7 Things You Can Do When You’re 16
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As I’m just a few months away from my 16th birthday, I thought I would take a look at some of the weird, wonderful and genuinely useful things a young teenager can look forward to doing…
1) Stay Alone in a Hotel
Once you’re 16, you’re suddenly deemed mature enough to stay the night in a hotel on your own, or with a bit of company, for that matter. Unfortunately though – if you’re on pocket money income – you probably won’t be able to set your sights any higher than a Premier Inn…
2) Get Married
If you just can’t wait to tie the knot with your childhood sweetheart, it’s legal to marry at 16 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the condition that you can obtain your parents’ consent. However, an easy way around this comes from the fact that 16-year-olds don’t require any parental consent in Scotland.
3) Buy Tippex
As a 15-year-old, this really blows my fuse! Okay, I understand why this isn’t allowed. A minority of people (cash-strapped hippies, most likely) use the substance for ‘recreational purposes’, but seriously – I could take a sexual health test if I wanted, yet I can’t buy Tippex!
4) Fly a Glider
An interesting alternative to learning to drive…
5) Join the Armed Forces
With your parents’ consent, you can fight for your country at 16 years old. However, I must warn you: the British Army’s training regime is a bit different to Year 11 PE lessons…
6) Have a Pint in Public
The rules are very different on private property but, at 16, you can have a glass of cider or beer alongside your meal in a pub, restaurant or hotel. However, you can’t be the one buying it – that honour is given to your parents.
7) Earn the Minimum Wage
Once you turn 16, you’re entitled to a glorious £3.87 per hour as a minimum wage. Fortunately, this figure rises steadily before levelling out at the age of 25, when you earn a minimum of £7.20 per hour – something which the government has recently improved upon.