At 17 the legal rules are the same as at 16, but your options are wider. Employers are more willing to give you responsibility, you can often work more flexible hours around sixth form or college, and the experience you build now feeds directly into personal statements, apprenticeship applications and your first full-time job.
Your rights at 17
- At least £8.00 an hour from April 2026 if you are employed. See minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds.
- Usually no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week.
- 12 hours' rest between working days, 2 days off a week and a 30-minute break if you work more than 4.5 hours.
- In England you must still be in education or training until 18, which can be part-time.
Jobs for 17 year olds
- Supermarket and retail assistant, often with more evening and weekend shifts than at 16
- Barista and café team member
- Restaurant waiting staff
- Cinema, events and attraction staff
- Tutoring GCSE students in subjects you did well in
- Sports coaching and holiday camp assistant
- Apprenticeships, from business admin to engineering
- Self-run local work such as gardening, car washing, dog walking and tech help
Weekend jobs for 17 year olds
Weekend work fits best around sixth form or college. Retail, hospitality and leisure all need weekend staff, and your own local jobs can fill gaps around them, especially on Sunday mornings when few employers need you.
Make your work count for what comes next
Universities and employers are less interested in where you worked than in what you can show from it. Keep a short record of each job, what you were responsible for and anything you improved. A year of reliable work, good reviews and a couple of references gives you real examples for a personal statement, an interview answer or an apprenticeship application.
Earning more at 17
- Tutoring usually pays the most per hour, if you have strong GCSE grades.
- Skilled local work such as tech set-up, garden projects or full car valets pays better than entry-level hourly jobs.
- Combining a part-time job for steady hours with your own jobs for extra income works well.
Tax at 17
You can earn £12,570 a year before paying income tax, and the first £1,000 of self-employed income is covered by the trading allowance. Read do teenagers pay tax? for the detail.
Find local jobs
16 and 17 year olds can sign up to KidsHustle on their own and apply for paid jobs posted by ID-verified adults nearby. Every job builds reviews and a work record you can point to later. Download KidsHustle, or go back to how to make money as a teenager in the UK.