One of the evils of American industrialization was the use of child labor, which allowed children of virtually any age to work in some of the most dangerous and difficult jobs, particularly in factories, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1930s, the United States attempted to address this by requiring children to attend school. As a result, minimum age requirements for employment were established in 1938.
Most jobs require you to be 16 years old, though this varies from state to state. Many states allow children to work at the age of 14, but this varies by industry. In some states, such as Illinois, the minimum age for working in agriculture is 12 during the school year and 10 during the summer. There are exceptions and loopholes to these restrictions, and some fields of work or tasks are not permitted for those under the age of 18, or in some cases 21, in some cases. Children of virtually any age can work in the entertainment industry, for example, if their parents agree. There are laws governing how much work children of various ages can do in a day, as well as requiring that a child attend school.
If you work for your parents, you may be able to get around minimum age requirements. You may be able to work without being 14 in a family business. In addition, there is no minimum age requirement for obtaining an informal job. You can babysit, run errands, walk dogs, and help neighbors with yard work. These are jobs that are done on a one-time basis rather than on a regular basis, and you do not need a work permit to do them.
If you are under the age of 18 but over the age limit for getting a job in your state, you will most likely need to apply for a work permit. These are frequently filed through your school, but you can always ask a school counselor how to apply for one. You’ll need a signature from a parent or guardian granting you permission to work, as well as a Social Security number. Ask your parents if they have one, because most tax forms in the United States now require children’s Social Security numbers in order to claim them as dependents.
Certain occupations have much higher minimum age requirements. In many states, for example, you cannot legally serve alcohol until you are 18 years old if you work in the food industry. Furthermore, once you reach the age of 18, you can only serve alcoholic beverages on a tray. You can’t mix drinks, pour wine, or even carry a drink to a customer until you’re 21 in most cases. In states where the drinking age is less than 21, the rules may be different.