Student Jury Service: Claiming Expenses?

mistymisty

Student Jury Summons. Claiming Expenses?
I know its rare for a student be called to do jury duty but I have been summoned over the Christmas holiday period. As I am a student, I am not in full time employment but do temp work in the holidays for various companies through temping agencies. The week I have been summoned was a week that I had agreed to work for a company who I had worked for before but there is no official documentation of the fact that I was supposed to be working for them (as I had agreed when I worked for them in the summer that I could also do this week at Christmas), and this was not arranged through an agency. I contacted the company to let them know about my not being able to work a while back, but since this have not had any replies when I have asked regarding expenses (not there problem I suppose!!) Does anyone have a suggestion about how to claim back expenses if I would've been doing temping work, but now can not?
In addition to this, if by chance, I was approached by one of the companies I had done temping work for before, and had to say no because of my jury duty, would I be able to claim expenses for missing out on this work?
And is there any reason I couldn't, for example, ASK a company (for example a friend or family member's ) to approach me to do temping work over this period (knowing I couldn't) could I then claim expenses if I had validation from the company that they WOULD'VE employed me if I was able to?
I know this would be dishonest to an extent, but if I wasn't summoned I would've found temping work as I always do over the holidays, and therefore my annual income will be effected (and this is important as I am a poor student!!)
I just thought it would be interested to hear what people thought about this or if anyone else has been in a similar position.
Thankyou for your help and I look forward to hearing your views, Claire

HopeAndDriftWood

If you can't do Jury Service, then write to them and they will delay it for you. I know you can do this at least once.
As you haven't actually found work yet, and it is a month to go until Christmas so most Christmas positions have at least been interviewed for, you aren't likely to miss out on work.
I really wouldn't try to defraud the courts. For a start, if you are employed, the company are expected to pay some of your costs. They aren't legally obliged too, but the courts will expect them too.

Before I was a student I worked with someone who was called up, the nursery refused to pay any costs and we recieved several letters asking why they were unwilling to support the employee, eventually the nursery paid half.

I also don't see why a company would lie and claim to be employing you...

If you can't afford to do jury service, tell them. If you can, and I think it'd be an amazing experience, then just claim for costs you actually have.

bestpud

Needing to work during the holidays can be a reason for deferral.

Have you had a look on the website as I'm sure it's mentioned?

mistymisty

Ive had a look on the website and I haven't been able to find anything about it. I was thinking about deferring but as I am in my second year of a three year course, if I defer for a year, it will still be during my time at uni and I will be in either exactly the same situation if I am summed in a holiday period or worse if summoned during term time and have to miss uni!
I am looking forward to doing jury duty as I think it will be interesting and I do know its my civic duty and have no problem with this at all.
The courts don't expect your employer to pay you while you are at court, which is why you can claim for financial loss of employment. It is up to your employer, at their discretion, whether to help you with money during your jury service if they feel the expenses is not enough to live on, but no employer is obliged to in any way.
The idea that I could ask someone to say they WOULDVE employed me over the period if they COULDVE would not benefit them or cause them loss in any way, it would merely be a fact of helping me out...I have several friends/family members with small companies who could use their company stamp on the expenses form to say they woudl've employed me...
I have budgetted until my next student loan instalment for being able to do some temping work over the holiday periods, and now that I cant I will be under more financial pressure than I would've been. As I received my jury summons two months before Christmas, I would've easily been able to find temping work between then and Christmas, but obviously didn't bother looking because I knew I had jury duty. Further to this, as I do not know how long my duties will go on, I cant apply for any work for the second half of the holidays, as its possible I will still be in court.
Claire

glider3560

You could interpret it in many ways, but...

13. Cases of hardship may occasionally arise where a student, who depends on obtaining employment during the vacation in order to meet financial or vocational commitments, is summoned for jury service before taking up such employment and is subsequently refused payment for loss of earnings, because no actual loss of earnings has occurred. Where an application for excusal or deferral is made by a student on these grounds it should be treated sympathetically, otherwise genuine financial hardship may be caused.

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/js_guidance_0709.pdf

atypical

I'm impressed that they've clarified the issue so clearly.