My 16 yo has taken a job that has turned out to voluntary!

"Calling an unpaid worker ‘unpaid’ or ‘a volunteer’, even if the individual agrees to this, does not prevent them from qualifying for the minimum wage if they are entitled."

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships

Just to add, if you complain you will lose that reference. The reference really will be beneficial to him.

Hi, just wanted to add a comment that might go against the majority but hope it helps…

My (now 17 year old) son started a similar role when he was 15. He’s a football lad and it was coaching 5/6 year olds for the local community on a weekend.

The role is normally undertaken by students doing DofE and (unlike your son) it was explained that the first 12 weeks are voluntary and then the lead coach picks who they want to stay on / pay.

My son wasn’t going DofE but wanted to get a head start on his CV.

2 years later he still does it and not only gets paid but also got “promoted” to supervisor / pay rise since. He got DBS check and also has done FA qualifications.

He now also works at McD’s while doing his A-Levels.

My point is, it looks great on his CV, and the “initial voluntary period” is quite a common thing with community run clubs. They sift out those who aren’t committed. It does genuinely often lead to paid employment.

So honestly I would chalk it up to a miscommunication rather than a big plot to take advantage of children, and I would be very hesitant to rock the boat.

Yes it’s disappointing for your son that he’s not getting paid atm, but they are also providing him with valuable work experience and an excellent thing for his CV (so many things he can write on it about that role)

Sometimes the actual CV enhancement / work experience is more valuable in the long term.

I’d recommend he sticks with it, and he can look elsewhere for paid work but keep this going for his CV for now.

As its only 2.5 hours a week he could find another job. In the long term he presumably will get a qualification?
Volunteering always looks good on a CV and 6 months will go quickly.
Bit naughty of them but he is 16 and at that age they dont always understand or ask the right questions.

If it's genuinely voluntary then he won't be obliged to turn up to agreed shifts. Phoning in to say you are not coming on any particular day is a courtesy not an obligation, because if you are genuinely voluntary it won't affect the business. . I think if he is rostered to work a regular session and is obligated to attend then he may be a worker. Unfortunately workers get no real employment rights until they have worked for an employer for 2 years so if he doesn't want unpaid work experience his only real option is to quit. It is not that uncommon for some clubs to use volunteer coaches at some clubs before investing in cost of training courses. My daughter was a badminton coach under similar arrangement . The club paid for her to do an official umpiring qualification after 6 months.

Call ACAS and get advice, I suspect DS is going along with it. Ask DS to see email/contract or get him to talk to ACAS.

Six months is ridiculous! Six weeks is too long. Tell DS to leave they are scammers. Cheap labour. Exploration!

This was the case in another sport for my 16 yr old son, but after 6 months they paid for his first level coaching course and then paid him by the hour for coaching - but he never had a contract

It's free if he is a volunteer

Unfortunately really doubt there will be a job at the end of it. They take on volunteers every 6 months and switch and switch so they never end up having to pay anyone. It's gross and it's a joke. I'm so sorry he will be really disappointed by this but he shouldn't waste his time, and the poor communication is a red flag anyway. Go get you a paid job young man!

This is not a job. It's 2.5 hours a week. He got free training. He can walk away if he doesn't think it is worth it.

They are taking the piss. You son should ddnznd to be paid and if not walk out on the spot.

Thatsvpiss taking and if it was advertised job then it would need to mention voluntary work to be lawful . Other way he is owned those hours

Poolside helpers are usually unpaid and not all coaches at swimming clubs are paid, often just the main junior coach and head coach, even at top swimming clubs.
Much better to do swim teaching qualifications as swim teachers get good pay.

There nothing wrong with it many clubs have volunteers

but it should of been made clear

I asked earlier but got no reply.

It didn't mention anything about FTE , I asked Gemini and that is what it came up with, op didn't say if her ds was in fte or not .

Doesn't that depend on whether he is still in full time education?

I have just asked Gemini, and it is illegal as the individual is "working" and is therefore classed as an employee from the start, He atm is working to benefit the employer, it is illegal, look at Employment Law UK, ACAS but i put in the situation into Gemini and found the answer. I personally would tell my DS to leave and find something that pays and he is appreciated more. Good luck.

I am a qualified volunteer manager and most people dont realise there are legalities around differentiating between paid roles and voluntary roles. Wording in role advertisements and policies has to be spot on. All must state that the role is voluntary and in no way constitutes paid employment. Google the volunteer who successfuly sued CAB.

Sounds like a business masquerading as a 'club'. If it pays staff it must have income

I bet they do this all the time. Free labour and change them up after 6 months for the next kid to not be paid. Saves them money by never having to pay anyone!!!! Disgusting and disgraceful. I’d be telling him to leave immediately. A weeks work free is more than enough…..but 6 bloody months is really taking the piss!!!!!!

6 months is taking the piss. They should know in a week or two, a month tops how he is going to perform, whether he is reliable etc. They should still pay him for that time but their reasoning is bogus. They are exploiting an enthusiastic child. There is no world where they would do that to an adult.

The only way this would be acceptable was if they said they were fully staffed and didn’t have a position available at the moment, but they were willing to allow him to shadow the coaches and do his training to help him get the qualification, then would review it and if a position opened up he would be considered for it. But that should have been made crystal clear to him from the outset.

Can he speak to any of the current coaches and ask if they started in the same way?

I think they have been underhand and he should probably look elsewhere for coaching training.

Six months is not such an unreasonable trial period if only working 2.5 hrs per week (2.5×26=65 hrs). If this was a full time position this equates to less than 2 weeks probation. Although IMO 3 months is long enough to discover whether he is reliable/competent etc.