The youngest age a child can work part-time is 13, except children involved in areas like:
- television
- theatre
- modelling
Children working in these areas will need a performance licence.
All other businesses intending to employ school-aged children must apply for a child employment permit before they can be employed.
Compulsory school age runs until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they reach 16.
If a child works without a permit, their employer will be committing a criminal offence. The child will not be covered by any employers’ liability insurance, and a parent allowing their child to work illegally could also be liable to prosecution.
A child working in a family business will still need a permit.
There are also limits on the type of work they can do and the hours they can work.
Children are not allowed to work:
- in a factory, industrial undertaking ,or in a company registered under the Factories Act
- in a commercial kitchen, preparing and cooking food
- delivering milk
- selling and delivering alcohol, except in sealed containers
- in cinemas, discos and theatres
- with machinery considered dangerous e.g. meat slicers, garden machinery
- handling petrol or any other dangerous substances
- in street trading, including selling of newspapers, flowers and other articles
- collecting money, selling or canvassing door-to-door except under the supervision of an adult
- in telephone sales
- in a slaughterhouse or premises connected with the killing of livestock, butchery or the preparation of meat for sale
- in a fairground or amusement arcade
- in the personal care of residents of a care or nursing home
- in work which involves exposure to adult material
A child aged 13 may be employed only in light work in:
- shops
- delivering newspapers and journals
- an office
- hairdressing salons
- cafés or restaurants (excluding preparing or cooking food)
- light work with animals
- at riding stables
- car washing by hand in a private residential setting
- domestic work in a hotel
The hours a child can work
Aged 13-14:
- school days - 2 hours (of which no more than 1 hour may be prior to the start of school hours)
- Saturdays - no more than 5 hours (this must include a 1 hour break after 4 hours)
- Sundays - 2 hours
- school weeks - no more than 12 hours a week
- school holidays - no more than 5 hours a day (this must include a 1 hour break after 4 hours). Maximum 25 hours a week
Aged 15 - 16:
- school days - 2 hours (of which no more than 1 hour may be prior to the start of school hours)
- Saturdays - no more than 8 hours (this must include a 1 hour break after 4 hours)
- Sundays - 2 hours
- school weeks - no more than 12 hours a week
- school holidays - no more than 8 hours a day. Maximum 35 hours a week
No children can work before 7 in the morning or after 7 at night.
Withdrawing a permit
We may withdraw a child’s permit if his / her part-time work appears:
- to be stopping him / her from getting the maximum benefit from school
- to be affecting his / her attendance at school
- to vary from the job description (or the permitted hours)
Applying for a work permit
You can download (PDF 748KB) 
a Child Employment Application form.