Are you planning to go out and get a part-time job?
Working after school and on weekends is a great way to get some extra cash. As well as having money in your pocket, working also teaches you skills that can be useful later in life. However, if you are under the age of sixteen, you may need to get an Illinois work permit before you can start work. The work permit states the types of jobs you can do and when you are allowed to work.
So, let’s find out how to get a work permit in Illinois.
Contents
Working Age Restrictions in Illinois
Generally speaking, you need to be at sixteen years old to work in the state of Illinois. However, there are several factors that affect where and when you can work. For example, you need to be at least twenty years old to work at a business that serves alcohol like a bar.
If you are fourteen or fifteen, you have to get a special employment certificate before starting work. While there are fewer restrictions for sixteen and seventeen-year-olds, so-called hazardous occupations are prohibited.
Read more: Can a 16 Year Old Work Without a Permit?
The Secretary of Labor has defined a number of hazardous occupations, including:
- Warehouse work
- Processing, manufacturing, and mining
- Communications or public utilities role
- Construction or repair
- Work using ladders or scaffolding
- Operating power-driven machinery
- Outside window cleaning
- Amusement park operator or ride attendant
- Driving motor vehicles
- Youth peddling, sign-waving, or door-to-door sales
- Poultry cooping or catching
- Lifeguarding
- Public messenger jobs
- Transporting people or property
- Warehousing and storage
- Boiler or engine room work
- Cooking
- Baking
- Working in a freezer or meat cooler
- Loading or unloading goods
- Meat processing
- Maintenance or repair work
Where To Get A Work Permit?
Most high schools and large registered private high schools can issue work permits. You can go to your school guidance counselor or favorite teacher to find out how to get a work permit. They will usually check your school record to make sure your grades are OK. If they approve, they will help you to get a work permit.
What To Do If You Are Homeschooled?
If you are homeschooled or do not go to school for another official reason, you can still get a work permit. You need to visit your nearest high school with your parent or guardian. Take a statement from your future employer describing the job and the hours you would be working.
Also, take the following documents:
- Proof of your exact age
- A statement of physical fitness signed by your doctor
- A statement from your parent or guardian giving their permission for you to work.
Working In The School Holidays
Even during the summer and winter breaks, you need to have a certificate of employment if you are under sixteen. When school is not in session, you can download an application from the Illinois Department of Labor website. Once you have found the Employment Certificate form on the Illinois Department of Labor webpage, take the following steps:
- Open the form and choose a password
- Complete the form and submit it
- Print the document
- Get your future employer and parent or guardian to sign the document
Once your document has been signed and submitted, the department will issue the work permit. You will receive an email with your work permit, which you need to print out. Give a copy of the work permit to your employer and make sure they keep it on file. Your new work permit will be valid for one year.
Restrictions On Working Periods
Even fourteen and fifteen-year-olds who have a work permit have limits on the hours they can work. This is mainly done to make sure teenagers have enough time to study and get good grades. After the age of sixteen, there are very few restrictions on working hours in the state of Illinois.
When school is in session
Work can only be done between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm when the teenager does not have classes. Teenagers can work up to three hours on a school day and up to eight hours on a non-school day. The maximum number of consecutive days of work is six, and the maximum number of weekly working hours is 24.
During the school holidays
During the summer and winter breaks, teenagers can work between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm. The maximum number of weekly working hours is 48. However, teenagers are still restricted to a maximum of six consecutive days of work.
Other obligations
Teenagers can do a maximum of eight hours of school and work on any day. Employers have to give teenagers a thirty-minute break for every five hours they work in a shift.
Jobs That Do Not Require A Work Permit
There are a lot of jobs that you can do without a work permit, no matter how old you are. If your family owns a business, you can work there in your spare time. You can also do chores around the house for a fee or do your neighbor’s housework.
Here are some of the other Illinois jobs you don’t need a work permit for:
- Babysitting
- Dog walking
- Agricultural tasks
- Yardwork
- Delivering newspapers
- Golf caddying
Age Certificates
You need to be able to prove how old you are to get a work permit. Usually, you would submit your birth certificate. However, if your birth certificate is not available for some reason, you can apply for an age certificate.
An age certificate is stamped with your age and date of birth and can be used as ID. To get an age certificate, you need to show your passport, bible, or baptismal records.
Read more: How to Get a Work Permit in Missouri?
Not Feeling Confident For Your Interview?
Still nervous for your first interview? Not a problem, we’ve found some amazing books to help you, such as The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance, You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, or how about the Unstoppable Self Confidence, The Confidence Gap: A Guide to Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt, and The Self Confidence Workbook, or even Self-Confidence Strategies for Women all available online in 2023.
But that’s not all; we also have Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, the Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior, or perhaps the Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life, as well as the Get Out of Your Head, and finally Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem.
To fully prepare for your interview, I’ve put together advice on my Strengths And Weaknesses For Job Interviews, Why We Should Hire You, Why Do You Want To Work Here, or why not Answering Tell Me About Yourself In Interview, What Makes You Unique, and of course How To Answer What Are You Passionate About.
We also recommend reading up on INTERVIEW with DESIRE and GET HIRED!: How to Ace the Interview, Sell Yourself & Get Your Dream Job, and How to Answer Interview Questions: 101 Tough Interview Questions, or maybe Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent, or Amazing Interview Answers: 44 Tough Job Interview Questions with 88 Winning Answers, as well as Get That Job!: The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview all available online today.
Final Thoughts
It is important to know your rights and when you are allowed to work before starting your first job. If you are working for an employer, make sure you get a contract. The contract should state the hours you have to work, the hourly rate, and when you get paid.
Make sure you read the contract carefully before signing it. It is a good idea to get your parent or guardian to read the contract to make sure it is fair.
If there is anything in the contract you don’t agree with, bring it up with your employer and get it changed.
All the very best getting your Illinois Work Permit!