Life as a 16 year old in England

From education to rights and freedom’s, if I were still living in Birmingham England, my life as a 16 year old would not be the same as it is in Ontario. Arthur Albert Lander (my great grandfather) was born in 1908 in Birmingham, England. He was an orphan.  At the age of 8, he and his brother Albert (and all the other orphans at the orphanage) came to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia to escape the horrors of the first World War. My great grandpa then stayed in Cape Breton, met his wife, and got married. They had my grandpa as their only child, which was rare at the time of the baby boomer era. At the time of my great grandfather's immigration to Canada, England was a changing place.  Obviously the first World War took place and many men were being conscripted, but also there were breakthroughs in medicine such as the first successful blood transfusion and there were many successes in film and theatre like a play starring Oscar Asche, In this paper, I will be comparing what my life would be like if my great grandfather had never come to Canada, and I grew up in Birmingham England.

My great grandfather is on the right

From minimum wage to minimum age, England has different laws when it comes to employment. Once a youth in England turns 16, he or she may start working under minimum wage. The minimum wage for 16 and 17 year old's in England is £3.87 which converts to $6.39 in Canadian dollars. In Canada the youth minimum wage is $10.70, which is obviously much higher than England's. The reasons behind the low minimum wage for youth is that the labour market needs to stay high and the low rates steer the young people from going into the work force before getting higher degrees of education. Living costs in England are usually higher than in Canada. The low minimum wage also steers youth to live with their parents until they are 18 because the costs of living are so high. Not only would living at a parents house help them with living costs, it can give them the support they need to create a successful future for themselves.

If I were still living in (Birmingham) England and my great grandfather never came to Canada, I would not have to be in school right now if I had completed all the mandatory years (grade levels) and assessments that the secondary school provides, since I am 16. If I were to leave school I would have to do 1 of 3 things until I am 18. I would have to stay in full time education like college or university, start an apprenticeship, or spend 20 hours or more a week volunteering or working while in part time education or training. If I were living in England (since these rules and standards are country wide), I would choose to go straight to University at the age of 16. As one can see, the education system is different than in Canada.

Some healthcare in England is covered for all permanent residents. If I were living in England and I needed certain medical care not provided by England’s National Health Service, my parents would have to pay for it just like if I were living in Ontario. Unlike England, Canada’s healthcare system is provincial and not federal. Individual basic health care plans and coverage are provided by the government for Ontario’s taxpayers.

England’s healthcare system is not fully free for all aspects of health and neither is Ontario’s. In England, The charter of human rights and freedoms is followed just like Canada providing basic rights to everyone. More specifically for teens, laws like the legal drinking age are different from Canada’s. The legal drinking age in England is 16 while under an adults influence and 18 when not under an adult’s influence. In Ontario the drinking age is 19. I do not think this would make teens more rebellious in England than in Ontario, it just teaches teens to drink responsibly since they have to legally be with adults to do so, and the statistics of drunk driving in Britain display’s the sense of responsibility teens have. Around 3,500 people die a year in drunk driving related accidents, while in Canada almost 10,000 people die a year in drunk driving related accidents. Also, the population of England is 53.1 million, which is more than Canada’s population of 35.16 million. I am not saying that the amount of people killed in accidents is good, but it is less than Canada’s statistic compared to the populations. The lower statistic number could also be related to the legal age for a learner’s driving licence in England. The age a teen can get a learner’s permit is 17 while in Ontario it is 16. I see these laws in England as positive things for the greater good.

In conclusion, my life would be completely different if my great grandfather never immigrated to Canada. I may have already completed my high school education, and would be working on my university education. Living in England would definitely be a different experience than it it would be to live in Canada as the 16 year old that I am.

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