Hiring a school leaver in NZ works best when you treat it as a different kind of hire from the start, adjusting what you ask, what you explain, and how you run their first week.
What actually makes a school leaver hire different?
A school leaver has no employment history to read. That changes almost everything about how you screen them. You are not looking for what they have done at work before, because there is nothing there. You are looking for signals: do they show up when they say they will, do they ask sensible questions, do they have any feel for how a workplace runs? Those things are visible in how they handle the application and the interview itself, not in a CV.
FindMeAJob is built for exactly this end of the market. Every applicant who comes through has their application scored against your job description by an AI hiring brief, which means even a thin CV gets assessed on what you actually asked for.
Step 1: Write the ad for someone who has never worked before
Do not write 'minimum 1 year experience required' and then wonder why no school leavers apply. If the role can genuinely be learned on the job, say so. Be specific about what the work actually looks like day to day: start time, where the role is based, whether they will be on their feet or at a desk, whether there is a uniform, who they will report to. A school leaver has no frame of reference for what a workplace feels like, so the more concrete you are, the better the fit of the people who apply.
Pay is worth naming in the ad. The adult minimum wage is $23.95 per hour, and the starting-out wage for employees aged 16 to 19 who have not yet completed 6 months with the same employer is $19.16 per hour. If you are advertising to school leavers straight out of Year 13, this is the legal floor you are working from. Being upfront about the rate, rather than writing 'pay to be discussed', removes a layer of anxiety for someone who has never negotiated a salary and does not know what to expect.
Source: Minimum wage rates
Step 2: Screen for availability and reliability, not experience
When you receive applications, the questions worth asking at the screening stage are practical ones. Can they reliably get to the workplace? Do they have commitments (sport, family, other study) that will conflict with your roster? Are they available for the full hours you need? These are not trick questions and most school leavers will answer them honestly if you ask directly.
Avoid the standard interview opener 'tell me about your work experience', because it will produce an awkward silence and tell you nothing. Ask instead: 'Tell me about a time you had to be somewhere at a set time every week, how did you make sure you got there?' Or: 'If you were unsure how to do something at work, what would you do?' The answers reveal how they think, which is what you actually need to know.
Step 3: Check your employment agreement covers the basics
A school leaver is an employee the same as anyone else, and they need a written employment agreement before they start. That agreement must include the role description, hours of work, pay rate, and how the employment can be ended. If your business has fewer than 20 employees, you can include a 90-day trial period, but it has to be in the agreement in writing before the first day of work.
Source: Trial periods
Do not assume a school leaver knows what an employment agreement is or what to do with it. Give them time to read it. Tell them they can take it home and come back with questions. This is often their first agreement of any kind and a few minutes of explanation at this stage saves a lot of confusion later.
Step 4: Plan the first week as a structured induction, not a trial by fire
The biggest reason a school leaver hire fails is not that the person is unreliable or unsuitable. It is that they were handed a task on day one without enough context to do it well, felt embarrassed to ask for help, and quietly disengaged. School leavers are not less capable than older workers, they are less experienced at navigating workplaces, which is a different problem and a solvable one.
Build a simple first-week plan: who they shadow on day one, what tasks they try themselves by day three, who they go to with questions. Make the check-in a specific time, not 'my door is always open', because 'my door is always open' means nothing to someone who does not yet know what is a big deal and what is not.
Step 5: Build in the legal leave entitlements from the start
After six months of continuous employment your new hire is entitled to 10 days of sick leave per year. After twelve months they are entitled to four weeks of annual leave. These are not optional, and a new worker who has never had a job may not know they exist. Telling them clearly at the start, rather than waiting for them to ask, is the kind of thing that keeps people.
Source: Annual holidays | Sick leave
First-week checklist for a school leaver hire
- Written employment agreement signed before day one
- Pay rate confirmed in writing, with starting-out or adult minimum wage applied correctly
- 90-day trial period included in the agreement if you are using one and have fewer than 20 staff
- A named person to shadow on the first day
- A check-in time booked for end of day three
- Sick leave and annual leave entitlements explained in plain language
- KiwiSaver enrolment paperwork ready (employer contributes a minimum 3%)
Source: KiwiSaver for employers
Key takeaways
- Screen school leavers on availability and attitude, not on work history they do not have yet.
- Name the pay rate in the ad. The starting-out wage of $19.16 per hour applies to eligible 16 to 19 year olds; the adult minimum of $23.95 applies to everyone else.
- The employment agreement must be signed before the first day, and a 90-day trial period only holds up if it is in that agreement in writing.
- A structured first week with a named point of contact reduces early dropout more than any other single thing you can do.
- Leave entitlements (10 days sick leave after 6 months, 4 weeks annual leave after 12 months) are legal minimums. Tell the new hire what they are.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay a school leaver the full adult minimum wage?
Not always. The starting-out wage of $19.16 per hour applies to employees aged 16 to 19 who have not yet worked continuously for 6 months with the same employer, or who are completing an industry training programme of at least 40 credits per year. After 6 months the adult minimum of $23.95 applies.
Source: Types of minimum wage
Can I use a 90-day trial period with a school leaver?
Yes, if your business has fewer than 20 employees and the trial period is written into the employment agreement before the first day of work. The 90-day trial does not apply to employees who have previously worked for you in any capacity.
Source: Trial periods
Does a school leaver need to be enrolled in KiwiSaver?
Employees aged 18 and over are automatically enrolled in KiwiSaver when they start a new job. Those aged 16 or 17 can opt in but are not auto-enrolled. As the employer you must contribute a minimum of 3% of their gross earnings once they are enrolled.
Source: KiwiSaver employer contributions
What if a school leaver does not work out in the first few weeks?
If you have a valid 90-day trial period in the employment agreement, you can end the employment within that window without the employee being able to bring a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal. You still have to follow the process set out in the agreement. A trial period is not a free pass to dismiss without any process at all.
Where is the best place to advertise for school leavers in NZ?
FindMeAJob is built for entry-level and little-to-no-experience roles, which makes it a natural fit for school leaver vacancies. Every application comes with an AI hiring brief scored against your job description, so you can compare thin CVs on something more useful than work history.
To post your role, create a free employer account at FindMeAJob employer portal. One free listing is active at a time and stays live for 15 days. If you are filling multiple roles or want priority placement, the Pro listing is a one-off $29 per role for 30 days.