Summer jobs 2024: at what age and under what conditions?

At what age can you start working? What are your rights as an employee? What's the minimum salary according to your age? Are there any specific working conditions?

A summer job is a job like any other, so it is subject to labor law.

• The age at which you can work : you can work from 16 years with thewritten authorization your legal representative (for example, parent). However, work may be authorized from the age of 14, but then special rules must be respected. In fact, employers are recruiting more young people over the age of 18.
• The salary : it is paid monthly with a pay slip. It shall be at least equal to the Smic for persons 18 years of age and over, unless there is a more favorable collective agreement. The minimum remuneration paid to minors with less than 6 months of professional activity is 80% of the Smic for those under 17 and 90% of the Smic for young people aged 17 to 18. Since 1^er January 2024, the minimum wage is €11.65 gross per hour, or €1,766.92 gross per month based on 35 hours per week.
• The employment contract : it is necessarily fixed-term and may take various forms (fixed-term contracts, seasonal employment contracts, temporary employment contracts, etc.).
• Working conditions : you must respect the general rules of work. You are subject to the same obligations as other employees of the company rules and regulations (respect of the French language, for example) and you have access to the same benefits (canteens, breaks...).

However, if you are under 18 years of age, you have special protections:

• maximum working time: between the ages of 14 and 16, during school holidays, you cannot work more than 35 hours a week or more than 7 hours a day;
• you cannot work at night;
• you do not have the right to do certain work: minors between the ages of 14 and 16 working during their school holidays can only be assigned to light work that is not likely to harm their safety, health or development.