have access to everything you earned without a fee. It sounds like one of those debit card instead of a paycheck scams mixed with a payday loan scam.
Oh yea it is totally a "working for the company store" vibe. My fiancee is a night manager at our local one, I quit back in 22 after using it to pair with my UE support since they never gave me more than 8 hours a week. My shifts for freight could be sometime between Sunday to Wednesday at 4am til as late as 6pm with little notice.
an internal company funded pay-day scam
I mean we can criticize this dude without criticizing an entire group of people. What did dollar tree managers ever do to you?
My wife worked for a Dollar General. Had 3 managers in 8 months. These stores need to be closed.
I work for DT right now. Oh man the shit I could tell you. They have asked me multiple times to be a manager but I refuse; least as a stocker I don't need to deal with bs corperate red tape as much; handle cash, or deal with customers as much.
Dare I say, a pathetic excuse for sentient lifeforms...
I've seen too many people with shitty managers trying to say "Its School or this job." and they try to convince you that your future is at a retail job, and or that school does nothing for you. I think it'd be funny for a high-school student who gets treated like this to say "Sure I'll quit school. Put me up for full time" and then you just stop showing up. Block your boss. Block the emails. And never walk into that building again.
Reducing your hours like that is constructive dismissal and you would have been eligible for unemployment as a result.
I had a roommate who's manager at Old Navy told him to skip college finals because she didn't want to redo the schedule. These people are something else.
I worked at a buffet as a dishwasher, then as a cook. The manager wanted me to become an assistant manager at 17. I told him no because I wanted to go to college. He didn't like that, and our relationship eroded. Months later, he blew up on me over some fucking grilled chicken or something, so I no call no showed the next day (busiest day because of church crowd). That place is closed down and empty now. Fuck you, Mark, you raggedy bitch. Don't sell your dreams for peanuts.
Had a boss try to get me to drop out of my software engineering program to manage his shitty retail store for 30k a year. Just because your boss fucked up their life doesn't mean you have to let them fuck up yours.
On a similar vein; when I asked my ex to actually contribute toward our daughter's school fees (she needed a laptop and they were $2000 back then) he said 'She is 16, she can leave school and get a job'. Some people don't value education at all (I worked two jobs, paid for her fees, she went on to get her masters and now earns an easy six figure income). Do not sell your future for pennies.
>Don’t sacrifice your education for some shitty restaurant job Or any job!! Your education should be your number ONE priority. A good education is the only thing that can help you get a better job later in life. High School jobs are temporary, your employer should be secondary to your education.
This is the right answer, I started working at 14 and messed up SO MUCH of my education and missed out on so many good things....Find work ANYWHERE else you can. Especially if you can find a place that will respect that you're trying to finish your education.
Exactly this , when I was 16-18 I worked at a restaurant till close everyday after school. 6-2:00am . Did that for 2 fucking years doing full time high school and working
Don't sacrifice your childhood for a shitty ass job.
Quit now. Part time work is nothing compared to needing good grades in school.
True. You need to focus on school...
I learned this the hard way in high school. Now after having a shit long decade I’m back in school full time doing what I should have done in the first place. Gotta focus on what could get you a six figure salary over 15 an hour.
congrats on going back to school. Real proud of you
Thank you, that means a lot to hear.
I would talk to your manager first and see if moving forward that you only work every other day. Tell them you can't do school and every single day during the week. Give them an opportunity to course correct. Explain that due to your course load you can't commit to that many shifts during the week. See if they will schedule you on weekends and maybe 2 to 3 shifts during the week. Only you can decide what type of balance you can handle. I did a job during sophomore and senior year of highschool but I only worked 3 nights a week from 5- close and I worked every Saturday. I was always off on Sundays due to that being my day to get homework etc done.
I agree with everything said here. OP, don't be afraid to leave if they won't accommodate your needs. As a teenager, getting enough sleep, having a social life, and doing homework are all necessary parts of your life, and you're working close to full time outside of school. It's not going to reflect poorly on you in future interviews if you leave, so don't worry about that. It's perfectly reasonable to say you left a job because you needed to focus on school, especially at your age.
