Publications
When I was in high-school, I always dreaded starting work. Maybe I just wasn’t all that ambitious but it all just seemed too scary for me. All my life I had heard – “Work is tough and you’ll get sick of it, then you’re stuck there.” I mean really – How encouraging!
On my first day at 24.com I showed up at the wrong building and had NO clue where to go. With some help from a friend, the fact that 24.com has a shuttle and over an hour of waiting, I eventually arrived at work – an hour and a half late. To avoid a similar experience for your teen follow these suggestions:
Double check
Take a drive through to the work place a few days before the time so that you and your teen know EXACTLY where they’re going on that first day.
Share!
Why not tell your kid about your first day at work. This way we don’t feel all that frightened by the prospect of a day all on your own in a new place. Surely if mom has done it then so can we?
Encourage
Encourage your teen to ask questions – anytime, whenever needed and to never be too proud or too frightened to admit that you have no idea where the bathroom is, or the kitchen or the conference room or… I think you catch my drift. Remember what it was like on your first day.
Great expectations
Let your teen know exactly what to expect. Whether it be that they will be filling in forms all day or that they’ll need to know exactly what time the bus will show up, try and cover every possible basis.
Just in case
My mother is always saying: “You never know so just incase…” and because of that I’ve learnt that always having airtime on your cellphone and money for a taxi just in case is a good thing, because you really do ‘never know’.
Whether it’s the first day of school, work or even just starting a new job after working at the same place for 10 years, the nerves and sweats are never far behind. On that first day you’ll face all kinds of new things and yes, it is one of the scariest things you’ll ever do, but parents, you can make it a whole lot easier on your now working teen. Really try and explain every possible corner of that scary new world called ‘the workforce’ and always be ready to encourage in anyway possible, then before you know it, you’ll have a confident and happy teen on their first day of work.
On my first day at 24.com I showed up at the wrong building and had NO clue where to go. With some help from a friend, the fact that 24.com has a shuttle and over an hour of waiting, I eventually arrived at work – an hour and a half late. To avoid a similar experience for your teen follow these suggestions:
Double check
Take a drive through to the work place a few days before the time so that you and your teen know EXACTLY where they’re going on that first day.
Share!
Why not tell your kid about your first day at work. This way we don’t feel all that frightened by the prospect of a day all on your own in a new place. Surely if mom has done it then so can we?
Encourage
Encourage your teen to ask questions – anytime, whenever needed and to never be too proud or too frightened to admit that you have no idea where the bathroom is, or the kitchen or the conference room or… I think you catch my drift. Remember what it was like on your first day.
Great expectations
Let your teen know exactly what to expect. Whether it be that they will be filling in forms all day or that they’ll need to know exactly what time the bus will show up, try and cover every possible basis.
Just in case
My mother is always saying: “You never know so just incase…” and because of that I’ve learnt that always having airtime on your cellphone and money for a taxi just in case is a good thing, because you really do ‘never know’.
Whether it’s the first day of school, work or even just starting a new job after working at the same place for 10 years, the nerves and sweats are never far behind. On that first day you’ll face all kinds of new things and yes, it is one of the scariest things you’ll ever do, but parents, you can make it a whole lot easier on your now working teen. Really try and explain every possible corner of that scary new world called ‘the workforce’ and always be ready to encourage in anyway possible, then before you know it, you’ll have a confident and happy teen on their first day of work.
