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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

185 replies

Lemurlady · 30/09/2025 10:52

My 16 yo DS has taken what he thought was a paid job at our local swimming club as a poolside helper with a view to doing his coaching qualifications. He had to do his DBS and a 3 hour safeguarding course in his own time. He has done his first month (2.5hours/week) and asked when he was getting paid. He has been told it’s voluntary for 6 months and after that they will decide whether to take him on at £8/hour. It was never mentioned in any of the email correspondence that it was unpaid. He did not sign a contract and got the gig because he used to swim at the club and reached out to them. AIBU to expect him to be paid for the hours he has done and in thinking this is very exploitative as it would seem the only way into coaching is to work for free for 6 months. Is it even legal?

OP posts:
LessOfThis · 02/10/2025 07:39

6 MONTHS. I think any of these jobs where you have to do unpaid trial shifts are bollocks, but this really takes the piss. Not sure what you can do about it.

Satisfiedwithanapple · 02/10/2025 07:48

I would also say if he wants a paid job he’d be better off finding somewhere to put him through swim teaching qualifications rather than a swimming club who will go coaching route. For some unknown reason you can’t do level 2 coach until you are 18. That really does hinder kids in getting paid employment, even if clubs pay their coaches.

But then the point about volunteering is that the qualifications cost £££££. If you want to avoid too much volunteering to be fully qualified costs about £1k in courses. STA do an award L2 that can be a cheaper route but a lot of providers consider the cert to be equaivalent to SE level 2.

Once they are qualified at level 2 they can earn about £17 an hour, regardless of age.

TheGreatWesternShrew · 02/10/2025 07:50

Yeah unpaid trial shifts are illegal so I can’t see how this wouldn’t be

PeachyPeachTrees · 02/10/2025 08:47

Silverbirchleaf · 30/09/2025 11:39

Most youth sports clubs are run by volunteers such as scouts, guides, football, netball, hockey etc, with the only paid people being the referees, for example, in football.

Also, if your son used to swim for this club, wasn’t he aware that the poolside helpers were volunteers?

So I’m a little on the fence on this whether he is being used as free labour, or whether he signed up for a voluntary role, with a view of doing his qualifications further down the line.

So what? He didn't apply for a volunteer role at a place solely run by volunteers. It's a club where customers pay £100+ per month to attend, not a scout hut which is about £35 a term. He was told he was getting paid £8 an hour and they never mentioned a 6 month unpaid probation. He is right to feel like they have taken advantage of a 16 year old child. I am an unpaid volunteer 1 day a week and it was made clear from the outset.

PeachyPeachTrees · 02/10/2025 08:55

Boxfuls · 30/09/2025 12:29

I'm going to take a different view. Obviously it should be clear at the outset, but isn't all amateur sport run by volunteers and as DS has benefited from the work of volunteers himself, it would be good to give a few hours back. Possibly the club believe it's widely known this work is done by volunteers and that's what it wasn't explicit?

It would be entirely different if this was a commercial entity, but it's not.

It's not a volunteer role though. He was told it's £8 an hour and they 'forgot' to mention the 6 months probation period is unpaid.

Bec1968 · 02/10/2025 09:28

Satisfiedwithanapple · 02/10/2025 07:31

So get a job at a supermarket 🤦🏻‍♀️

Our club pays the head coach and will pay qualified coaches and swim teachers as long as they are the actual ‘coach’ rather than a helper (most sessions have 2 proper coaches, who can be swim teachers if they are lower level swimmers or are assisting). We consider it to be important to give the kids paid employment but not those who have no qualifications. DH volunteers as a coach and is qualified, he also does a whole heap of admin as a volunteer.

If you don’t want to do voluntary work then don’t - it’s entirely a choice.

Echo two comments - firstly if he wants a paid job then lifeguarding is good and DD has done that. Also second comment of 16 year olds being clueless - dd1 ended up with the opposite problem, too many hours that she then couldn’t change.

Show quote history

Why are u quoting me????

Eccle80 · 02/10/2025 09:35

PeachyPeachTrees · 02/10/2025 08:47

So what? He didn't apply for a volunteer role at a place solely run by volunteers. It's a club where customers pay £100+ per month to attend, not a scout hut which is about £35 a term. He was told he was getting paid £8 an hour and they never mentioned a 6 month unpaid probation. He is right to feel like they have taken advantage of a 16 year old child. I am an unpaid volunteer 1 day a week and it was made clear from the outset.

Show quote history

It doesn’t sound like he was told anything about £8 an hour until he asked when he was getting paid. And he didn’t apply for an advertised job, he contacted them to ask to be a poolside helper, and from what’s been said wasn’t clear in his email that he wanted a paid job not a volunteer opportunity leading to qualifications, which is what the role mainly is for young people.

