Getting Your Credentials
Youth Ready Chicago is open to young Chicagoans ages 14-24. However, if you are age 14 or 15 and you are selected for employment, you will be required to obtain a Work Permit.
Obtaining a Work Permit involves several steps – for complete information, please contact your school counselor. Some of the requirements include:
- Complete a required written application
- A parent/guardian must be present when the application is completed and filed
- The student (minor/child) must be present when a Work Permit is issued. A parent/guardian MAY NOT obtain a Work Permit without the student (child) recipient present, as the application requires verified signature.
The following items are needed for verification before a Work Permit can be issued:
- Letter of Intent to Employ – Three letters will be prepared for each prospective student employee and delivered to his or her high school. The letter will include details about the student and the job, including the hours of day and the number of days per week that the student will be employed. The address and telephone number of the job location also is included.
- Verification of Age; the verification must an actual document from the following list:
- Birth Certificate
- Passport
- Baptismal Certificate
- Bible Record
- Hospital Record
- Social Security Record
- Report of a Physical Examination from the past year, along with a physician’s note stating that the minor is physically able to work, or a copy of the physician’s examination required for entering Chicago Public High School freshmen, if the exam was less than one year ago
- Written Parent Approval or the Summer Jobs Program application signed by the parent/guardian
- Completion of a form by the child’s school principal verifying that the student is making satisfactory academic progress, if the student is seeking part-time employment during the school year
The U.S. Department of Labor and the Illinois Department of Labor are responsible for overseeing how these laws are applied. Please refer to these web-sites for more information.
In the State of Illinois, minors attempting to work for a wage must comply with the Child Labor Law.