# I'm 14, can I get a "real" job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429 "2002-12-13T04:22:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/21 "2002-12-14T04:23:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jacquilynne \* > \*\*In British Columbia, the minimum age of employment is 15, unless you get governmental permission. The process for that was not particularly onerous when I went through it when I was 14 and wanted to wait tables for a summer, however, it did take a few days and was job specific. You couldn’t get blanket permission to work, you had to find someone willing to hire you, and then get authorisation for that specific job. > > Currently, minimum wage in BC is $8.00 an hour, unless you have less than 500 hours total work experience, in which case, it is $6.00 an hour. > > A google search for Ministry of Labour, and the name of the province in which you live will generally turn up the appropriate resources for your province. \*\* That law annoys me. Argh, is it retroactive(or whatever that word is) that if you had 400 hours or something you would have got a $2 pay cut? Good suggestions everybody. ---
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/22 "2002-12-14T04:24:55Z")
I meant when that law was introduced. ---
**Author:** ![cvandy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cvandy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cvandy3)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/23 "2002-12-14T04:44:27Z")
fish in the sky - another wisconsinite i see!!! im 15 and i just got a job at a local itanlian restraunt. as mentioned before, they will hire just about anyone heh… i am a busboy and the pay is actually kinda decent, minimum wage plus about $100+ a week in tips. its pretty good for a young person who “needs” a job ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/24 "2002-12-14T15:00:20Z")
I have to ask, cvandy–I don’t recall busboys getting tips when I worked in a restaurant. The tips left on the table were for the waitstaff. Does the crew in your restaurant pool or share tips? Another thing to remember is that minimum wage differs, at least in the US, if you make more than a certain amount in tips. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/25 "2002-12-14T15:39:13Z")
“Being a waiter is NOT a simple job.” Ah, then perhaps a busboy? ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/26 "2002-12-14T17:57:26Z")
Papercarriers don’t make decent money there? Hmmm. I carry in the U.S. and average $10/hour…a far more rewarding job than working at my local discount store, and I’m not on my feet for 8 hours at a time. If you live in a neighborhood, put your name out as an odd-jobs person. If you have elderly folks near, get to know them and let them know you’re willing to do chores for them. If you can set your own schedule by doing this sort of work, all the better. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/27 "2002-12-16T05:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmileyDeath \* > \*\*That law annoys me. > Argh, is it retroactive(or whatever that word is) that if you had 400 hours or something you would have got a $2 pay cut? The law was grandfathered in. If you had any history of paid employment prior to the date it was enacted (even just a few hours), then the reduced minimum wage didn’t apply to you. ---
**Author:** ![cvandy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cvandy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cvandy3)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429/28 "2002-12-19T00:40:26Z")
well what happens is the waiters just tip the busboys at the end of the night (usually a % of what they get) and minimum wage here is 5.15 i believe [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-14-can-i-get-a-real-job/142429.md?page=1)