Job suggestions for difficult child

[slsh]

He's looking for a job. And he asked me for suggestions. Double faint. He's applied at local grocery chain, a retail chain that emailed him back saying they weren't hiring.

He didn't even know about want ads in the paper... sigh (grrrr to TLP, so much for "lifeskills"). He said he'll get one this weekend.

I suggested perhaps housekeeping in a hospital - job security, decent pay and benefits.

Where else can I suggest? He's not a graduate and doesn't have his GED. No experience, not much in the way of skills.

I'm drawing a complete blank - I've worked in a hospital or related medical field since I was 15 so that was the extent of my input.

Please throw some ideas out for me - nothing is too off the wall. And thanks for the brainstorming!

 

[Suz]

Rob's first job was as a busboy in a restaurant. There are all kinds of positions in a restaurant...dishwasher, greeter, wait staff, clean up crew...

Suz

 

[tiredmommy]

I was going to say restaurant work too. He'd work mostly evenings and weekends, leaving time for him to get his GED. He could also find temp work in landscaping during the warmer months.

 

[Andy]

Do you have a local Parks and Recreation Department? Sometimes they hire various positions.

Maybe a city hall will hire park clean up crews?

Newspaper routes

If he likes animals check with Boarding Kennels (diva's friend walks dogs three times a day a few days a week).

Have him read through the Yellow Pages - if he finds a business he would like to work for, he can call them.

Some papers have sections of self-employed type work - maybe he can call someone to be an assistant?

He may have to start out small to work his foot in a door.

 

[mrscatinthehat]

Hospital is one of the first thoughts I had. Then overnight stock crew at a retail store. Customer interaction is not a big thing then usually.

 

[hearts and roses]

Ditto what everyone else already said. Restaurants in particular along with bagel places and delis are perfect first job. They are usually local, family owned and need pt helpers who are young and willing to do grunt work.

Also, grocery stores!!! The smaller local ones are great places to work.

Another option is to look on www.craigslist.com under help wanted. More and more companies are posting on there because it's free rather than posting in the local papers, which costs money. Both my girls have had luck on craigslist.

 

[everywoman]

The restaurant industry is great for difficult children. They have a variety of hours, lots of different positions, and usually understand "differences." difficult child has achieved great success working in a restaurant.

 

[mstang67chic]

Fast food, overnight stocker at the W store...seems they are always hiring...pet stores, restaurants. What about movie theaters or arcades. Landscaping is always good in the summer. Nurseries hire summer help. Are there any window washing companies in your area? Pool stores, fireworks companies, parks department, video game store, book store, ice cream stand. It really depends on what is around your area.


Is there anything that your difficult child is interested in? Books, animals, video games, etc. Maybe he could find something within the range of his interests.

 

[susiestar]

Housekeeper at a hotel is one that I didn't see mentioned.

Also working for small companies that do lawn maintenance.

If he has any kind of handyman skills he could work for a property mgmt co, or even if he could clean apartments between tenants he might be able to do this.

 

[Kjs]

easy child worked at six flag's when he was 15. Worked in the games area.
He also worked at the dog track as a lead out, bringing the greyhounds to their starting box. Then the lead outs would be stationed at certain points around the track. If a dog fell they were to run out and scoop it up. He liked this job until his dog fell and he had to scoop it up and bring it in. Broken leg. Racing dogs...they put down. he was very sad and he quit.
Same with animal shelter. He had a job there when in college. Cleaning out the kennels and walking the dogs. There was one dog that nobody else would go near. The dog bonded with him and he would take it out. One day when he came back they were waiting for him. Put that dog down. He quit.

But - golf courses are a bit hit around here. Kids as young as 12 can caddy. They get some big tips. My niece drove a beverage cart on the golf course..lots of tips.

Some golf courses also have parking lot attendants. They can start when they are 14.

Restaurants around here are strict with what they can do. At 14 you can work at Culvers. many of my son's friends work there.

Paper route - too early here. Must be delivered by 5:30AM.

consession stands at sporting events. If you have baseball - ball boy.

Dog walking. Must be willing to scoop poop on the walk. Neighbor boy put up signs and had quite a few customers.

LOL - when i was about 13 I use to take the neighbor boy around the block in his stroller. He was 1 - 2 years old. I got a quarter. LOL.

Taking garbage cans out/in for the elderly people. Only once a week.
difficult child helped out a lady by helping her bring up old papers and such from the basement. Bringing out trash. Picking up sticks.

Check Park and Rec department. Public swimming pools with concessions stands.

 

[DammitJanet]

Slsh....again...you will run into the no HS diploma and no GED. My suggestion is construction. That is about the most forgiving profession for difficult child's. He just needs to look on craigslist for your area and find work as a helper first. Work his way up. First thing he will do is pick up trash and sweep but he will make more money doing that than stocking shelves or walking dogs.

 

[Star*]

Well well WELL! This is quite a shock and a surpirse! I'm so happy for you! I'm doing two happy dances. One to revive you and one for our thank you.

I see you've gotten a lot of suggestions and I haven't read through them, but I did glance and a lot of people seem to think restaurant work is good for difficult children. Maybe so. It was NOT a good fit for Dude. And I quote the boss "Dude, you don't need to be there with your buddy - you MOP over here." and points. "Dude, where are you supposed to be right now? EATING off the buffet line?" "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT OUT OF YOUR $2.15 hr." and they did - the kid wasn't being fed at the group home so when a buddy suggested he come work with him - it lasted 2 days. At the end? And I quote Dude "You can take your mop and shove it up your...." and that was the end of mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms.