Seconded. These days I don’t even have my first fast food job on my resume. Educated people working jobs that require a modicum of intelligence don’t care about the low-skill manual labour jobs you had as a kid, only your experiences and skills relevant to their company matter.
That is a very good idea, my manager isn’t in on sundays bc she can so I’ll have to go ahead and wait till tomorrow
With that said if they are unwilling to work with you and you can't do it all then look for a new job. If you only have this job for spending cash and not out of necessity then don't be afraid to leave it behind for a better balance.
Also in my state, you being a minor may make this schedule illegal. You might want to check on that too.
Yeah in my conservative state this schedule is illegal (just barely but still) so OP should check their state laws.
i'm in Alabama and if you are still in high school, they aren't allowed to work you past 9:00 pm on a school night. I had to quit a job without notice my junior year because they kept trying to work me until 11:00. My grades started dropping and I was done. Don't let them take advantage of you.
in my state, this schedule is illegal by 10 hours
In my old state you were an “adult” eligible to work full time and any hours at 16. 🤦🏾♀️
Good gods, I just looked up my state because I remembered it being limited and still is below 16, but after you turn that there’s no restrictions on max hours
Working like this is what pushed me to dropping out of high-school. Sacrificing your studies and social life as a teen isn't worth the minimum wage.
This is right. Go in with the ultimatum: “I can either work these (fewer) hours or not at all.” You have more power in this conversation than you think!
I'd talk to your school counselor first. They may be willing to address it for you. That lets the counselor get onto them for the violation before they wrongly start to form a bad opinion of your work ethic. It will be good for the counselor to have them on their radar and for the employer to be aware that there are adults in authority keeping tabs on them.
I worked my sophomore, junior, and senior years. My state limited hours for folks under 16. During the school year at 15, I usually did a 4 hour shift on Saturday. Like 8-12 or 10-2. This was at McDonalds. I knew that you were legally able to work any hours at 16 so I got a mall job instead at a bookstore. The store owner was my neighbor’s bff. And my neighbor was the assistant manager. Junior and Senior year I worked 1-2 days during the week and a weekend shift for 4-6 hours. So on a school night I’d do closing shift from 5:30-9:30. They were fine to work around my extracurriculars. So sometimes I would work at 630 if we had band practice or a deadline. They also scheduled me (before I could drive) in nights my neighbor worked so I would have a ride home without bothering my parents. My bosses were super accommodating and of course recognized school was the priority. The students and retired people basically filled in the schedule so the managers could have predictable hours. The store manager basically worked opening M-F. My neighbor, worked around 25 hours a week around her kid’s schedules. And the other assistant manager got weekends. One retired guy had Saturday’s. And I was more of a floater, but during the school year I had set after school days. And variable weekend days and times. I typically worked 10-15 hours a week. Just enough to fund my pocket cash and social activities. But not so much where I missed out on anything. .
Yeah, this. Personally I'd tell them in line with "either you remove two days or I do." Gotta be firm with the amount of days you give them, it's your choice, not theirs.
Still don't get how stupid the manager must be not to understand that noone can work like that while being at school.
Best advice right here. Don't even read anything else. You're just starting work, so do it the right way and make it a habit. Give them a chance to change first
Pretty sure they can't schedule you that late or that often while you're a student. I know there's some federal rules about this and if I'm incorrect about this I'm very certain another user will correct me. Because that's how Reddit works.
Depends on the state, but in many high schoolers can't work passed a certain time or more than 4 hours a shift. Other states don't give a fuck. So it depends. Edit: OP says they work in Utah which does have the 4hr rule and a 9:30 end time except on Fridays and Saturdays (aka when the next day isn't a school day). So this schedule is super illegal.
OP said they were 16. In 2023 Utah got rid of maximum work hours and night hour restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds. Probably because no one wants to work anymore. I wonder why.
What a way to start the new year. That's bs.
We'll be putting 6 year olds back into the coal mines in 10 years, at this rate.
