Volunteering work while on JSA

Kaaaaarl

Does doing volunteering work effect your JSA?

mcjordi

i would speak to you advisor at the job centre as it "could" affect it as technically your limiting your availability to start work.

more experiences mse'rs will be along to say for sure tho..

Person_one

As long as you are still available to start work and would stop the volunteering for a job you'll be ok.

I volunteer, I do as many hours as I can but I just had to sign something saying I would give it up for a job with 48 hours notice.

You're allowed to receive expenses (petrol etc) from a charity without having to declare them as earnings too.

SevenOfNine

My Job Centre were interested in exactly how many hours I do, given that I am supposed to be "job seeking", they have a point. How can you be doing that effectively if spending xxx hours in voluntary work (they were fine with my 6 hours voluntary).

I also had to confirm whether or not I would get any pay and if not, was this by choice or don't the charity offer any. Same declaration of 48 hours as Person_One has mentioned already.

jazabelle

I am curious about this as well, as we have a volunteer starting at work, who will be doing two days a week, but is on JSA.

I personally think it's great she wants to keep her skills up, and as an employer I think it would look better on the CV to have been doing something - so really the job centre should be happy with this, as long as they would take any work if offered.

ceridwen

Personally - I'm a bit puzzled as to why anyone would even mention to the DWP that they are doing voluntary work in the first place <confused smilie> I would just get on and do it and think it was none of their business anyway - just as long as I was looking for work and attending any interviews I had.

Can someone please explain to me why anyone tells the DWP about voluntary work ever? - as I honestly cant see a reason for doing so...
(or are people referring to the latest bit of "exploitation" that I believe is currently quite fashionable - ie firms getting people to work as interns unpaid for some time and then adding insult to injury by not giving them a job at the end of it and just using them as unpaid labour?)

tsimehC

ceridwen wrote: »

Personally - I'm a bit puzzled as to why anyone would even mention to the DWP that they are doing voluntary work in the first place <confused smilie> I would just get on and do it and think it was none of their business anyway - just as long as I was looking for work and attending any interviews I had.

Can someone please explain to me why anyone tells the DWP about voluntary work ever? - as I honestly cant see a reason for doing so...
(or are people referring to the latest bit of "exploitation" that I believe is currently quite fashionable - ie firms getting people to work as interns unpaid for some time and then adding insult to injury by not giving them a job at the end of it and just using them as unpaid labour?)

Quite simple really. Fraud, someone may report you as working while receiving benefits when in fact you're not and I think there's something about unpaid work having to be declared in the Jobseeker's Agreement.

Person_one

ceridwen wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me why anyone tells the DWP about voluntary work ever? - as I honestly cant see a reason for doing so...
(or are people referring to the latest bit of "exploitation" that I believe is currently quite fashionable - ie firms getting people to work as interns unpaid for some time and then adding insult to injury by not giving them a job at the end of it and just using them as unpaid labour?)

They asked.

Evilm

ceridwen wrote: »

Personally - I'm a bit puzzled as to why anyone would even mention to the DWP that they are doing voluntary work in the first place <confused smilie> I would just get on and do it and think it was none of their business anyway - just as long as I was looking for work and attending any interviews I had.

Can someone please explain to me why anyone tells the DWP about voluntary work ever? - as I honestly cant see a reason for doing so...
(or are people referring to the latest bit of "exploitation" that I believe is currently quite fashionable - ie firms getting people to work as interns unpaid for some time and then adding insult to injury by not giving them a job at the end of it and just using them as unpaid labour?)

They directly ask at every sign on appointment "Have you done any work in the last two weeks, paid or unpaid.

Timalay

When I was signing on a few years back, and at the end of my tether (I had signing on for about four years). I started doing some voluntary work, the jobcentre seemed fine with it.

busy_mom_2

The voluntary work must be for a registered charity, jobcentre have no problems with people doing voluntary work provided people still attend all the regular appointments and are willing to give the work up to take paid employment. you must still attend all adviser interviews and cannot use the voluntary work as a reason for none attendance or benefit mat be effected.