Community Service - What would you do?

[Schnellmann]

If you were offered the choice of either paying an income related fine (say a week's wages) or do 40 hours of community service (working in a hospital, old people's home, etc), what would you do?

If you wouldn't do the community service, how painful would the fine have to be (in terms of percentage of your income) before you changed your mind?

[Grimezy93]

I suppose it depends on your workload/family commitments/social life. If the 40 hours is going to be a nuisance in your day to day routine then you may find it's worth just paying the fine and getting it over with. You may find you'd benefit from the community service experience though if you're a certain kind of person.

All depends on what you did to get the fine, how much the fine will impact on you and whether or not you're the kind of person who would actually benefit from doing community service.

[Johnnytheboy]

Interesting question.

I'd pay a lot to avoid a week's community service, not because I would object to doing anything but because my annual leave is very precious to me.

If OTOH I was unemployed/retired I wouldn't pay a lot.

In other words, the answer to your question is composed of how much I'd want to avoid community service and how much I think my free time is worth.

So I guess I'd pay ~a month's wages to avoid a week's community service.

[Schnellmann]

I should add that the community service is done at the weekend so "only" sacrificing free time, not paid holiday.

[PIGINAWIG]

More to the point - what did you 'hypothetically' do........

[Johnnytheboy]

Schnellmann said:

I should add that the community service is done at the weekend so "only" sacrificing free time, not paid holiday.

Oh, ok, I was imagining as the loss of a working week.

Actually, my comment about the loss of free time still stands.

[Schnellmann]

PIGINAWIG said:

More to the point - what did you 'hypothetically' do........

Not hypothetical...I actually asked then to change the fine to community service (I'm not currently in the UK so slightly different system here).

[Happy82]

Schnellmann said:

I should add that the community service is done at the weekend so "only" sacrificing free time, not paid holiday.

Not everyone works Monday to Friday though.

[Schnellmann]

Happy82 said:

Schnellmann said:

I should add that the community service is done at the weekend so "only" sacrificing free time, not paid holiday.

Not everyone works Monday to Friday though.

That is slightly pedantic. To be more precise, for those working a 5 day week then the community service can be done on the days not normally worked, whether that falls on the weekend or not. The point is that you have to give up your time when you would normally be free (you can also take paid leave to do it - although not sure why you would).

[KingNothing]

Pay the fine, I could then just work on the weekend and earn close to what the fine fine actually costs.

Would have to be more than a weeks wages to convince me to do community service.

Edited by KingNothing on Monday 21st October 10:15