THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512080059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANET DUNPHY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 138 lines
LOCAL TEENAGERS are marching off to a multitude of jobs as early as they can. And plenty of them are liking the work and the rewards.
Most students interviewed for this story are making more than the $4.25 minimum wage and averaging 15 hours a week on the job. Many students work into the evening hours, but they say their jobs don't interfere with school work and that their employers allow them the flexibility of taking time off for school - with advance notice.
Kristen Holmquist, a senior at Cox High School in Virginia Beach, works 40 hours a week during the summer at Taste Unlimited but cuts back to 20 during the school year, mostly on weekends. The job was ideal in the beginning because she could walk there from her house; now she has a car.
``The work is hard but it's fun,'' said Kristen, who has worked for more than a year and makes minimum wage. ``It's something to do and it's kind of rewarding.''
Michelle Johnson has been waitressing at the Westminster-Canterbury retirement community for three months. Also a senior at Cox, Michelle works 15 to 20 hours a week from 4:45 to 8 p.m., for $4.40 an hour.
``I like earning money and I think these are the best hours I can find anywhere,'' said Michelle, who saves some of her paycheck and spends some on clothes. ``A lot of my friends work there.''
Michelle still has plenty of time for school activities, including the dance squad and the executive council. Some of her friends, however, have recently quit working to enjoy what's left of their senior year.
While entry-level workers may be looking for the hours
that suit them and their parents, employers are often looking for energy and enthusiasm. Tanya Burchette, the dining room supervisor at Westminster-Canterbury, said the students keep the residents happy. ``The residents think it's great because they get a chance to talk to younger people,'' Burchette said.
The right stuff
A glimpse at the local help-wanted advertisements on any given day shows lots of opportunities for teenagers who want to work. Employers want what you have.
Chris Pierce, sales manager for National Service Corp., a door-to-door magazine sales company, often runs ads aimed at teens. He builds a core group of 12 in the fall and employs them throughout the school year.
``People are more receptive to kids. They are more innocent and less intimidating than adults,'' Pierce said, explaining why some teens are successful enough to earn as much as $400 a week.
Starting at $5 an hour, they later have an option to work for commission only, which pays $20 per magazine order. ``After three weeks, they almost inevitably end up switching to the order system,'' Pierce said. Some parents have even called to ask how their child can be making so much money.
``The kids who stick with it do it well. It has its negatives but everything does,'' Pierce said. The teens work in teams from 5 to 9 p.m. and are driven to a neighborhood by a crew manager.
Pierce, who studied communications and management at Old Dominion University, gives teens a basic training course at the company's Lynnhaven office before their first sales call.
``It's relatively easy,'' he said of the work. ``We concentrate on personal communication skills. Three-quarters of the presentation is ad-libbed. They chit-chat with the people at the door and then present a little offer. It's an excellent business skill.''
But not everyone agrees that these entry-level jobs are good experience.
On one side, a recent study by the Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policies Institute Foundation found that teens who worked in high school were more likely to secure jobs later in life. In addition, it found that students who worked while in school earned an average of $1,300 to $1,600 more per year after 12 years than those who didn't work in school.
``This research clearly demonstrates that public policy should be focused on creating entry-level opportunities,'' said EPI executive director Richard Berman. ``Teens who work in high school earn more than just `spending money.' They develop a valuable work ethic that pays off handsomely later in life.''
But the other side claims that there is little benefit to working while attending school.
``The part-time job is the primary enemy of a good education,'' said Ann Schwarz-Miller, an associate economics professor at Old Dominion University, recalling a study by a colleague. ``There is usually very little knowledge gained.''
Schwarz-Miller said most students are probably ``working for frills'' rather than necessity. She says teenagers get jobs that don't require skill and don't pay benefits because other people in the work force don't want them.
Grades and a paycheck
But some teens earn money and school credit for working. Most local school systems offer cooperative education programs that focus on marketing, office and industry. The purpose is to find the students a job so that they can earn the school credit they need while putting skills learned in the classroom to practical use.
``Students are supposed to get a job and have a career. There's a void in their education if we don't give them any job skills,'' said Carolyn Powell, a teacher for 23 years and the cooperative industry education coordinator at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach.
Cooperative-education students attend class in the morning and work in the afternoon. Acceptance into the program involves parent input, teacher recommendation and a check of the student's school record.
Powell's students have been placed in a variety of jobs.
Brian Felton, 17, bakes pizzas and desserts at Ragazzi's restaurant. ``Oh, it's great,'' Brian said of his job. ``It's fun, although it's a pressure job in a way.'' Felton earns $100 a week and spends the money on car insurance, gasoline and his college fund.
``We screen the employers very carefully,'' said Judy Bonner, a business education teacher and cooperative office education coordinator at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. ``We match the job with the skill.''
Kendra Bish is in Bonner's class. She works at Transatlantic Mortgage as a secretarial assistant, and her duties include coordinating the phone and fax and typing for $4.75 an hour.
``I'm learning a lot about law, which I am interested in,'' Kendra said. ``The people are great. They're willing to teach me things.''
Kendra deposits her earnings in two different savings accounts, one for emergencies and another for college. ``My mom thinks it's great. She thinks it's preparing me for the business world that I should be in,'' Kendra said.
Dawn Anderson works at the McDonald's restaurant on Haygood Road in Virginia Beach, but she doesn't handle the food. Instead, Dawn, a Bayside High School junior who loves children, monitors children at the new indoor play center.
Dawn works 20 hours a week in the evening for minimum wage and admits that it's difficult to keep up with soccer and competitive cheerleading. ``It's hard, but I study after school and really plan my schedule,'' Dawn said. She is buying clothes and saving for a car with the money she earns.
It's a job that Bill Ragland, operations manager at several local McDonald's on military bases, highly recommends. He started working at McDonald's 21 years ago as a crew person when he was 17. ``There are a lot of careers at McDonald's,'' he said. ``I liked the job. We used to say we had ketchup in your veins.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by D. Kevin Elliott
Brian Felton, bakes pizzas and desserts at Ragazzi's Restaurant.
Michelle Johnson, waitresses at the Westminister-Canterbury
retirement Community.
by CNB