When you’re looking for work and struggling it may not cross your mind to take up some volunteer work however this can be a great way to keep your foot in the door of the working world. Most people aren’t aware that even if you’re on job seekers allowance you are still allowed to do volunteer work provided that you are still looking for paid work as well. The basic rules are that you can’t be paid for any work that you do and if any of your expenses are paid then you have to declare this to the job centre.

Volunteer work can give you great transferable skills that you can use to help you get a permanent job too and can give you the opportunity to get an up to date reference as well. It’s a great thing to add to your CV that will allow you to show a prospective employer that you have been keeping regular working hours and have stuck to commitments even when not employed.