Volunteering and benefits etc

£2coinsaver

Hello
My o/h is currently volunteering a couple of times a week and also studying at home to enable him to move into a new career. He is not claiming anything, we are just surviving on my (below average) wage. Is it possible to claim any benefits etc in this situation or will my o/h be told he needs to actively be going to interviews etc? Its not a particulary easy area to move into without a bit of volunteering and experience behind you.
Thanks

Person_one

To claim JSA you need to be actively seeking work and willing to drop the volunteering if a job or interview came up that clashed.

What kind of work is he looking to get into? Are there no paid jobs he could at least look for that would be a step on the ladder or in a similar field?

£2coinsaver

Ok thanks. Assuming we wouldn't get anything like a reduction on council tax etc either then. We've never claimed a penny in our lives but I may be at risk of redundancy at some stage this year so thought I would look into it.
Conservation is the field, there are some jobs about and he is looking.

Person_one

Council tax benefit would depend on your household income, so unless your wage is very very low you wouldn't qualify.

If you do get made redundant, your circumstances will be different and then you should ring the jobcentre to make a claim.

If he is looking for work in conservation, then he is actively seeking work and should claim JSA! You are allowed a certain amount of time to look only for work in your chosen field before you have to start applying for just anything, so it would help you out for a bit at least.

kingfisherblue

My daughter was on JSA for a couple of months last year. She was already volunteering and had been since she was 13. She informed the JC and they were fine about it. They did say that she could not turn down a job if it clashed with her volunteering - she'd be expected to give it up with a week's notice. As it happens, she found employment that allowed her to continue with her volunteer work, so she's happy all round!

HelenMariee

Its absolutely fine to volunteer and there is no restriction on the hours that you do. In order to claim jsa you can only do voluntary work for a registered charity and as long as your are available for 40 hrs per week full time work there isnt a problem. As for the study with your other half studying from home again it isnt a problem as he can work the study around any interviews etc. Good Luck