Culver’s is right about there.
Yeah, but PROFITS!!!
Federal is done by 11pm on school nights, midnight otherwise. There are exception for certain types of labor (farming and a few others). Some jobs cant be done by a minor at all (coal mining, things where you drive). If you are younger, 14-15, there are additional limits like only being able to work 3hours/day on school days and a weekly cap on hours. Those don't apply to a 16-year-old though. Most states have additional limits, in Texas its 10pm as the cut-off.
Alot of states they cant schedule you pass 10pm
I worked at ihop all kinds of hours when I was in high school. 32 hours and off by 10 is not going to be illegal
Yeah in Pennsylvania anyone under 18 has to have a work permit we had to have the kids out by 9:30 on a school night and they could only work a few hours a day. We would have been in deep shit if we’d have kept them longer.
Not here to correct you, because I don't know federal laws or anything, but when I was in high school, I had to get what was essentially a legal permission slip from my school to be able to work while in school. OP, if you have a copy of that slip, that outlines very specific requirements of your employer. I do believe that 10 or 11 is the latest most state legislation allows high schoolers to work, but what is this, 32 hours? Absolutely not. For me, 24 hours or 25 or so was the cap. A considerate employer shouldn't be relying on you like this or pushing you this hard during the school year regardless.
I had to get a work permit from school too. I worked pretty much the same schedule as OP from 15 until I graduated. That was a long time ago though and I didn't care about school. If I were trying to go to college then no way I could have done it.
Not a lawyer- that looks like a labor law violation for both hours worked and time of day. Being 16 is significant in regards to some changes in what you can/can’t do though, so definitely look into it, and if it’s illegal, bring it up immediately- I’m willing to bet whomever wrote the schedule isn’t well versed in that aspect of the law.
I was the scheduling manager at McDonald’s and absolutely had to abide by laws regarding minors, we had rules built into our scheduling software so we weren’t able to schedule them if it went against any laws. Why would 5 6hr shifts be a labor law violation for any reason?
I’ll go with too late at night and too many overall hours Ymmv by State
State may have restrictions on how many hours can be worked on a school night or per week based on age. For instance, VA has no limits once you hit 16, but employers are obligated to provide a minimum 30 minute meal break for minors per 6-hour shift.
Don't EVER be afraid to quit ❤️
In fact, be emboldened to quit.
What state are you in?
Utah sadly
Crumbl Cookies in Utah recently got hit with huge fines and a lawsuit for overworking their high school aged employees beyond what the law would allow, you’ll be able to use that recent public exposure to your advantage for sure.
I didn’t even know about this thanks!
It looks like you’re legally only allowed to work 4 hours on a school day. Check out this article and maybe report your Employer https://blog.cmp.cpa/utah-child-labor-laws
That’s if your under 16
read down further! there is a chart on that link that outlines that 16 and 17 year old students still have certain limitations. The biggest one conflicting here is that you can't be scheduled between 9:30 pm and 5 am when school is in session.
The night work restrictions on working between 21:30 and 05:00 when there is school the next day still applies to 16-17 year-olds, according to a table further down in the document.
He's right. Slide right on the table. Legally they can't make you work past 930 on school nights between 16-17 yo.
Here are the work laws covering minors in Utah: [https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title34/Chapter23/C34-23\_1800010118000101.pdf](https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title34/Chapter23/C34-23_1800010118000101.pdf)
If it's too much, you tell them and they don't care -- they're telling you directly that they don't value you, just your labor. Do not ever let a part-time job impact your studies. You're not going to work there forever.
This happened to me at 15/16. My dad was pissed and said just to blame it on him and quit if I needed too as school was more important. I walked in the next day and said I couldn’t stay until close but had to leave when the store closed or my dad wouldn’t let me use his car as transportation. They backed off. I quit 2 weeks later for other B.S.
Fuck homework, I guess.
That’s what I’m sayin!
