A young person’s school attendance and work schedule

A young person is required to go to school under the Loi sur l’instruction publique if they:

• are under 16 years of age and do not have their Secondary 5 diploma
• turn 16 during the school year. In this case, they must go to school until the last day of the school year

Special provisions concerning a young person’s work schedule

The employer must ensure that the young person’s work schedule:

• allows them to be in class during school hours
• allows them to be at home at night, that is, between 11 p.m. on one day and 6 a.m. the following morning

The obligation to allow the young person to be at home at night does not apply if they:

• deliver newspapers
• create or interpret works in a field of artistic endeavour referred to in section 1 of the Loi sur le statut professionnel des artistes des arts visuels, du cinéma, du disque, de la littérature, des métiers d’art et de la scène
• work for a social or community organization, such as a vacation camp or a recreational centre, if the young person’s conditions of employment require that they be housed at their place of employment and if they are not required to go to school the following day
• do occasional babysitting

Example of the work schedule of a young person who is required to attend school

Nicolas

Nicolas works in a restaurant. He will turn 16 on July 18, 2023.

Nicolas has to attend school until at least June 2024, since he will turn 16 during the school year, which extends from July 1 to June 30 according to the Loi sur l'instruction publique. He is therefore prohibited from working nights between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. until June 30, 2024.

Starting in September 2023, he will be able to work up to 17 hours a week, including a maximum of 10 hours from Monday to Friday.

At the end of the school year, he will be able to work nights or more than 17 hours a week, since he will no longer be obliged to attend school.