For an article on illegal child labour, reporters from Childrens Express spent a day applying for jobs.
| I worked from 9.30 to 6, and I was paid only £10. |
Majida Khatun, 14, was offered 1 per hour to stack shelves and help shoppers at a convenience store in Peckham, south-east London. The boss told me that people with experience get more she said.
Later, Majida was offered 30 to work a 40-hour week at a hairdressers, also in Peckham, with the promise of a further 10 if she agreed to work on Saturdays. She didnt ask me if I had any qualifications. I would have to shampoo customers and clean up.
Fifteen-year-old Marisa Aziz (not her real name) took on a summer job at a dentists surgery in Shepherds Bush, west London, in June. As well as general reception work and making tea, Marisa was surprised to be asked to help with mouth suction, sterilisation of equipment and other tasks normally reserved for a trained dental nurse.
I worked from 9.30 to 6, and I was paid only 10 she said. I told them I was 15 and they said it didnt matter When my parents found out, they made me quit.
Dan Redre, 15, (name also changed), said he worked for 60 hours in one week at a restaurant in north London in July. He received 70. I was a waiter. I didnt enjoy it at all, he said. I started early in the morning and finished late at night. I didnt know how much my wages were because I was a beginner, but at the end of the week, I left.
About the team
This article was produced by members of the Children's Express London bureau. It was published in The Independent.