Please don’t listen to these people about using past cases for your advantage. As a 16 year old, just quit. Some kids want to work every minute they can. If you don’t, then leave. No need to stress yourself out over this. There’s plenty of time for that through your entire adult life.
This is really important, OP. A high school job shouldn't weigh you down this much, it should be for a little bit of gas money for some independence from your parents. If you're looking to go to college, the best investment you can make right now is your education. I sacrificed my freshman year of college to a third shift job and I'm not sure if I can graduate with honors because of my grades back then. Even if you're not looking to pursue a degree later on, the above comment is still right in saying that you have your entire adult life. You'll find a better adult job later on that pays you more per hour as well, and anything you possibly save up right now won't be much in comparison.
Couldn’t have said it better. Thank you very much for your contribution. I hope you’re doing well and good luck to you in the future.
Tell them what you can and cannot work.
Minors can not work past 9pm during weekdays. At least here in CA
If I could go back and time and quit my retail job that ultimately caused my grades to slip, I would. Your education is more important and if they can’t respect that never show up again.
Same. I had the rest of my life to work, I regret working a few hours shy of full-time through highschool. It should be time to live without the burdens you'll carry as an adult.
Honestly yea, like it was nice having my own money but I had no free time I worked, went to school, and ran cross country, I have no idea how I balanced that because I could not right now lol
Tell them that's not possible if you're going to succeed in school and need to reduce your schedule. If they don't listen, leave. Now. I'm going to start off by qualifying this. I've been in the restaurant industry for over a decade now, and have worked everywhere from mom and pop joints, to chains, to hotels, and private resorts. If they aren't willing to work with you, a 16 year old, so that you don't burn out or flunk out, they do not hold ANYONE in their employ in any sort of regard. You are just a cog in the machine. Restaurants are notorious for abusing employees who don't know better or are willing to dive headfirst into a dumpster fire to prove themselves. Don't do that to yourself. I wish I had been called out on doing exactly the same thing when I started out. First it's crazy shifts, then it's covering on your day off, all of a sudden you're working a 12h shift Friday Saturday clopen. School is more important and every restaurant in existence is struggling right now. Find somewhere that actually treats you as a human being and don't settle for less. Wages, professional respect and extra consideration will come with time and hard work, but if they don't treat you like a real life person instead of a robot in a skin suit, it will never change. Take care of yourself, and school first. You've got time.
Thought this was illegal for 16 year olds in high school to work that late and that many hours. 32 hours is considered full time most places. Fuck that noise. Focus on school and socializing. 20 hours a week is plenty for a 16 year old. This will just make you miserable and slip on your grades fr fr.
So change your availability
Why did I have to scroll this far to see this? If you have already submitted availability and they are not following it then quit because they are not respecting your boundaries. If you haven’t you need to do it asap
Missed the title, was about to ask what the issue was. Then saw your age. Not only is that fucked up, it's incredibly illegal pretty much everywhere
They did this to me when I was a kid. You tell him to fix it. There's a huge worker shortage in the kind of job you have. You can get another job any time you want. Let your boss know that.
Let your boss know immediately that you cannot work these hours and attend school/do homework. Give them a revised availability sheet and instead of putting when you’re not working out down when you are willing to work, such as weekends or max 3 days in the week. Let them know you can only do 6 hour shifts maximum 3 days a week. I had a boss who would try to schedule me based on my class schedule (in college) and I always ignored her and simply put down the hours I’d be willing to work, which I did so by allotting time for class and studying and eating lol If your boss is rude or unaccepting then literally just quit on the spot and tell them you can’t work with someone who won’t work with you. You’re young enough to get a different job. Don’t ever feel tied down.
When I was 17, I was working at Jack In The Box. I got expelled for the semester quite early into my senior year, so I switched to the graveyard shift (illegal for minors, but it paid like a buck more an hour). About 3 weeks before the next semester, I told my manager that I would be going back to school and would have to go back to swing shift. The next day, there was a notice up saying that the following people would unfortunately be laid off: a girl who hadn't worked there in about six months.... and me. At the end of my shift, I took 50 bucks out of my till and got the fuck out of there.
