Vocational school

Parents register their children at the Vocational School through Choose a vocational schoolLog in with electronic credentials and select Garðabær as your municipality.

Registration for Väla opened on February 15th and will end on May 15th, 2026.

Data for registration

• Bank account. The teenager must have a bank account with their ID number.
• Email addresses. Active email addresses must be provided by the teenager and guardian when registering in Vola, which can be used for communication over the summer.

Special needs and wishes

During the registration process, there is a field marked "Other" where you can fill in requests for special needs and information about your health (especially if it may affect your ability to work) as well as other comments.

Most people get work in general groups doing yard work. Teenagers usually work with others from the same school district and of the same age, but it is not possible to guarantee that friends will be grouped together. Information about group placement is published in Väla Work School in early June and a notification is sent by email.

Teenagers in grades 9 and 10 can request assistance work at institutions and youth clubs when registering. Working hours for assistance work may differ from general gardening groups and be adjusted to the timing of summer courses, some of which run until August.

These jobs are marked as choices in the registration process at Väla Vinnskóli. The workplaces then receive a shortlist and hire the most suitable ones. It is not certain that everyone will get their choice, but it depends on demand and capacity. Confirmation should be made in early June when the organization and scope of the company's summer courses are known.

The organization of support work and recording of working hours is the responsibility of the respective workplace, but if any questions arise, everyone is welcome to contact the Vocational School.

14 years old (8th grade)

• General work is four days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Daily working hours are 3.5 hours.
• One day a week, each group participates in the Egó prevention and group development project. Attendance is from 9:00 to 11:00. Groups receive a schedule at the beginning of the summer about which day of the week they will attend Egó.
• Working hours are a total of 16 hours per week.

15 to 16 years old (9th and 10th grade)

• We work all day from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 15:00.
• Daily working hours are 5.5 hours.
• In total, there is the possibility of 27.5 hours of work per week.

The vocational school may limit working hours if registration and attendance exceed expectations.

Coffee and lunch

• Coffee time: 10:00 to 10:15.
• Lunch break: From 12:00 to 13:00.
• It's a good idea to bring a packed lunch for the day as there isn't much time to go to the store during work hours.

• Students who live in Álftanes attend the Elítuna Community Center.
• Students in Urriðaholt attend Urriðaholt School.
• Others attend Garðaskóli.

Everyone aged 16 and over must pay tax. and it is everyone's responsibility to dispose of their personal discount to the employer. It is a good idea to consider this in advance and submit tax information during the first week of work. It cannot be corrected afterwards.

Instructions for using personal discounts

1. Download a statement to your employer on the Tax Agency website.
2. Send the document to salary@gardabaer.is with information on how to allocate personal discounts: whether you wish to use accumulated personal discounts, the percentage of personal discounts to be used, and from what time the personal discount should take effect.

Paychecks come in. My pages on Ísland.is where the teenager must log in with electronic credentials.

• Salary criteria: Salaries are calculated as a percentage of salary group 118 according to the collective agreement for municipal employees.
• Vacation: Vacation is 10.17% and is paid on top of all hourly work. Vacation is paid with salary.
• Pension fund: Pension fund payments begin one month after the 16th birthday.

Salary 2026 (without vacation)

Pay period

Salaries are paid on the 1st of each month for the past pay period. If the 1st of the month falls on a holiday, salaries are paid on the last working day of the month.

• June 10 to June 20
• June 21 to July 20
• July 21 to August 20

Time recording and monitoring

You can monitor registered attendance in Choose a vocational schoolIt is important that guardians and youth monitor closely whether time recording is correct.

Deduction

Tardiness is deducted from working hours. Class leaders are also authorized, after prior warning, to not record full working hours for students who are repeatedly inactive in their work and do not contribute any work.

Supervisors should be notified if there are any absences. You can report:

• on the vocational school phone 590 2575
• by email at workschool@gardabaer.is
• directly by phone to the party leader.

Teenagers do not earn sick leave. Sick days are therefore not paid and cannot be earned later.

License

It is possible to obtain leave during the period in which a young person is working, but it is not possible to make up for lost working hours. It is important that guardians inform the party leader well in advance of the leave.

• Students attend in their own clothes and it is recommended to wear clothes that can get dirty and worn.
• It is important to dress for the weather. Class leaders may send students home if they arrive poorly dressed so they don't get cold or wet.
• Students receive safety vests that are required to be worn while working.
• It is necessary to wear work gloves in the vegetable fields for safety reasons. Gloves can be purchased from the group leader in exchange for one hour of work.
• When the sun shines, it is important to wear a hat and remember sunscreen.