Frequently Asked Questions

Before Starting a Job

Some ideas for finding a job in your community:

  • Go to the “One-Stop Center” in your community, if there is one. You can get help writing resumes, finding a job, or general career planning. Find the One-Stop Center in your community.
  • Ask around by word of mouth in your local community. Ask teachers, parents or guardians, neighbors, and other trusted adults if they know of any opportunities.
  • Think about places you would like to work: local merchants, small businesses, hotels, tourist attractions, grocery stores, corporate offices, fast food, golf and tennis clubs, parks and recreation departments. Telephone or stop by to inquire about available positions.
  • Ask your high school employment counselor or work experience teacher about opportunities.
  • Check websites that list local job openings or use the job search engines to find part-time jobs in your location. You can also use your local library to find out about job searching.
  • Spend some time developing a resume, and familiarizing yourself with different professional requirements of the working world such as dress attire and interviewing skills.
  • Work for yourself by offering a service to adults you trust. Possibilities include:
    • Cleaning
    • Yard maintenance
    • Tutoring
    • Babysitting
    • Web/computer work
    • Dog walking
    • Pet sitting
    • Errands
    • Build skills by volunteering.

Be sure to check the For Teens page to find out how old you have to be to do different kinds of jobs. Make sure you get a work permit from your school.

Make sure you know your legal rights and are prepared to speak up if necessary.


Workers under 18 must apply for work permits at their school district office before beginning a new job. Work permits are not required for those who have graduated from high school or passed the high school equivalency exam.

Learn More

Driving is not allowed as the main part of your job if you are a minor under 18.

Minors must be paid at least the state minimum wage.

Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage is $16.00 per hour for all employers. Local cities and counties are allowed to enact minimum wage rates and many cities have adopted ordinances which establish higher minimum wage rates for employees working within their local jurisdiction. The employer must follow the stricter standard; that is, the one that is better for the employee. Thus, since California’s current law requires a higher minimum wage rate than does the federal law, all employers in California who are subject to both laws must pay the state minimum wage rate unless their employees are exempt under California law. Similarly, if a local city or county has adopted a higher minimum wage, employees must be paid the local wage where it is higher than the state or federal minimum wage rates.

Employers may pay new employees 85% of the minimum wage while they are learning the new job, but only up to their first 160 hours of work and only if they have no previous similar experience.

When these are required, they must be provided and maintained by the employer.


Uniforms are clothing and accessories of distinctive design or color. For instance, a polo shirt with the company logo printed on it is considered a uniform.


If a retail clothing store requires its staff to wear the brand name clothes that it sells, the employer must pay for them as part of a uniform. If an employer just says that white shirts and black pants are required, that description is non-distinct enough not to be considered a uniform. In that case, the employee can be required to purchase and wear that clothing.


Employers are also responsible for providing and maintaining tools or equipment necessary for the performance of a job. In the instance where a worker is being paid more than twice minimum wage per hour, they may be required to provide and maintain the hand tools customarily required in the trade or craft. Employees cannot be required to provide any power tools.

What are my rights and responsibilities at work?

By law, your employer must provide:

  • A safe and healthful workplace.
  • Training about health and safety, including information on chemicals that could be harmful to your health.
  • Training about what to do in an emergency.
  • Protective clothing and equipment, such as gloves or goggles.
  • Payment for medical care if you get hurt or sick because of your job. You may also be entitled to lost wages.
  • Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage is $16.00 per hour for all employers. To check for updated rates after 2023, visit https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ faq_minimumwage.htm. In some cases, employers can pay less than minimum wage.
  • A 30-minute meal break after no more than 5 hours and a 10 minute rest period after each 4 hours.
  • For more information contact the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

You also have a right to:

  • Report safety problems to Cal/OSHA, the state agency that enforces workplace health and safety regulations.
  • Refuse to work if the job is immediately dangerous to your life or health.
  • Join or organize a union.

To work safely you should:

  • Follow all safety rules and instructions.
  • Use safety equipment and protective clothing when needed.
  • Keep work areas clean and neat.
  • Know what to do in an emergency.
  • Report any health and safety hazards to your supervisor.
  • Get help if your supervisor won’t listen or correct an unsafe condition.

NO. There are laws that protect teens from doing dangerous work.