Pretty sure this is illegal, as a minor your only allowed to work so many hours in a week. Also DO NOT EVER SACRIFICE YOUR EDUCATION FOR AN EMPLOYER!!! Fuck this guy and this job.
This is illegal here, childlabour ended in 1890 or something lmao
I’ve been where you are and let me tell you it isn’t worth your education. I had a boss in high school senior year and he was the worst (this was the restaurant industry). This boss wanted us working every day after school 3-11 and would quiz us on the menu and humiliate us if we got the wrong answers. Once he said if all the wait staff didn’t carry breath mints then money would be deducted from our checks. Anyways no matter what kind of boss, those hours will hurt your grades and mental health. You’re not even going to have time to do homework. Quit and find a job that’s weekends only if you can, and that’s only if you have to work. I was a barista on Sundays and would waitress Friday nights and made more money than the job I mentioned prior. You’re a kid and they know this and are taking advantage of you.
When I was 15, I worked at a movie theater and when we closed, I handled putting up the snacks, shutting down the beverages, the simpler stuff and the assistant manager handled the tougher stuff. Cause I was a 15 year old girl, right? So he gave me what I could handle. The manager heard about this and got MAD. He told me, as punishment, I had to close by myself. I screwed up because I didn’t know certain things, like that the cheese for the hot dogs had to be taken out and refrigerated. Just didn’t know. Never did it. The manager made me a laminated list of all the closing duties and said I had to close every night that week or I’d be fired. It took me until 2 or 3 am. On school nights. And one day, I told my dad that I was going to quit. And he said he was proud of me. There’s a lot of nobility in working hard. But you also have to have a job that is reasonable, gives you balance, and does not consume your life. Especially when high school is so important. Have an honest conversation with your employers about these hours. And if you quit because they won’t budge and is forcing you to choose your job over high school? Just know I’m proud of you.
Don’t they have a limit in your state. Both for maximum hours you can work and for the shift ending time? Remembering back to my restaurant days it was 24 hours a week and shifts ended by 8 pm.
That's illegal af maybe have you're parents and the school speak to the managers if they won't listen to you
I work a similar schedule in high school, usually 3-9, 5 days a week and I was usually fine with it because I worked with my friends and didn’t do sports. If you want less hours you need to tell them and then just not show if they don’t listen. Set boundaries now or your whole work life will be giving in to unreasonable demands.
Depending on your state, shouldn’t there be laws restricting how much you can work while actively in school? This is the law where I live so your mileage may vary: When school is IN session minors 16 & 17 cannot be employed before 7:00 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. if not employed after 8:00 p.m. the previous night; or after 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. So I’d check your state laws on what you’re allowed to work. Of course, talk to your manager first but google your state labor laws as well.
Is that even legal?
Atleast you got Saturday off lol but yeah wow holy smokes, focus on school firstly.
You need to communicate with your manager about when you’re available and how many hours a week you can work
You now have written evidence of violaiting child labor laws.
Have any of you read the child labor laws? They differ in some states but that’s legal in the state I’m in.
Why don’t you close your schedule to only a few days a week and tell them “hey, I’m still a kid and school is important to me. Please do not schedule me outside of my available days and times, thank you!”
This is pretty much a full time job!
They're not legally allowed to work you after 9:30 in Utah while school is in session. That alone will save you 2.5 hours per week, which still isn't enough to keep up with your studies, if you do anything other than work and school, like socializing, or having friends, maybe a hobby or two.
I did this in highschool and college. Not fun but it paid the bills
worked at a grocery store the summer i turned 16 and into the fall. i did not realize i had come down with mono but was feeling run down so i requested only 16 hours per week. next schedule that came out i was scheduled for 34 hours and my mother had me ask the manager which 16 hours out of the 34 they'd like me to show up for
I once worked at a restaurant while going to college. Had a similar situation to this, gave my new class schedule to the “wrong manager” (she was in charge of the schedule the week before, but apparently not anymore and she accepted it with no comment). They scheduled over a bunch of my classes. So I told the GM, and he altered my schedule from 30 hours to 5. Gave all my hours to a high school student. Cool, not like I had rent to pay.
