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How Old Do You Have To Be To Get a Job?

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you can cut grass at any age!

Photo Credit: sacks08

So, we’ve filled up N3XT Job with all these available jobs, but we haven’t talked about who is eligible to apply for them. Many teenagers like to earn some money, but do you know at what age you can start working? We decided to dig a little into this question for you.

Please note: This information is specific to Prince Edward Island. Regulations may differ across Canada. To see what the minimum age is in your province, check here.

Legal Age Requirement

In general, you should be 16 years old to work; however, you can work if you are under 16 provided a few restrictions are met.

  • You can’t work during normal school hours or between 11PM–7AM.
  • You’re only allowed to work 3 hours a day on a school day and 8 hours on a non-school day
  • You can’t work more than 40 hours on a non-school week (so, during the summer basically)
  • You’ll have to get permission from your parents
  • You can’t work in construction, as a signaler in traffic control, or as an apprentice for a trade
  • You won’t be allowed to work in an unsafe environment

Now, there are a couple of fuzzy areas when it comes to age and work you should be aware of.

Babysitting

There is no minimum legal age for babysitters in Canada. You should take the Red Cross course for babysitters which teaches basic first aid and reviews various babysitting scenerios. Many people start to babysit around 12, most likely for a younger sibling, relative, or family friend.

Family-Run Business

If your family owns its own business, you may find yourself “helping out” from a very early age. Your family will probably get you to do any task you are able, and if you’re lucky, they’ll even pay  you.

Off to work!

Many restaurants hire teens younger than 16 to start off as dishwashers . . . local newspapers generally need carriers (just make sure you like to bike a lot, or you have a very nice parent/sibling to drive you) . . . and you can usually find people willing to let you mow their lawn for cash.  And there is no age limit on entrepreneurs, so if you have a business idea, feel free to start working on it! Lemon-aid stand anyone?

Find more job tips and search our job bank at N3XT Job