BBC Take Away English (Should schoolchildren have jobs? 中小学生应做兼职工作吗？)

以前，英国中小学生在校学习期间会寻找一些简单的兼职零工，一方面给自己赚些零花钱，而更重要的是从中获取生活经验。而如今，在校期间做兼职的学生人数越来越少，这是为什么呢？学生在校期间打零工的利与弊又是什么呢？

part-time job

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article

When you were at school, the last thing you probably wanted to do was spend your weekends going to work. There was homework to do, sport to play and fun to be had. But our parents probably persuaded us to find a job to earn some money and get some life experience. When I was a teenager I had a paper round: delivering newspapers to people's homes. I then progressed to a Saturday job in a supermarket: stacking shelves and working at the checkout.

Today in the UK you are allowed to work from the age of 13, and many children do take up part-time jobs. It's one of those things that is seen almost as a rite of passage. It's a taste of independence and sometimes a useful thing to put on your CV. Teenagers agree that it teaches valuable lessons about working with adults and also about managing your money. So, that's no bad thing!

Some research has shown that not taking on a Saturday or holiday job could be detrimental to a person later on. A 2015 study by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills found that not participating in part-time work at school age had been blamed by employers' organisations for young adults being ill-prepared for full-time employment. But despite this, recent statistics have shown that the number of schoolchildren in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.

So, does this mean that British teenagers are now more afraid of hard graft? Probably not. Some experts feel that young people feel going out to work will hinder their performance at school, and they are under more pressure now to study hard and get good exam results - and a good job in the long term. However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC News that "Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives." In reality, it's all about getting the right balance between doing part-time work and having enough time to study and rest.

Many young people actually want to work because it gives them a sense of freedom. One 13 year-old girl called Rachel, who has a Saturday job in a shop, told the BBC that "I enjoy my job because I'm earning money and it helps my confidence speaking to people and socialising with people I work with." That seems like something worth getting up for on a Saturday morning. Did you do a part-time job when you were at school?

vocabulary

the last thing 最不想要的事物；最后一件事
life experience 生活经历
paper round（通常由中小学生做的）上门送报服务
Saturday job 周六工作，业余零工
stack shelves 码放货架上的物品，整理货架
checkout 付款台，结账处
part-time 兼职的
rite of passage 成人仪式
independence 自主，自立，独立
CV 简历
detrimental 有危害的
ill-prepared 准备不足的
full-time employment 全职工作
hard graft 艰苦奋斗
hinder 阻碍，妨碍
regulated（按照规定或法律）管理的
sense of freedom 自由感
confidence 自信
socialise 交往，交际

make sentences

Experts say smoking cigarettes can have a detrimental effect on your health.
The sailor was ill-prepared for his trip and his yacht ended up hitting a reef and sinking.
Fans say the athlete's hard graft has been worth it and she deserves to win the gold medal.
Since Li has had her baby she's cut her working hours and now works part-time.
Quitting my job and moving to the countryside has given me a new sense of freedom.

question

What have employers blamed for adults being ill-prepared for full-time work?

answer

Not participating in part-time work at school age had been blamed by employers' organisations for young adults being ill-prepared for full-time employment.