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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ReshiIRE" data-source="post: 8362886" data-attributes="member: 7031231">I'm Irish and also did work experience as a 16 year old for two weeks as part of a voluntary subject for the Leaving Certificate examination. I believe those who do Transition Year (an optional year (in some schools - other schools make you do it) that I did not do had to do longer work experience or shadowing.Mine was an actual job in that while I believe I only worked half hours (I don't remember working up to 6 - it was more like 3), I did do some basic website programming, problem solving and some minor design work. I was also working in the company my dad worked for, which was part of the reason why I was there (as my work place was 30 to 40 minutes away from my school).My feelings now on whether it was exploitation, or perhaps more accurately, whether it could be exploitation are complicated. At the time I would not have thought of it that way at all - but I was a teenager just happy to get out of school and to do some interesting work, and the program and my school is designed to protect students. I am also lucky that I was interested in dad's work and could get in there - I know people who were not as fortunate as I, and were forced to do naughty word work (i.e. getting coffee etc.) without allowing work shadowing, which I think is pretty borderline.To me in these cases it really depends on the protections in place, how possible it would be for a teenager to do the job, and whether the workplace is properly teaching students, and how long the period lasts. My experience is probably fairly unique since I didn't have to interact with strangers to do it.(FWIW Ireland is not as bad as some countries when it comes to reductions on minimum pay for those under 24 or 25 - at 20 you're paid the full minimum wage, whereas I believe countries like the UK make you wait until you're 25!)</blockquote>

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