I spend a very decent amount of money on bits of kit, odds and sods of stationary for the squadron, heck, even McDonalds breakfasts or cheeky cheeseburgers on the way to/from activities for the cadets.
I did it as a CI without VA, I do it as a uniform with VA, I’d continue to do it as a uniform without VA. Why? Because I want to.
I’ve spent a fortune, because I want to, it’s my hobby, I enjoy it.
VA is great, but I’d carry on regardless. It’s nice, it does pay back what I put in, it softens the consistent pounding headache of regulation and crap from above.
But if it disappeared and we moved to a different system would it stop me volunteering? No.
Would it be another nail in the coffin if it went - maybe - it’s literally the only thing where volunteers get some kind of recognition for giving up their time…
I’m lucky, as locally we have a very reasonable CoC that aren’t scared to say “thank you” and “good job”… but for some a bung in their bank account is the only thanks they get.
I would happily be a CFAV without VA although you wouldn’t catch me taking further unpaid leave.
I would also get far less support from home - as with a young family time away is generally offset by the VA and without it my better half would not be accepting of manning the fort solo for say a week of camp.
It’s a bit like the reasons for volunteering - people do it for different reasons. Likewise VA means different things to different people, no matter the intent behind it at HQ.
I personally would be supportive of expenses and perhaps a flat rate remuneration for all volunteers.
As a CI all I’ve bought is my boots, a few walking clothes like trousers and shirts etc. Everything else I need for camps is borrowed from our stores which is dished out to cadets when they are doing an activity or camp. It never crossed my mind about having to pay out anything for doing any activities or camps, or even thinking I could receive any kind of out of pocket expense in return.
I rejoined to get me out of the house and to do the things I enjoyed as a Cadet. If I can do anything for a cadet that’s positive or encouraging then it’s a bonus.
It’s only since we came back from our covid break that I actually had a brain fart about going into uniform cos I do actually miss wearing it. But then I remember the politics of uniform, extra expectations, and stress. So for the foreseeable, a CI I shall stay.
With regards to VA, I have zero clue about it because in the x number of years I have been a staff member I have not been out of pocket or taken any kind of leave from work for a cadet activity/camp.
Would I be better off with expenses slipped into my account? Of course I would. Am I any worse off for not getting any pennies back for the hours I give? Nope.
I have to admit that now doing a job where I took a massive hit in salary, yes my choice to do this for a much simpler life, now the spare cash that I never used to think about spending isn’t there, doing things which incur an unclaimable expense, are falling off my radar, very quickly. I’ve stopped running people and things around unless I’m going near by.
A problem we have which is the same across all volunteering is saying NO. Perhaps this is what we should start practising and not putting ourselves in financially awkward positions. Going back to my days as a cadet I do not have any memories of staff falling over themselves to rake us to places in cars, if our dads (and some mums) couldn’t get us there we didn’t do it. So what has changed since those times that we as staff feel almost obliged to do so.
I wonder if our leaders drive themselves here and there on cadet business or do things fully at their own expense? if not why should we?
Thats your experience, I remember one particular staff member from my cadet days from a poor inner city area who would do anything he could to get cadets to events.
I remember having to dry my jumper using the fans in his VW camper on the way to what is now called wing activity day , I couldn’t count the number of times he took us flying and gliding.
did the CWC give him fuel money, we will never know as he his no longer of this earth.
I’ve advocated for this before with paying the 45p/mile fuel allowance and HMRC scale rates of subsistence allowance, the daily scale rates alone would only be a little less than the actual amount of VA most uniformed CFAV at the actual coal face receive.
I had about 9 claimable days last year but actually did over 60 full days (circa 12 hours out the house) of cadets activities so whether its the way MOD, as it applies to all CFAVs, have discussed with HMRC or what I do not know.
I know there are members here who are self employed/do self assessment so maybe one of them knows if its possible to minimise the tax by reporting all the days you volunteer and not just those RAFAC say are claimable
Its all good and well people saying, ‘oh i would always volunteer’ ‘even without VA’…
How many would give up the necessary weekends to become a fully trained saai, rco etc… THEN the weekends shooting, with all the ADMIN for these events.
How many would willingly do the ADMIN for the other big events such as camps, FT, DofE, adv trg etc etc etc
If there were no VA.
I dont view VA as payment for the days activity.
But payment for the 8 hours or sometimes 30 hours for big camps etc ADMIN done prior to the actual event.
No VA.
Nope sorry, i wouldn’t bother with the admin.
Sure, if someone else wants to. Great. I might turn up and assist with something. But it would be on my terms, no guarentees and i ceetainly wouldnt lift a pen to help.
In the present circumstances of high fuel costs and all the other problems of costs v income, I am surprised that so much is being undertaken by CFAVs, with the low levels of financial support from the RAFAC.
Maybe this is an urgent question that the CRAFAC should be taking up with OC 22 Group and higher up the RAF CoC.
To be fair it probably does need to be raised as tax should only be applied to any element that is considered ‘profit’ and not the whole allowance, it is being treated by HQ RAFAC as ‘salary’ in all but name and applying tax to the whole amount
This is why I think its becoming more important to consider but don’t think the SLT have a clue about how hard it is to recruit volunteers, let alone uniformed ones.
I’ve thought before that I wouldn’t mind a kind of “bounty” system that represented us as self-employed, contracted instructors - provided it didn’t result in lower rates. This would be especially simple once attendance and claims are all electronic.
Parade nights are volunteering, weeks and weekends are “sub-contracted”.
On my self-assessment I have started to include as business costs anything I have bought that I need solely for RAFAC use - for example MTP uniform, boots etc (as PPE) in the same way that builders can claim for work wear
Anyone can claim expenses back against tax - as I do a self-assessment (as I make a tiny amount extra each year from running external first aid courses) it’s easy just to add it in on the RAFAC page. To be fair it’s small amounts, but I keep all my receipts (thanks Amazon and eBay - other online retailers are available).
I think IF I was to “work” with cadets without any VA I would be expecting ALOT more from the organisation. Examples being employment of more E1, EO posts at WHQ to do all the crap admin tasks that come our way (building checks, B&S RAs, H&S audits, weapon audits). Also EVERYTHING I need for the role to be issued - including MTP, with free replacements, messing and food costs covered, and where no messing is provided, a daily ration rate to be claimed against receipts up to X value.
Then we would need a proper expenses route:
claim back the fuel used at cost, not 25p per mile
AT instructors to be provided with all safety equipment and PPE required
fieldcraft instructors to be able to claim for/be issued bergens, webbing etc
Admin budget to be paid centrally, not from sqn funds
I will caveat this by saying I am not a tax lawyer or specialist. BUT I believe from my self-assessment days you can claim back things are purchased solely for the use by tax-earning employment and you can also claim back proportions of other expenditure. When I ran my own business, I could off-set things like car MOT, Insurance, Tax etc against some earnings based on the proportion I mileage I used yeah year for work as oppose to other activities. For my first two years I used an accountant, but then I got the hang of my returns and did it myself
, I couldn’t count the number of times he took us flying and gliding.