England
Under 13s generally cannot be employed. School-age children usually need to be 13 or older, doing light work, within strict limits. Local council permits and byelaws are important.
What's the law?
Can a young person work?
In many cases, part-time work is allowed for school-age young people, but it is not a free-for-all. Age, hours, type of work, supervision and local council rules all matter.
Postcode lookup
Start with a UK postcode.
Enter a UK postcode and the checker will try to identify the local authority, nation and local child-employment guidance. Then add the child’s date of birth and type of work for an age-based summary.
Use a real full postcode for best results. Example-style postcodes such as SK7 2XX may only return an approximate area match.
Step 1
Local council lookup
Enter a UK postcode first. The page will try to identify the local authority and match it to the child-employment dataset used by this website.
Step 2
Age and work check
Then add the child’s date of birth and type of work. The checker will estimate the child’s age, school year/stage, likely school leaving point and basic work limits.
National rules
The main limits are similar, but not identical.
Wales
Broadly similar to England for most everyday school-age work. Local authorities handle permits and may have local rules, so the council check matters.
Scotland
Broadly similar principles apply, but Scottish school-leaving dates and local byelaws can differ. Use Scottish guidance and check the council.
Northern Ireland
Similar principles around school-age work and young workers, but guidance and administration differ. Check NI guidance and local arrangements.
Official guidance
Check the official source before relying on a decision.
This page is designed to make the rules easier to understand. It is not a substitute for official guidance, local authority rules or legal advice.
The law is the floor, not the target. A first job should be legal, safe, supervised and genuinely useful. Youth Employment Resource — The Law