Many CSArts students are eager to work, whether it’s to gain experience, save money for college, help their families, or look for a source of income before they go out into the world. Before they can legally work, students must fill out and obtain a work permit from their schools. It’s a necessary step to ensure balance with academic and work responsibilities.
Work permits are required for students under 18, in order to protect them under California labor laws. The permits regulate hours, types of jobs, and compliance requirements while safeguarding academic success and well-being. Younger students, under the age of 16, face stricter regulations to prevent job-related exploitation and excessive workloads.
According to paperwork shared by CSArts’ Director of Attendance Monica Bolton, students must “obtain a job first before getting a work permit and have satisfactory grades and attendance records.” Bolton also said that students must be older than 14 and provide the name, address, and phone number of their employer, as well as their supervisors’ name. Processing of the work permit application can take up to a week.
Some students at CSArts aren’t interested in jobs because of the long school hours, distance, and driving restrictions. “I’m not old enough to drive so I can only bike to places. But I’m not going to bike to go super far every single day after conservatory. I can’t really manage that,” Freshman Kalyan Mukhopadhyay said.
Teachers have noticed the stress students are under with academics and their job. “It takes a lot of energy to focus on both working and balancing the studies,” Social Sciences teacher Michael Turf said. Many students, however, are searching for a sense of freedom and cash. “I want a job because I want to experience working and getting my own money,” Freshman Kristina Ghazaryan said. “I also want to contribute to my family’s finances like electricity bills to get a feeling of what it’s like.”
No matter your standpoint with obtaining jobs, knowing our school’s job permit requirements and steps is not only important, it’s the law.
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