Hiring Minors

The unit and supervisor must adhere and comply with the following if there is interest in having a minor (over the age of 16) conduct research and/or work (paid or unpaid).  For questions regarding employment of minors please contact Human Resources at 863-3452. 

• Pennsylvania state law governs the hiring of minors, so it is important to consult University Policy HR02, Employment of Minors http://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hr02.html before hiring decisions are made. Please note that no one under the age of 16 is permitted to work at the University under any circumstances.
• Review Policy HR59, Employment of Relatives http://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hr59.html.
• Review Policy AD39, Minors Involved in University-Sponsored Programs for Programs held at the University and/or Housed in University Facilities http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD39.html#TOP. Please note the following:
  • Authorized Adults shall not have one-on-one contact with minors: there must be two or more adults present during activities where minors are present.
  • Authorized Adults shall not have any direct electronic contact with minors without another adult being included in the communication. In order to comply with the electronic component of this statement, our College IT group has developed the following email account AD39Ag@psu.edu.
  • Prior to minors starting, all Authorized Adults who have direct contact with minors are required to have a background check on record with the University that has been completed within the last 12 months. See also Policy HR99, Background Check Process http://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hr99.html.  Please contact 863-3452 to verify that background checks are on file and/or to request completion of a background check.
• Review Policy AD72, Reporting Suspected Child Abuse, https://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD72.html. Prior to minors starting, all Authorized Adults must complete the annual mandatory Report Child Abuse Training.  Instructions for this training can be found at http://ohr.psu.edu/assets/learning/documents/GuideToAccessingOnlineComplianceTraining.pdf
• If the minor will be working in a lab, the Environmental Health and Safety procedure and forms need to be reviewed and completed as well as required training. The form can be found at http://www.ehs.psu.edu/occhealth/high_school_students.pdf
• Minors are prohibited from working in dangerous occupations. Please see http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=552939&mode=2#71 for details.
• There are limited circumstances in which individuals in internships or training programs are not required to be paid the minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In order for us to have individuals in unpaid internships or training programs, they must comply with all of the following six factors: 
  1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
  2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
  3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
  4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
  5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
  6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
• The minor must have a transferable work permit issued by his/her Pennsylvania school district. Work permits from other states cannot be used.
• If the minor has never had a transferable work permit, he/she must get an application for a permit from the school district.
• The application form must be filled out by the parent, a physician, and the hiring work unit.
• The application form then must be returned to the school district, which will issue the transferable work permit.
• The minor must take the transferable work permit to the hiring work unit so that a photocopy can be made for the work unit's file. The work unit must note on the work permit the occupation in which the minor is being employed. The original is returned to the minor, who maintains possession.
• If the work unit hires (paid or unpaid) the minor, the work unit must notify the school district that issued the permit within five days of hire and provide the following information:
  1. Permit number
  2. Name and age of minor
  3. Number of hours to be worked each day and week
  4. Nature of employment
• If the minor will be paid, the unit will need to complete the New Hire Information Sheet and direct them to Human Resources to complete necessary new hire forms. Please have the minor also bring his/her transferable work permit and work schedule.
•  If the minor will be unpaid, the unit will need to direct them to Human Resources with a job description. Please have the minor also bring his/her transferable work permit and work schedule.
• A copy of the minor's work schedule must be posted in his/her hiring work unit or work area where other employment-related notices are posted. The work schedule form can be found under the “New Employees" tab.
• Pennsylvania State law requires that an abstract of the Child Labor Law and a list of minors employed in an area be posted in a conspicuous place in the area. The list must include the names of the minors, their ages, their individual daily starting and stopping times (including the starting and stopping times for a meal or rest period of at least thirty minutes) and their individual total hours of work for the week. The abstract of the Child Labor Law can be found under the “New Employees" tab.  
• If the minor leaves University employment, the hiring work unit must notify the school district, the College Human Resource Office and Recruitment and Compensation.