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Young people can be employed in light work from 13 years old until they finish Year 11.
Light work is work that:
- is not likely to be harmful to the safety, health or development of the young person
- does not have a negative impact on their attendance and wellbeing at school
The employer must have a work permit, even if the young person is working as a volunteer. Young people do not need a work permit for work experience arranged by the school.
The permit is valid while the young person is employed or until they reach the last Friday in June of the school year in which they are 16. Read about the minimum ages children can work on GOV.UK.
How to apply
There are 3 parts to the application:
- The employer starts the application.
- The young person's parent/carer gets an email to authorise the application.
- The young person's school also gets an email to authorise the application.
Once each part is complete, our Licensing Team will review the application.
We will issue the permit to the employer by email, with the parent/carer copied in.
Apply for a child work permit
The employer must apply for a work permit for each young person they want to employ.
You must apply at least 14 days before the young person is due to start work.
You will need:
- name, date of birth and address of the young person
- name, contact number and email of the parent/carer
- name of the young person's school
- details of the young person's job
- details of the days and hours of the young person's employment
- your company’s health and safety risk assessment for young people
We aim to process all applications within 21 working days.
This may be longer if we need more information from the employer, parent/carer or school. In some cases, we may ask for information from other services within the council or other local councils.
Hours a young person can work
The hours a young person can work will depend on their age. The hours differ for 13 to 14 year olds and 15 to 16 year olds.
The employer must tell the Licensing Team about any changes to the young person's working times or conditions so we can issue an updated work permit.
See the tables for the permitted working times by age.
During school term time:
| During school term time | Children aged 13 and 14 years | Children aged 15 and 16 years |
|---|---|---|
Daily maximum (Monday to Friday) |
2 hours (of which no more than 1 hour may be prior to the start of school hours) | 2 hours (of which no more than 1 hour may be prior to the start of school hours) |
| Daily maximum (Saturday) | 5 hours | 8 hours |
| Daily maximum (Sunday) | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Weekly maximum | 12 hours | 12 hours |
| Earliest start time | 7am | 7am |
| Latest finish time | 7pm | 7pm |
| Is employment during school hours permitted? | No | No |
During school holidays:
During school holidays |
Children aged 13 and 14 years | Children aged 15 and 16 years |
|---|---|---|
| Daily maximum (Monday to Saturday) | 5 hours | 8 hours |
Daily maximum (Sunday) |
2 hours | 2 hours |
| Weekly maximum | 25 hours | 35 hours |
| Earliest start time | 7am | 7am |
| Latest finish time | 7pm | 7pm |
Working for more than one employer
A young person can work for more than one employer but they must have a separate work permit for each job. If a young person has more than one job, the total hours they work for all jobs must not go over the maximum work hours for their age.
Pay
There is no minimum wage for young people. Minimum wage only applies once a young person has completed compulsory education.
Children's Services Licensing Team: child work permits
Email: childworkpermits@dorsetcouncil.gov.ukTel: 01305224143
Full contact details
Read the Dorset Council child employment bylaws.
Read our child work permit privacy notice to find out how we use your application information.