Working hours
The hours young people can work are laid down by law.
If you’re 13 – 16 and still at school, the rules are:
- no work during school hours on school days (including lunch time)
- no work for more than 1 hour in the morning before school starts
- no work before 7am or after 7pm
- no work for more than 2 hours on a school day or a Sunday
- no work for more than 5 hours on a Saturday or a weekday in the school holidays (8 hours if you’re 15 or 16)
- no work for more than 12 hours a week in term time or 25 hours a week in the school holidays (35 hours a week if you’re 15 or 16)
- you must have a break of 1 hour after doing 4 hours of work
- you must have 2 consecutive weeks holiday from work during school holidays – so put your feet up and have a rest!
If you're 16 or 17 and no longer at school, there are still some rules designed to keep you from harm in the workplace. The rules say:
- no work for more than 8 hours a day, or a total of 40 hours a week.
- no overnight work (although there are some exceptional circumstances where you can work on a night shift)
- no less than 12 hours of rest in any 24 hour period.
- no less than 48 hours rest in each 7 day period
- you must have a break of at least 30 minutes if you work for 4 hours 30 minutes or more.
For more information, visit www.worksmart.org.uk
