topic 3 - Mai

In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.


I used to be a teenager and I used to have part time jobs while being at high school. At that time, people, especially adults gave me a lot of reasons and a load of worries in order to prevent me from working – “It will harm your health”, “It will influence badly on your study”, “it is no use for a teenager like you”...... But what happened to me? I was employed when being a monitor, volunteering for charity work and my grade did not drop. I honestly think it is a good idea that teenagers have part time jobs while still students; they will gain many benefits.

The most obvious advantage is that they can earn money. Teenagers have a lot of expenses – clothes, books, extra-curricular activities, hanging-out with friends....They can not ask their parents for money all the time, so may not be able to buy an exciting book or miss school camping. Part time jobs, however, help them cover these costs.

Some people believe if teens have much money, they will spend on wasteful, even harmful things; part time jobs are not good for them, therefore. The fact is actually opposite their belief. Jobs offered to teenagers are almost low- wage and manual ones like baby-sitting, dog walking, pet care or dishwashing. When working, they learn that money does not come easy; then form better spending way.

Moreover, part time jobs are the key open society door. They are exposed to people from variety of backgrounds, so can build communication skill. For example, when working as cashier in a mall, they have to communicate with many people, from a doctor to an entrepreneur, from a rich lady to a poor unemployed person, from a five year boy to an old man; sometimes must handle with awkward situations. Clearly, part time jobs help them get experience prepared to get out in the real world and somehow make them more mature than just sitting at school.

Last but not least, having jobs is a fantastic way to teach teenagers about responsibility and discipline which will be beneficial to them later in life. They must learn how to manage time efficiently so that they can keep up with studying at school. In work, they must be always on time and make sure their task run well.

“A little hard work never hurt anyone”. I totally agree with this saying. Part time jobs give teenagers a lot of benefits that help them to grow up. This experience may be an unforgettable memory in their life.