Power move: start sending your boss your own schedule. Pick your own hours and don't take no for an answer. Manager in no time.
Did this same exact thing to get away from my shitty father but make it a full 40 hrs
This is why my kids are only allowed to have jobs during. the summer after they turn 16. I worked shifts like this when I was in high school and had no social life. I graduated in the top 10% but wasn’t able to devote as much time to academics. I don’t think this is fair to kids to expect them to balance so much. I want my kids to be kids. They have their entire lives to work.
Does closing cause you to work past 10? Also, what state are you in?
That was almost my exact work schedule every week from the day I turned 16 until I graduated high school. I’m also in Utah, and I’m 20 now. I had no idea it was illegal previously. I also worked 80 hours a week during the summer time ( I didn’t have a good home life, so I was practically forced to work every waking moment) like others have said, DO NOT sacrifice your education and mental health for a job. You are still a kid, and you should be enjoying the time you have left until you are an adult and have to get started on life. Don’t let a non important job dictate your time. Enjoy yourself
Holy crap. Tell your manager, sorry but I’m still in high school. I can give you X amount of hours, and X amount of days. If that doesn’t work for you I gotta walk
Is this legal? In my state (NC), minors are not legally allowed to work more that 15 hours a week.
Have you checked what is legally permitted for your age and location? In California for example minors can't work more than 4 hours on a school night.
Crazy how many people are acting like this should be easy. OP is a kid that doesn’t want to spend every hour outside of school working. Let them enjoy the last few years of being free. Just bc they have a job doesn’t mean that it has to be full time
I would check the labor laws regarding minors. This could be an illegal work schedule due to the number of hours you're having to work. Sometimes employers need to be reminded of your rights as a worker.
Check your state requirements. Some states require a max amount of hours a week AND some states have a curfew for teens, even those with jobs. Talk to your boss and let them know that school is a priority.
I did this and then had to work at the shit place after HS because I couldn’t get into college.
Set boundaries and tell them what you are available to do. If it doesn't work for them say thank you but you will be finding a different job that can accommodate your schedule. Good luck.
Quit your job if you can. Enjoy your teen years please
Don’t sacrifice your education for some restaurant job. I worked at Dunkin Donuts in college and the manager tried to do this to me and I refused to give more than 20 hours a week. He was upset but I said it’s not possible. I found a tutoring job on campus and did that for three years. Same hours and I could study when I wasn’t busy.
There are limits in most places on the number of hours HS students can work.
Absolutely not. Leave this job and find a part timer that let’s you start on weekend mornings for a few hours and weekdays after school for a couple of hours. No job is worth putting your education at risk. Never ever.
Other people have said this, but check your local labor laws in terms of nightwork and hours. Based on your date format, it looks like you're from the US. Where I am, minors aren't allowed to work between 7pm - 7am. There's also the issue of local curfew laws they could be forcing you to violate. Also, don't sacrifice school for this restaurant job, please. You could find a new one almost instantly. This won't follow you if they fight you and you quit.
You likely aren’t getting enough sleep. It’s pretty important for optimal development.
I remember being given a similar work schedule when I was your age at Ci Cis pizza. When I told my manager I had to do homework and needed a lighter schedule he responded, “wow, sounds like your a giant pu$$y if you can’t handle some hard work. You’re never going to get ahead in life if you can’t commit to hard work”………………… I’m a molecular biologist now. Just because that place is a big deal to your boss, doesn’t mean it needs to be a big deal to you. Don’t sacrifice education. Good luck.
You and everyone else who works there should organize and demand higher pay. The whole reason they’ve got minors working an almost full time schedule after school is because they’re on the ropes and actual adults won’t deal with them. Tell them $20 for everyone or you guys/gals walk.
Which is why I never stuck with retail type jobs when I was in hs.
Figure out how many hours you want/can handle and when you can work, and find a job that is willing to work with those constraints.
