How much would you pay him?

Luckygirl

His mother is here with him while he is doing it - he suffers with depression and this is part of the programme to boost his confidence. It is succeeding, I am very glad to say.

It sounds fine.
Well done.

Think I would prefer to cut my own hedge and lawn!
Not everyone is able to do that.

Have you considered the implications in the case of an accident?

I' d pay a set rate " for the job" not per hour. Anything less than 10 doesn' t seem right but you would really help him by recommending him to friends and neigbours, givinc him more work + asking what else he knows how to do/ would be willing to do.

Some youngsters at 12 are far more sensible than others and have a good work ethic my grandson comes to mine and mows the back and front lawns.weeds/washes my car and other little jobs I find difficult and I pay him £10 per hour which he saves he also does similar for my neighbour every so often,I think £5 is not enough & would certainly increase his payment.

His mother is here with him while he is doing it - he suffers with depression and this is part of the programme to boost his confidence. It is succeeding, I am very glad to say.

£10 at least.

I had a similar problem when a friend's 12yr old baby-sat my puppy for 6 hours 4 or 5 times As a teacher I didn't want to give her the going adult rate as it was too much for her to cope with. But I wanted to pay her a proper rate.
Compromise - I gave her an amount she was happy with, and on the quiet, gave her mum some money to put on one side, so when she wanted to buy something big, she actually had a little nest egg put on one side.

We have two. One does our woodland management and the other does gardening tasks (just put in raised beds). Both charge £15 per hour and this covers their travelling.

This is worth a read and explains the rules clearly.

It also says
Having a Saturday job is a great way to earn some extra cash, and it won’t impact negatively on your studies. Why don’t you create yourself a CV, and start posting your CV to your local corner shop, or maybe knock on a few older people doors and see if any of them need help in the home or the garden?

www.studentjob.co.uk/ages/jobs-13-year-olds

My first thought was along the lines of what Avalon25 has pointed out. My own children all had part-time jobs as soon as they legally could, but we made sure the paperwork was in order and that the pay (and work) was ‘appropriate’ for their age.

I think if we’re to teach children the value of work and study we need to be realistic about the pay they can expect. My children worked for low pay (minimum wage for their age) whilst at school and also received very generous Christmas bonuses, so I think £5 an hour plus refreshments is appropriate. My children learned that hard work and study would give them greater opportunities for good pay in the future.

He’s worth £10 per hour all day long. The going rate to mow a lawn in my area is £15.00, so £10 for the lad is good. I’d also advise him to charge others the same so that he doesn’t get exploited.

Agree a fixed price so he won't just drag it out to be paid by the hour! Depends on how big your lawn is too. A small lawn should cost less than a large one.

In addition to the safety issues and liability insurance there is also the legislation around working with children, or in this case a child working for you. Think I would prefer to cut my own hedge and lawn!

Actually I agree, I would be too concerned about injury to employ a child. I certainly would not allow him anywhere near a hedge trimmer or other power tools.

The earliest age a youngster can work part time is 13 and then the number of hours is restricted and you have to fill in a form with your local council which the parents also have to sign. And then they are not allowed to do heavy work.

Additionally he will have no insurance whilst working on your property and should he be injured using your lawnmower or hedge cutter you would be liable. I think you would also be in breach of child safeguarding laws.

All that may sound a bit tough for just light garden duties but it is to stop youngsters being exploited. You could ignore all of that and continue to employ him against the law. As he has asked for £5 an hour which is above the minimum age for a 16 year old stick with that if you continue.

If my son was being paid by the hour, you can guarantee the job would take at least two hours - he was a crafty one! Seriously, I’m not sure a young child is as strong as an adult even when using a lawnmower so it might be best agreeing a fixed price. It takes the man who mows my lawns about 15 minutes to do quite a large mower, including trimming the edges.

If it takes less than an hour I would still pay him £10.

I posted £10 ph which some posters too as £10 in total.

I did say £10 ph - per hour.

I think £5 is too little , just because he’s only 12 If he’s doing a good job he should be paid more. I had a gardener once a month on a previous property to mow the lawn I paid him £15 but he did such a good job ( taking away grass etc) I always gave him £20.

It also depends on local rates I think but I paid this in S Wales which is not expensive

We pay our gardener £15 per hour, he does the lawns, pruning, planting, weeding, whatever we want really, building walls, mending fence posts.
I think this is an absolute bargain, if you’re getting good service, which it seems you are, I’d pay him £10.

If Checkatrade is suggesting £20 an hour for a gardener, you have to assume that that includes tax and NI, as well as insurance and possibly transport.

It is not the same as paying a schoolboy, who will have none of those offtakes. If we say that in circumstances like this children should be paid at the same rate as adults, it will not only price them out of the market for a lot of pensioners, but also deny them a chance to make some pocket money.

I am not suggesting that the boy should be exploited, and I do feel that £5 is too little. I also have no idea about the OP's financial circumstances, but for someone on a state pension, £20 a week (or however often the lawn needs trimming) would be a significant cost, and I think that a more reasonable rate that would benefit both parties is a more sensible way to go.

I would treat him as an adult if the work is up to scratch - £10 an hour minimum.

I disagree, it has to be worth £20 for the lawn mowing session. I have a grandson of a similar age and I would be appalled if he got short changed for doing a job to help someone as well as earn some pocket money.

You need to look at the long term too; if you want this youngster to come back and do the lawn on future occasions then treat him fairly from the outset.

I would give £10. It is quite hard work. Also as suggested give a drink and snack as well. Good for him.

I would give him £10 for the grass and a bit extra when he does the hedge too. It will be good to show him that you appreciate him, boost his confidence and keep him coming back. I think I would soon lose interest if all I was getting was a fiver, it doesn't buy much.