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Part-time work, age 16

How to find a part-time job at 16

Eight steps that actually work in the UK: where to apply, what to say, how much you must be paid, and what your hours rules really allow. No experience needed, because nobody expects you to have any.

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Last reviewed by the Shine careers team. Pay and hours figures link to GOV.UK and Acas.

How do you actually get a part-time job at 16?

Get a part-time job at 16 by applying two ways: a one-page CV handed in on a quiet weekday morning to independent shops and cafés, and batched online applications to the big chains' own careers sites. Sell availability rather than experience, follow up once after three or four days, and check the offer pays at least £8.00 an hour.

Last reviewed by the Shine careers team.

The eight steps

  1. 1

    Check when you can legally work

    In England you leave school on the last Friday in June of the school year in which you turn 16, and can then work part-time under young-worker rules. If you are still in full-time education, that means evenings and weekends in term time, and full holidays in the school holidays.

    Young-worker rules cap you at 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, with a 30-minute break after 4.5 hours, 12 hours' rest between shifts, and no work between 10pm and 6am (some contracts move that to 11pm-7am). Write your real availability down before you apply: it is the first thing employers filter on.

  2. 2

    Sort your number and your one-page CV

    You do not need a National Insurance number to be offered a job, but your employer needs it to pay you properly, so apply for one if it has not arrived. Then write a one-page CV: school, subjects, grades, availability, and anything that shows you turn up and learn quickly.

    Experience counts even without a job: caring for younger siblings, a sports team, a Duke of Edinburgh section, volunteering at a school event, dog walking for neighbours, or helping in a family business. Shine's first-CV template does this for you in about ten minutes, free and with no sign-up.

  3. 3

    Build a list of places you can actually get to

    Write down every employer within a bus ride of your front door: supermarkets, cafés, independent shops, takeaways, cinemas, leisure centres, garden centres, libraries, and the warehouses on the edge of town. Start with the ones you could walk to, then widen the list as you go.

    Getting to work is a real barrier at 16 without a car, so check the bus or walk time before you apply, not after you get the job. A 40-minute trip that ends at 9pm is a job you will not keep.

  4. 4

    Apply two ways: in person to independents, online to the chains

    Independent shops, cafés and takeaways usually still hire from a CV handed over the counter on a quiet weekday morning. The big chains will make you use their online careers site, so do those from home in batches and keep a note of what you submitted where.

    Walk in between 10am and 11.30am on a weekday, ask for the manager rather than leaving it with staff, and say one sentence about when you can work. For the chains, search the retailer's own website for 'careers' or 'jobs' - the vacancies are there, not on a job board.

  5. 5

    Sell availability, not experience

    At 16 almost nobody expects a work history. What employers are buying is someone who shows up on the shift they promised, so put 'available every school holiday, every Saturday, and Friday evenings' at the top of your CV and say it again in the application.

    The same availability that makes you employable also decides your hours: if you can only do Saturday mornings, say so honestly rather than taking a rota you cannot keep.

  6. 6

    Follow up once, politely, then move on

    If you have not heard in three or four days, go back in or ring and ask whether they are still interviewing. One follow-up makes you memorable; five makes you the applicant they avoid.

    Keep a simple list of who you asked, when, and what happened. It also stops the awkward moment when a manager asks 'have you applied here before?' and you cannot remember.

  7. 7

    Check the offer before you start

    You must be paid at least the minimum wage for your age - £8.00 an hour if you are 16 or 17 from 1 April 2026 - and many supermarkets and large chains pay more. Ask for the hours in writing, and check you are not being asked to work nights you are not allowed to.

    Most 16 year olds pay no income tax because the first £12,570 a year is tax-free, and National Insurance only starts above £242 a week from one job, so a small Saturday job usually pays nothing to HMRC. If your first payslip looks wrong, it is often an emergency tax code, which HMRC fixes and refunds through your wages.

  8. 8

    If you get turned down, ask why and keep going

    Rejection at 16 is usually about timing or a rota, not about you. Ask what would make it work next time - often it is more availability - then put that name on the list for the next round of applications.

    Send a steady run of applications each week rather than waiting to perfect one, and start again the week after. It usually takes several rounds of asking before something lands - that is normal at 16, not a verdict on you.

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Three other ways to find work

  • The official job search. GOV.UK Find a job lists vacancies you can apply for directly, and it is worth checking alongside Shine's board rather than instead of it.
  • An apprenticeship instead. If you would rather be paid to train than collect a Saturday wage, Find an apprenticeship is the official search for England, and you can start at 16 with no CV.
  • A weekly alert for your town. Shine sends one free email a week with new roles matching your town and age, so you are not refreshing the same page every day.

Questions people ask at 16

What jobs can I get at 16 with no experience?
The roles that most often hire 16 year olds with no work history are supermarket shelf-filling and stockroom, shop assistant in independent retail, café and takeaway counter, kitchen porter, cinema usher, leisure centre assistant, warehouse picker (some are 18+), dog walking and babysitting for neighbours. Employers taking temps expect to train you, so reliability and availability matter far more than a CV.
How much should I be paid at 16?
At least £8.00 an hour, which is the National Minimum Wage for workers under 18 from 1 April 2026. The apprentice rate is also £8.00 an hour if you are under 19 or in your first year. Lots of large employers pay above the minimum, so check the advert rather than assuming the legal floor is the offer.
Do I need a National Insurance number before I can start?
You can be offered a job without one, but your employer needs it to pay you through PAYE, so apply as soon as you start looking. UK residents normally get one automatically just before their 16th birthday if a parent or guardian claimed Child Benefit; if yours never arrived, you can apply online at GOV.UK.
How many hours can I work at 16?
Once you are past school-leaving age, up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, with a 30-minute break if you work more than 4.5 hours, 12 hours' rest between shifts and no work between 10pm and 6am in most jobs. If you are still in full-time education, keep it to evenings and weekends in term time.
Will I pay tax on a part-time job at 16?
Usually not. Income tax only starts once your taxable earnings pass £12,570 a year, and National Insurance only applies above £242 a week from one job once you are 16 or over. A typical Saturday job sits below both, so the payslip usually shows nothing deducted.
Does work experience have to be paid?
Often yes. Acas says someone doing work experience is entitled to at least the minimum wage unless the placement is a required part of a further or higher education course, happens before the course ends, and lasts no more than a year. Pure job shadowing where you observe and do no work is the other common exception.
Where are the best part-time jobs for 16 year olds advertised?
Two places: the retailer's own careers page, and in person at independent shops and cafés. Check the employer's own site as well as the big boards, because a board does not always carry every vacancy. Shine lists live local vacancies for 16+ alongside apprenticeships, and you can set a free weekly alert for your town.

Related guides

Part of Shine's apprenticeship guide series, plain-English answers, updated regularly.