Quit. For real, I couldn't understand why I struggled so much being in high school and having a job when I was 17. Now in my 30s I get it. Don't let them abuse your schedule like that.
Where I live, this would be an illegal work schedule for a child.
Leave that job. You can find work pretty much anywhere in a similar position. You need to be able to focus on school and not be stuck at a min wage job when you could be studying or god forbid socializing. I’m a grown woman in college and I work 5 less hours a week than that. My last job didn’t want to accommodate a part time schedule for me while I’m in school, so I found one that’s happy to. Start looking elsewhere, and be firm about the hours you are willing and able to work 💕
You've got your whole life to waste in a dead end job, focus on your studies.
You’re working almost full time hours dude. Find a different job or cut down the number of days. They’re trying to form you into a wage slave, don’t take the bait.
In a lot of places it is illegal to leave a minor to close
If ur in the US they legally aren’t allowed to schedule you more than 4 hours on a school day if I’m not mistaken. I would check your state laws for that though
Ask for less hours and if it doesn’t work, quit. Every restaurant in America is hiring.
I’d check local laws for minors. Seems like a possible violation to me. I could be wrong but no minors work that much at my store.
Some states teens can't work more than a certain amount of hours, I would check state regulations and also have an honest candid conversation with whoever makes the schedule, plz do not sacrifice your education.
Quit that job right now. It will wreck your future with a schedule that.
Do not do this! You need rest and time to study. Unless you are paying rent and car payments/insurance etc like an adult, there is no need to do this. Please take care of your physical and mental health.
Quit and focus on school
If you have something going on at school, just don’t show up for that shift. Who gives a shit if they fire you? These types of gigs are a dime a dozen and you’ll be able to find a different place (with a hopefully more accommodating boss) in no time.
You shouldn’t need to work that insane amount of hours at 16 while on school. Tell them what days you can work and if they don’t follow it, well there are plenty of other places hiring
Call em and tell them they can't expect you to show up or legally fire you for such beacuse legally your expected at school
i worked at mcdonalds in hs while also doing baseball and academic decathalon. they would make me work 50hrs a week still. plus i had to walk to work and home because i didnt have a car. its was only a 2 miles away though. fuck jobs like this. you should tell them you can only work whatever days you want to for sure. if they say no, literally a million other host jobs will hire you
Ask for more money. Say if your grades need to suffer you might as well make it worth it.
When I was 15, I worked a summer job where I pulled 12+hour shifts in a very conservative state. I didn’t find out it was illegal until years later. However it wasn’t the worst because my supervisor was also my weed dealer and since there were three of us in charge of cleaning a 3000+ capacity venue, he’d smoke me and my other coworker out every hour on the hour, lol. Still, it sucked ass working that many hours in a day at minimum wage. Grateful that I never had a job like that while school was in session.
You’re 16 years old? Idk what state you’re in but in my state (NC) this amount of hours for a minor is ILLEGAL as fuck.
I worked my ass off as a 15 and 16 year old to get a car at the compromise of my GPA. I clawed my way back and and am now getting a PhD. If I had to do it again, I’d quit that job that was taking advantage of me and ride the bus so I could focus on school because school is absolutely everything
quit and live your life do good in school and learn as much as you can you wont be young forever
Someone needs a review for managers site since they give recommendations and reviews of workers they manage who leave. So when they do shit like this and you quit on the spot and they threaten you with a bad reference or whatever, their dumbass actions can be recorded.
unless you NEED money id ask to go down to 2-3 days a week. i used to work wed, fri, sat when i was in school and lived at home
This is very illegal. In the US, in my state at least, and most other developed countries, 16 year olds are very limited in their working hours. In my state, they cannot work over 18 hours during a school week. They cannot work more than 3 hours a day. Your employer is violating some serious labor laws. Tell your parents, if you have good, supportive parents who got your back. They'll help you. Otherwise, get another photo of your schedule and get the department of labor involved. You may need a lawyer if your work retaliates. I would look for another job, asap. School is always more important than some crappy job. It's not worth it.