He didn't get that food was NOT free - He didn't get that passing food to your friends (other kids in the house) was stealing because 1.) they were starving and 2.) the food was going to be thrown out. He didn't like being told what to do in front of other people...but I will say in hindsight - it was a family owned restaurant. THAT could have had something to do with it.

I don't know SLSH - I think that now Dude is working in construction and he's mechanically inclined he's found his niche. What is it that thank you is good at? WHat is something that you've said DESPITE ALL the bad - that was his redeeming quality? Because Dude was always good with his hands. HE was lousy at putting stuff back together - but now when not putting things back together means not having a running car on the road someday? He puts stuff back together.

Also - how about vocational rehab in your state? There should be one that he can make an appointment with and go get tested to see what they can help him with.

Goodwill here in SC has a program that helps young people get jobs - but they won't allow anyone with a felony record to come work for them. I can't remember if thank you is non-felon or not.

There is also something here called WORK KEYS. IT's a training program in the GED Adult ed program that they can work on to obtain skills for doing a BUNCH of things - and local companies benefit by using work-keys people as they get HUGE tax breaks.

Something that helped Dude belive it or not was volunteering. We have done a lot of that over the years until Dude figured HIS time was worth HUGE bucks...(groan) but when he had court ordered community service we put him at the Salvation Army and were lucky enough to find a manager with a difficult child of her own. And at the Salvation Army? THERE ARE LOADS of recovering people.....up side - THEY understand. Down side? You may be hooking him up with a source.

Also be VERY aware of the companies that run background checks and won't hire felons (if he is) I think an atmosphere like a grocery store with limited hours as a bagger or stocker is good. If he's a night owl - he can probably get on with a crew stocking at night.

Construction seems to fit with Dude so far, and he's already set himself goals on his own, and is getting up, packing lunch etc....it was hard not to but in and say "Well if you......blah blah blah".....and let him find his own way but it's the best thing I never did - as Dude has found his own way.

So in the mean time - if he's not working on a GED - and ALSO - ugh....check with your GED offices. SOME of them will NOT take kids at night despite their age if they were in a Self-contained class.

A little checking ahead helps not set our kids up to feel like a failure out of the shoot. I was shocked when the GED program here said NO to Dude working during the day (so he could pay his probation) and going to school at night. The principal is a shrew. But that's their policy. No SPED kids in night Adult Ed. But let him go to jail because he can't pay his fines.

Has he tried the unemployment office too?

THe biggest hurdles we had were Felony charges, and required Diploma or GED. So tell him the GED is important and shows people he's able to go to a place day after day and does worry about his education.

Hugs
best of luck thank you - I'm rooting for you!!!!! Always have!

 

[eekysign]

Depends on his personality, yeah? And background.....is he interested in anything in particular? Quieter, or more outgoing? Library, SPCA, hospital, big-box store like Kohl's/Target/etc, Starbucks gives decent benefits, I hear.....hmmm...

I worry about restaurant work, at least chain restaurant work, 'cause there can be a LOT of drug use and partying. I worked in a few before I started doing medical stuff, and the "typical" was a difficult child-filled kitchen (ex-cons, hardcore party kids, or simple potheads), and a mixed-bag of wait staff (party kids, but also normal kids putting themselves through school, etc). Family restaurants might be better (although it doesn't sound like it, from what Star was saying!)

 

[Star*]

Eekysign -

Well not EVERYONE has a family like these people were - lol. They were really odd. The father and mother owned it. Their daughters (3) were the waitresses. Then two of the daughters' husbands were cooks. So when a starving, 15 year old kid decided that buffet toss outs were free - and the daughters screeched he was stealing food? Yeah time to go. Especially since they were screaching from the dinner table over their own free buffet.

haha.

 

[witzend]

Busboy or dishwasher is always a good starter job. I know that it sounds kind of hokey to say "mow the lawn" for the neighbors, but it's good honest work. I pay a kid $10 to mow the lawn, and I told him the first time that if he did a good job, he could come back and do it every week. He mowed my lawn every week, and did some other people's as well. He had a regular day that he came to our house. Then every time we needed an extra pair of hands for a heavy project, we called him. On a grander scale, my dad used to be a garbage man, and offered yard work to the people whose trash he picked up. He sold his garbage route and kept up the yard work. He said he could pay for a new tool within a day. He didn't work at all in the winter, and he ended up selling the "yard route" about 5 years later for $60k, and that was in the '80s.

 

[daralex]

I wish I had a suggestion - but we are in the same exact sinking boat! difficult child will be 15 next month and wants "money" and now wants a job. We are having a VERY hard time finding anything for her - but I'm determined. There has to be something out there she can do without breaking something, offending someone, or setting something on fire!

 

[JJJ]

How about Job Corps?

 

[trinityroyal]

When I was in school, I worked as a house painter during the summers. No degree or diploma required, on the job training provided.

http://www.collegepro.com/data/sb.c...26PageKey=26&gclid=CI-TnpqqhZoCFQEeDQodTGp5Fg
This is the company I used to work for, but there are others out there.