job

[Guest]

can a 17-yr-old get a job/cash a paycheck without a legal residence?

[ccsmod8]

Re: job

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard and we hope that we could help in some way. We are not sure what you meant when you asked about not being able to cash a check or get a job if you were not of legal residence. Do you mean a legal resident of the United States or having an address to prove residency within your state? Do you have ID to cash the check or do you need to register for an ID to cash the check. Do you have status within the country to go to your local DMV to get this documentation. Some places allow you to cash checks for a small fee in certain cash checking places. In terms of a job, some applications in certain organizations require you have an address when you fill out the application. But these are all questions we could help you with if you were to offer us where you are located in order for us to provide you with legal services information in your area that offers legal advice. We are not able to provide legal advice because laws vary from state to state. However, you are welcome to call us at 1800Runaway to get information for legal services in your area. Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you.

NRS

[Guest]

Re: job

thanks for the fast reply & sorry for being so vague.

i am 17, live in tennessee, and am overstaying my welcome at friends' houses and need to get a job/seperate place to stay. i have a learner's permit as an ID; but i know that police have the number on it listed as a runaway, so i'm reluctant to use it to get a job, checking account, or at the dmv, etc. also i don't know if i can get a job if i don't have my birth certificate or my full social security number.

thank you

[ccsmod5]

Re: job

Thanks again for filling us in on the important details.

You're correct. It's extremely difficult for youth under 18 to do certain things without proper paperwork. Let's try and figure out a few things first:

Is there a place that will let you use their address for a while? Preferably somewhere where you have stayed before (shelter, friends, hotel/motel, etc). If so, could you use that address for jobs, attaining IDs, birth certificates, etc? With an addres you can do a few more things like put it down on a job application so they know you have a stable place to live/address your checks. If you need a place to stay, let us know what city you are in and sometimes, shelters will let you have things mailed there.

Also, have you had the chance to apply for any local jobs? What do you think they will say if you let them know that you are having trouble getting certain paperwork? They don't have to know your entire situation about you being a runaway as so long as you have the right paperwork, and they let you get that information later.

If they let you do that, you can go to the County Clerk offices and get a copy of your ID, Drivers License, Birth Certificate, Social Security, etc. But they will need a current ID with your photo on it and something with an address and your name on it (phone bill, light bill, school information, etc)

When are you going to be 18? If it's soon, there are certain things you can do until then that can keep you safe until you're 18. You can stay at a shelter/independent living center for a few months. Possibly a Job Corp Center (1800-733-5627).





But all this is easier said than done. You probably knew most of this information already and hopefully some of it is of use to you but once you get a job and everything goes well, you can simply cash a check at any local currency exchange with an ID (to answer your original question)

And just curious, what happened that made you run away?

If you are willing and able to share a few more details, send us another message. If you can find the time, call in at 1800RUNAWAY and it will probably be a little easier for us to help out. Don't worry, we're confidential and anonymous, so we don't need to know who you are.

Best of luck and keep in touch.

-NRS

[Guest]

Re: job

i'll be getting out of this house soon because i don't want her parents to get in trouble. i'm not sure where to go after that. it would be a lot easier if i could use a shelter's address, i won't be at any friends houses for a long period of time. i'm in nashville, tn.

other than the learner's permit the only id i have is a library card. i've been too nervous to apply for a job, i didn't want to give out my name/address/id card and have anyone alerted to where i was. maybe if i went somewhere like a fast food place that was always hiring, they would be more lenient with the paperwork.

i turn eighteen on march 31.

in the past few months there were a lot of explosions over really bad grades, sexual orientation, and eating disorder stuff that i had previously kept hidden. when they found out about it my parents got really angry and controlling. i disgusted them. i snuck around and stuff to get out of the house so they threatened to send me to correctional institusion thing, so i ran away. that’s like the worst reason ever, but i hated being at the house as well as the thought of staying there for another year.

again, thanks for the reply. i’ve been nervous to call but i think i will.

[ccsmod5]

Re: job

That sounds like such a tough spot to be in especially when you are 17 and resources that won't turn you down, are are difficult to come across.

There are two shelters in Nashville, TN that might be able to give you some assistance:

Bethany Christian Services
(615) 242-0909 (800) 238-4269

Oais Center
(615) 327-4455 (866) 975-3733

If you can, give them a call and see what their response is to your story. Again, they don't need to know every detail about your story. If you can, call them from a payphone if you are concerned with confidentiality and remaining anonymous.

Also, here is another agency that helps kids with their rights when no other venue can help. They might be able to offer some free legal advice:

Justice for Children
(800) 733-0059

If you feel like those agencies don't have what you are looking for, try and give us a call or keep messaging us here.

Best of luck.

-NRS

[Guest]

Re: job

ok i was wondering. can my mom force me to quit.
can she go into my job and tell them im not working no more even though i still do.
Can she do that?

[ccsmod1]

Re: job

Honestly, we don't know the answer to this question. It's possible, but there's no way to know for sure. One thing to think about is if you do get a job and your mom finds out where you are, will she make you come home?

It's obvious that you're really thinking through all the possible options and consequences of this situation, which is a very mature way to work through it. Sometimes it helps to have someone unbiased to talk to. As stated before, you're welcome to call if you want to talk more in depth about everything. We're completely confidential, so we won't call your mom or tell anyone what you say to us. We also never tell our callers what to do, but we can help you think through the options and the pros and cons of each. Call anytime, we're available day or night.