A business owner claims young Aussies are not landing jobs because their parents are babying them and turning up to interviews with their children.
Ellie Marin, who runs Sweethearts Gelato in Preston in north Melbourne, shared the brutal reality check in a no-nonsense TikTok video on Saturday.
‘If your teenager can’t get a job, it’s probably your fault,’ she said.
Ms Marin claimed around 50 per cent of the resumes she received came from parents dropping them off on behalf of their children.
‘If your kid’s not capable of dropping it off themselves, while you wait around the corner, they’re not ready for a job,’ she said.
‘You need to let go of your baby. You’re really not doing them any favours.’
Ms Marin said parents were even turning up to interviews and wondered if this was a widespread problem in the hospitality industry.
The ice cream shop owner said parents were robbing their children of ‘independence’ by showing up to interviews with them.
‘The goal is turning them into independent adults,’ she said.
‘What chance do you have of doing that, if you’re doing everything for them. Try giving them some space. You might be surprised by what they can achieve.’
Social media users overwhelmingly agreed with Ms Marin, saying children were being babied.
‘Children are overprotected these days by parents — coming from a teacher,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘This is straight facts!!! If your child hasn’t got the confidence to hand in a resume what makes you think they’re confident for the job?’
‘I’ve got mums calling in for their 18-year-old sons saying they’re too tired to work today,’ a third added.
Other parents said they refused to do the legwork for their children, and the results appeared to pay off.
‘My son wanted me to go with him to drop resumes off,’ one wrote.
‘I had to tell him no, but I’d wait in the car for him. After the first drop-off, he was good. He even managed to get the first job he dropped off at.’
‘My 15-year-old daughter has her first job interview tonight! I’m very proud of her,’ a second wrote.
‘She went to nine places to deliver resumes in person! And she got an interview request on the spot. I refuse to do it for my kids!’