The monthly costs are so high because the operating costs of hiring a pool are so high compared to hiring a scout hut, and the hours involved are much greater. The running of swimming clubs generally is done purely by volunteers with only more senior coaches being paid.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 02/10/2025 09:42

Jellybunny56 · 30/09/2025 11:19

It’s unreasonable to start a job, do training & work without ever actually asking how much it pays. Lots of clubs seem to do this for the younger ones, ours does similar it is volunteering & they then put you through a qualification.

At 16 I wouldn't have been clued up on this...

Absolutely it feels exploitative.

He needs to decide if he wants to continue on voluntary basis,it may help him get a paid position with another club.

budgiegirl · 02/10/2025 10:31

It's not a volunteer role though. He was told it's £8 an hour and they 'forgot' to mention the 6 months probation period is unpaid

I'm not sure where you are getting this from? He wasn't told this before he started, only after he asked. And it is a volunteer role.

I think communication has been poor from both sides. The OP was very aware that in the past this has been a volunteer role, as it was previously done by D0fE participants. The OP's son should have asked up front what the situation was, and equally the club should have made it clear.

It's just a bit unfortunate, but I don't think it's exploitation. It's up to the OP's son if he wants to continue or not. Plenty of teenagers do volunteering alongside school and a part time job - my own teenager used to volunteer with me at cubs for a couple of hours a week, work in a cafe on a Saturday, and do her A levels, and she managed just fine.

Satisfiedwithanapple · 02/10/2025 10:32

Fees at our club are NOT 100+ a month. Or anywhere near that.

FlubandSlub · 02/10/2025 10:51

Lemurlady · 30/09/2025 10:52

My 16 yo DS has taken what he thought was a paid job at our local swimming club as a poolside helper with a view to doing his coaching qualifications. He had to do his DBS and a 3 hour safeguarding course in his own time. He has done his first month (2.5hours/week) and asked when he was getting paid. He has been told it’s voluntary for 6 months and after that they will decide whether to take him on at £8/hour. It was never mentioned in any of the email correspondence that it was unpaid. He did not sign a contract and got the gig because he used to swim at the club and reached out to them. AIBU to expect him to be paid for the hours he has done and in thinking this is very exploitative as it would seem the only way into coaching is to work for free for 6 months. Is it even legal?

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.

canyouseemyhousefromhere · 02/10/2025 11:37

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.

BoredZelda · 02/10/2025 11:44

Lemurlady · 30/09/2025 11:01

True. We kept asking DS to ask but I think he was a bit embarrassed. I have spoken to the head coach who apologised for the misunderstanding and basically said it’s the 6 months volunteering or nothing to see how they perform as a coach. If I was a trainee in something I would expect to be pays a lower rate and have a probation period but not to have to give a 6 month trial. DS swims for another club now so have emailed them about their policy on this.

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.

Emcolmol · 02/10/2025 18:52

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!!!!!!

topcat2014 · 02/10/2025 18:58

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

SEAHORSESROCK2 · 02/10/2025 21:48

Lemurlady · 30/09/2025 10:52

My 16 yo DS has taken what he thought was a paid job at our local swimming club as a poolside helper with a view to doing his coaching qualifications. He had to do his DBS and a 3 hour safeguarding course in his own time. He has done his first month (2.5hours/week) and asked when he was getting paid. He has been told it’s voluntary for 6 months and after that they will decide whether to take him on at £8/hour. It was never mentioned in any of the email correspondence that it was unpaid. He did not sign a contract and got the gig because he used to swim at the club and reached out to them. AIBU to expect him to be paid for the hours he has done and in thinking this is very exploitative as it would seem the only way into coaching is to work for free for 6 months. Is it even legal?

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.

dragonfly52 · 03/10/2025 19:46

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.

llizzie · 04/10/2025 03:24

dragonfly52 · 03/10/2025 19:46

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.

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

dragonfly52 · 04/10/2025 10:19

llizzie · 04/10/2025 03:24

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

Show quote history

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 .

llizzie · 04/10/2025 16:36

dragonfly52 · 04/10/2025 10:19

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 .

Show quote history

I asked earlier but got no reply.

rwalker · 04/10/2025 16:43

There nothing wrong with it many clubs have volunteers

but it should of been made clear

Skybluepinky · 04/10/2025 19:23

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.

freakingscared · 04/10/2025 19:31

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

LubyLooTwo · 04/10/2025 20:26

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

Marieb19 · 04/10/2025 20:47

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.