In California no worker under 18 may:

  • Drive a motor vehicle on public streets as a main part of the job (17-year-olds may drive in a few specific cases.)
  • Drive a forklift or other heavy equipment
  • Use powered equipment like a circular saw, box crusher, meat slicer, or bakery machine
  • Work in wrecking, demolition, excavation, or roofing
  • Work in logging or a sawmill
  • Prepare, serve, or sell alcoholic drinks
  • Work where the teen is exposed to radiation

Also, no one 14 or 15 years old may:

  • Do any baking
  • Cook (except with electric or gas grills that do not involve cooking over an open flame and with deep fat fryers that automatically lower and raise the baskets)
  • Work in dry cleaning or a commercial laundry
  • Do building, construction, or manufacturing work
  • Load or unload a truck, railroad car, or moving belt.
  • Work on a ladder or scaffold

Here are some other details about things young workers under 16 are allowed or not allowed to do:

16 year olds:

  • A 16-year-old can drive a golf cart that is not on a public street. [LC 1294.1(b); VC 12515; 29CFR 570.52]
  • A 16-year-old can move cars at an auto dealership if he or she doesn’t take the car off the lot, because it is not on a public street. He or she cannot test drive cars out on the public roads. [LC 1294.1(b); VC 12515; 29CFR 570.52 + 570.34]

14 or 15 year olds:

  • Minors under 16 are prohibited from doing any building or construction work of any kind. A minor under 16 can work in the office of the construction site if they have no contact with the construction work site. [29CFR 570.33 + 570.119]
  • A 15-year-old work cannot work at the cash register in a dry cleaners, or in any part of the shop.

For more information on age-specific rules on what teens can and cannot do while on the job, visit YouthRules!

Ages 14-15:Ages 16-17:
Work Hours7 am–7 pm, from Labor Day–June 1
Not during school hours
7 am–9 pm, from June 1–Labor Day		5 am–10 pm when there is school the next day
5 am–12:30 am when there is no school the next day
The most hours you can work when school is in session18 hours a week, but not over:      
3 hours a day on school days
8 hours a day Saturday–Sunday and holidays		48 hours a week, but not over:      
4 hours a day Monday–Thursday
8 hours a day Friday–Sunday and holidays
The most hours you can work when school is not in session40 hours a week
8 hours a day		48 hours a week
8 hours a day

YES. There are other rules about the type of work you can and cannot do.

You must be at least 14 years old for most jobs except for informal jobs like babysitting or yard work. Check with your state labor department, school counselor, or job placement coordinator to make sure the job you are doing is allowed.

For more information on age-specific rules on what teens can and cannot do while on the job, visit YouthRules!

What can I do if my rights aren’t respected at work?

When someone is doing something sexual that makes you uncomfortable – if you don’t want it, it’s illegal.

Sexual Harassment includes unwanted sexual advances, visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, and includes many forms of offensive behavior and gender-based harassment. For more details on what constitutes sexual harassment, visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Youth@Work page.

It is your employer’s responsibility to:

  • Stop and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace by co-workers, supervisors, or clients
  • Investigate all employee complaints
  • Provide brochures or literature on sexual harassment

What can I do?

  • Say “NO” clearly
  • Document the harassment
  • Get support from family, friends, and/or co-workers
  • Look for witnesses and other victims
  • File a complaint with your employer. You cannot legally be punished or fired for filing a complaint — your job is protected by law
  • If it is not resolved, file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing

Are there sexual harassment factsheets or other tools?

It is illegal for employers to discriminate against their workers.

Employers also have the responsibility to make sure there is no discrimination in the workplace either by your coworkers or by the clients you serve. California state laws protect workers from being fired, from having job opportunities withheld, or from being otherwise unfairly treated on the basis of: race, color, gender, religion, etc. For more details on what constitutes discrimination, visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.

If you are covered by a union contract, you might have additional protections.

If you believe you have experienced employment discrimination you should:

  • Document the harassment or discrimination.
  • Get support from family and friends.
  • Talk to your supervisor. You can bring a supportive person with you if you want.
  • Look for witnesses and other victims.
  • File a complaint with your employer. You cannot legally be punished or fired for filing a complaint.
  • If it is not resolved, file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Complaints must be filed within one year from the date of the alleged discrimination.

See our For Help and Advice page.

See our What if I get hurt on the job? page