The role of part-time employment among disaffected and mainstream 14- to 16-year-olds and 16- to 19-year-olds in full-time education in the Kingswood area of South Gloucestershire, England, was examined. Data were gathered through the following activities: (1) a survey of approximately 2,000 youths from 6 schools and 1 further education college; (2) individual interviews with 50 young people; and (3) informal group interviews with teachers and careers officers. The incidence of part-time employment and number of hours worked per week increased with age. Overall, a limited amount of part-time work appeared beneficial for most, if not all, young people. Most of the youths appeared to strike a balance between paid work and school. The following groups were identified: (1) excluded underachievers (they wanted a part-time job but could not find one); (2) discouraged workers (they remained in school for lack of other options); (3) educationally focused nonworkers (they deliberately chose not to work but to instead focus on school or other interests); (4) busy aspirants (they worked but were also focused on school); and (5) higher education waverers (they enrolled in post-16 education but were not dedicated to education progression). Disaffected 14- to 16-year-olds tend to suffer exclusion from the youth labor market and need the assistance of schools and careers offices to transition to working life. (The following items are appended: Kingswood Consortium letter; questionnaire; interview questions; and analysis of the questionnaire responses.) (MN)