I read this week that yet another paper shop has stopped employing paper delivery boys and girls. No paper rounds, no early mornings, no coins in a little brown envelope at the end of the week. And yes, before anyone says it, in lots of places this disappeared years ago. But there are still pockets of the country where it quietly carried on. Small villages, independent shops, the last thread of a very old rite of passage. And this is something Hazel is taking a keen interest in. Hazel turned two yesterday. Or fourteen in dog years, depending on who you ask. There was a party hat, balloons, and for the first time in her life, she's actively shying away from cake, which tells me two things. One, she's entering a reflective phase of life. And two, she's officially old enough to be thinking about the world of work. Because if the paper round has finally gone, what replaces it? And what does starting work young even look like now? So today we're talking about where those early work opportunities have gone, what's replaced them, what the law actually says about employing young people, and how businesses can do this properly, without cotton wool, without panic, and without breaking the rules. Kettle on, cake optional. Why the paper round mattered? Paper rounds were never really about newspapers, they were about routine, responsibility, turning up when it was cold and dark. Learning that if you didn't do the job, someone else felt it. They were often a first lesson in being relied on. Managing time, earning your own money, dealing with people who weren't cheerful before 7 a.m. They taught you that work happens whether you feel like it or not. That people notice when you don't show up. That money doesn't just appear. They were simple, accessible. No CV required, just an alarm clock, a bike, and a bit of grit. And now that route into work has quietly disappeared. Not because young people don't want to work, but because the world of work has changed around them. From playground to workplace, overnight. And for some young people, the jump into work is even more extreme. Think about apprentices. One day they're kicking a ball around a playground worrying about homework. The next day they're in the adult world of work. Adults, banter, pressure, expectations, consequences. And we forget how big that leap actually is. I remember working in a manufacturing business years ago. We had an apprentice, young, bright, new to the world of work, and one day he drew an aubergine on the side of a product. Just as there was a VIP tour going around the factory. Let's be clear, it was never meant to be an aubergine. The line manager was absolutely furious and wanted to sack him on the spot. And I remember thinking, this isn't a bad kid problem. This is a transition problem. So instead of jumping straight to punishment, we stopped and asked a different question. Why did he think that was appropriate? What did he think the boundaries were? What had we actually explained to him about behavior at work? And the uncomfortable answer was not much. But surely they should know better. I can already hear some of you saying it. What do you mean you have to tell them that? Surely that's just common sense. And honestly, yes, sometimes it feels obvious to us. But common sense does not grow in everyone's garden. And the reality is the way young people grow up now is very different. The old idea of everyone sitting round the dinner table, talking about their day, learning social cues and boundaries through conversation. That's not the norm for many families anymore. You're lucky if there is a dinner table. An eating often happens between rounds of a game, not as a shared moment. So when a young person turns up at work, we can't assume they know what professional actually means, where the line is with humour, how to behave around senior leaders, what's acceptable banter and what isn't. If we don't teach it, they don't magically absorb it. What that apprentice taught us. That aubergine incident became one of the best learning moments we had. Not for the apprentice, for us. We realized we'd focused heavily on technical skills, health and safety, processes, but barely touched behaviour, expectations, workplace culture, what adult work actually looks like. So we changed our apprentice induction. We talked openly about behavior, about language, about respect, about what's funny with your mates and what's not funny at work. And do you know what? The apprentice didn't repeat the behavior. He grew, he stayed, and he turned into a brilliant employee. Because guidance works better than punishment when someone genuinely doesn't know better. What's replaced early work and what hasn't? Many traditional starter jobs have either gone or changed shape. Paper rounds have vanished with print sales. Saturday retail jobs have shrunk due to automation and online shopping. Casual hospitality work is more regulated and less flexible. At the same time, new options have appeared, but they look very different. Some young people are selling online, helping in family businesses, tutoring, doing digital or creative work, picking up odd jobs through apps. Some of this builds fantastic skills, but some of it lacks structure, supervision, clear boundaries, real-world feedback. And for young people who need structure, that loss is huge. Why starting work? Young still matters. This isn't about nostalgia or dragging the past back unchanged. It's about opportunity. Early work builds confidence, teaches responsibility, creates independence, shows the link between effort and reward, introduces real-world boundaries. And with the cost of living where it is, earning money young isn't just pocket money anymore. It's bus fares, phone bills, saving for bigger things. Some young people want to work, some need to work, and many benefit enormously from having that option. Hazel is nodding along. Or possibly dozing, hard to tell. FAQ. What does the law actually say about employing young people? How young can someone be to work in the UK? Children can work from age 13, but only in light work and with strict limits. What kind of work is allowed? Light retail, cafes, non-hazardous tasks, office work, domestic hotel work, newspaper delivery. Local councils may require a child employment permit and have their own rules. Are there limits on hours? Yes, strict ones. No school hours, limited early mornings and evenings, proper rest breaks. Are there jobs children can't do? Yes. Anything hazardous, industrial, or inappropriate for their age. Once someone reaches school leaving age, rules ease, but protections still apply until 18. FAQ. Is pay different for young people? Yes. Lower minimum wage rates apply legally, but lower pay does not mean lower standards. Young workers still deserve safety, supervision, clarity, respect, correct pay. Teaching work ethic does not mean tolerating poor treatment. FAQ. Why don't more businesses employ young people? It's too much admin. I'm worried about getting it wrong. It feels risky. I hear this all the time, but the consequence is fewer young people learning how work actually works. You can't complain about a lack of work ethic if no one ever teaches it. What employing young people can look like now? It doesn't have to be paper rounds, it can be short structured shifts, holiday-only work, well-supervised roles, clear expectations, mentoring rather than managing. For businesses, it can build a future pipeline, support local families, shape good habits early, strengthen communities, it doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be intentional. What hasn't changed? Despite everything else, some things haven't changed at all. Young people still want fairness, clarity, respect, to feel useful, to earn their own money. And adults still have a responsibility to set boundaries, explain expectations, model behaviour, guide, not just punish. Hazel, two in human years, 14 in dog years, and officially too mature for cake, is very invested in fairness and routine. She approves. The disappearance of the paper round isn't really about newspapers. It's about the quiet loss of an entry point into work. And if we want young people to arrive in the workplace with confidence, resilience, and a sense of responsibility, we have to give them somewhere to start and teach them what work actually means. Not everything needs to be automated, scaled, or optimised. Sometimes it just needs to exist kettle on, cake optional, hazel approved. See you next week.