Young people leaving full-time education are likely to find money high on their list of considerations. The options for financial support can be complicated. Navigate the money maze with the quick guide.

1. Some young people are tempted by the short-term lure of a regular wage. To a school-leaver, even the 3 an hour specified as the minimum for under-18s can add up to far more money than they've had before. But McJobs don't tend to lead anywhere. Sweeping up in a factory or operating a checkout might be OK now, but not in 10 years' time. Helping young people take a longer view of their earning potential is doing them a favour.

2. About half of all 16-year-olds learning in England should be able to claim the education maintenance allowance, says the Government. That is a payment of 10, 20 or 30 a week to 16- to 19-year-olds depending on household income. There is the possibility of 100 bonus payments. It is not free money. It has to be earned, by sticking to the learning agreement.

3. By and large, 16- and 17-year-olds are outside the benefits system. That has been the case since a crucial legislative change in 1988. But not all young people fit neatly into the pigeonholes provided for them. So complicated and piecemeal rules have been devised over the years to allow payments to those in genuine need. These range from income support for young lone parents to jobseeker's allowance for those living away from the parental home who would otherwise suffer severe hardship.

4. Be aware of just how confusing the rules are for young people. A Social Exclusion Unit report counted at least eight different agencies paying eight different kinds of support to under-18s, depending on whether they are in learning and at what kind of institution, and whether they live with their parents, or are a parent or sick or disabled.

Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint took a long look at this a couple of years ago, and tried to bring rationality to the chaos. And while Centrepoint cheerfully welcomed the Government's acceptance of most of their recommendations, the reality is that not a lot has changed since.

5. Generic youth workers cannot know everything. But it is manageable to know the basic processes, such as the procedure for claiming jobseeker's allowance. Many places start claims with a telephone call to a Jobcentre Plus contact centre. If you advise a young person to go to a Jobcentre you're wasting their time.

6. Get to know some of the rules in a crisis - such as severe hardship cases. For instance, Jobcentre staff should believe statements made by a young person who is estranged from their home. They should seek corroboration only if the story seems "self-contradictory or inherently improbable". And they must seek the young person's permission to ask for corroboration from a responsible third party, who might be a youth worker.