Watching TV can be educational

Watching TV shows with your teenager such as Pimp my Ride, Border Control, Shortland Street or even NZ Idol offer you a great way to start a career conversation.

You can easily make comments about the dreams of some young people if you’re watching NZ Idol, for example, and discuss what they are prepared to invest to get there. Or if you’re watching Pimp my Ride, you can show your surprise at the abilities of the auto mechanic and what kind of training he must have gone through to gain his skills.

Here are some conversation starters you could use while watching TV:

• Pimp my Ride: “Great spray job on that car, they must be good artists. Have you got any mates who can do that?”
• Pimp my Ride: “It seems strange how the cashier can afford such an expensive car. It makes you wonder sometimes.”
• Border Control: “It must be very interesting to meet all these different people when you have a job in border control.”
• Shortland Street: “I think that watching doctors and nurses on TV gives you all the wrong impressions about what their job may be like. It would be good for everyone who is interested in these occupations to do some real-life work experience.”

It doesn’t really matter what you say, but use the time together to make your child explore what they may want to achieve in life, and what kind of lifestyle they are ideally looking for.

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Role of the parent