Universal Credit for unpaid interns

zskazi

If I am doing a full time unpaid internship and am not earning anything, will I get the same Universal Credit benefit as I would if I was an unemployed jobseeker?

Alice_Holt

I suspect the difficulty you may encounter is that UC will expect you to spend the working week seeking for, applying for, and interviewing for jobs which offer a salary.
To receive UC you will need to accept a claimant commitment agreement,  
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-your-claimant-commitment-quick-guide/universal-credit-and-your-claimant-commitment

If you are unable to seek paid work, then your UC claim could be sanctioned and ultimately closed by UC.

Which company / organisation are you currently subsidising by working unpaid for?

https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns

zskazi

It was a theoretical question. I am living abroad right now and will move back to the UK soon. Since I have no work experience I was hoping I could work as an unpaid intern in a relevant role instead of flipping burgers. I had no idea about rights for interns. Does this mean unpaid internships (for experience) don’t exist?

theoretica

You may volunteer for a charity - or undertake work experience *as part of a course* but otherwise unpaid internships should not exist

https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns

zskazi

I have one more question then… Can I refuse to take up low-skill job and wait till I get a relevant job without getting sanctioned from Universal Credit?

Alice_Holt

zskazi said:

I have one more question then… Can I refuse to take up low-skill job and wait till I get a relevant job without getting sanctioned from Universal Credit?

      Unlikely.

     Especially if you haven't claimed UC due to having been made redundant / etc from a high-skill job.

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/991076/admk3.pdf


Coming from abroad you will be subject to the right to reside and habitual residence tests -  google it for more details. 

Neruda

zskazi said:

It was a theoretical question. I am living abroad right now and will move back to the UK soon. Since I have no work experience I was hoping I could work as an unpaid intern in a relevant role instead of flipping burgers. I had no idea about rights for interns. Does this mean unpaid internships (for experience) don’t exist?

In practice... since you will be returning to the UK you are unlikely to be paid UC immediately. Use that time for some kind of internship. Once you can go on to UC try to find a voluntary role with a charity (perhaps using the experience from that first internship). If this interning/volunteering experience has been significantly more challenging than 'burger-flipping' you might be able to use this to avoid sanctions if you refuse unskilled work.

calcotti

Neruda said:.. since you will be returning to the UK you are unlikely to be paid UC immediately. 

It is not impossible to satisfy the habitual residence test immediately upon return so it is possible to qualify for UC immediately.

OhWow

calcotti said:

Neruda said:.. since you will be returning to the UK you are unlikely to be paid UC immediately. 

It is not impossible to satisfy the habitual residence test immediately upon return so it is possible to qualify for UC immediately.

As long as they are allowed to claim UK benefits.