Volunteering in Scotland

Hi Maximilien. I'm interested too. Hope we get good tips from here. Maybe this could help : http://www.volunteerscotland.net/organi … unteering/

I am from the US.  It is my understanding that we cannot work or volunteer in the UK.

Not 100% correct. Work is defined in UK employment law, and it is illegal to work in the UK unless your visa permits it. However, most formalised volunteering agreements are not defined as work (indeed, most properly written volunteer agreements will make it clear that they are NOT any form of work, paid or unpaid) in order to avoid issues around minimum wage and other employment rights legislation. This position has been tested in the English & Welsh courts several times and been upheld - although I'm unaware of any cases that have arisen in Scotland to date.

In short, most volunteering is permitted in the UK, regardless of visa type. If in doubt, ask the person responsible for managing the volunteer program you're applying to for more information, or contact your local volunteer centre (see http://www.volunteerscotland.net/find-a … t-locally/) for more information.

(For background - I'm a volunteer coordinator working for Volunteer Edinburgh!)