Teenagers with paid work
Children aged 13 and over can work on weekends, holidays, or outside of school hours. There are legal restrictions on hours and types of work they can do. This includes children working in family businesses.
Children must not work:
- more than 12 hours a week in term time
- continually for more than 4 hours without 1 hour’s rest
- before 7am or after 7pm
See the guide to child employment below for types of work children can and can’t do.
If you are an employer, you need a work permit:
To employ a child under 16, you must notify the child employment officer by completing the ESCC forms below. The parent or carer must also sign the form.
- County Council notification by employer form [89.0 KB] [doc], and a copy of your company child protection policy and risk assessment.
- If you have any problems accessing or completing the forms, contact us (details listed below).
The child employment officer will reply within 10 working days of receiving the form. They will confirm whether the child is legally able to work. If so, they will receive a work permit.
Children who act, sing, model or take part in paid or professional sport:
If a child spends significant amounts of time in performances such as filming, theatre, sport or modelling, they need a child performance licence.
Who to contact at East Sussex County Council:
- Email: Child Employment team
- Telephone: 01273 481 967