Question: My teenage son’s job last summer was as a counselor at a day camp sponsored by a local private school. Although it was a competitive interview and hiring process, the offered salary was quite a bit below minimum wage.

Because he believed the advantages of the job (working with friends, full-time hours, convenient commute) outweighed the salary, he accepted the position and had a good experience overall. But I’ve always wondered how the camp could pay its employees so little.

This has been its practice for years, apparently, and is well known by other parents of teens seeking summer jobs, so I assume it’s legal. I didn’t ask the school directly for fear of rocking my son’s employment boat, but no one I’ve talked to has a logical explanation.

Any insights? He’s interested in applying again this summer, but I’ll have to discourage it if the income is insufficient to cover his school year expenses.


Answer: The private school that hired your son may be exempt from paying the federal standard minimum wage under a special “youth minimum wage” exception, explained in Labor Department Fact Sheet 32. Under this provision, employees younger than 20 can be paid as little as $4.25 per hour during the first 90 calendar days after they start working for an employer — although your state’s laws may set a higher minimum.

Since your son already worked for this employer last year, that initial 90-day period has expired, so the regular minimum wage should apply this year.

Another explanation may be that the private school has a certificate from the Labor Department allowing it to hire students and disabled workers of any age for less than minimum wage.

This information has been brought to you by YouthRules.gov, a terrific Labor Department resource for any young workers — or parents thereof — who want to know their employment rights.


YouthRules offers a Young Worker Toolkit that spells out restrictions on job types and hours for workers in various age tiers and explains how to file a complaint when an employer breaks the rules. The toolkit also includes plain-language brochures, a printable calendar for recording work hours, and fact sheets on common summer gigs: amusement park jobs, lifeguarding, grocery and restaurant work, farm labor and even door-to-door sales.

As for this summer, if the job your son wants pays too little, perhaps he could fill in the gaps with a side gig or odd jobs, as many adults have to do when the chosen day job doesn’t cover the rent. It’s a good opportunity for him to practice setting priorities and finding balance while he still has the parental safety net.

And — if you’ll pardon my presumptuousness — on behalf of his future roommates and sweethearts, I hope you’ll make clear that holding down a job doesn’t excuse him from doing his share at home.

Karla Miller writes about work dramas and traumas for the Washington Post.


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