Public sector workers, including doctors, teachers and local government employees, stand to benefit from £13 million in new pension contributions when they volunteer with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) according to a new government announcement. Volunteers will be working in some of the poorest countries in the world and will help VSO further their fifty-year fight against world poverty.
Previously some public servants have been reluctant to take a career break because of the impact this would have on their pensions contributions. Now however the government will be reimbursing pension contributions whilst volunteers are away through the use of added pension benefits on return. Any current public servant who returns to a pensionable UK public service job after an overseas volunteer assignment starting between April 2008 and March 2011 and lasting between 7 and 24 months will be eligible for the incentive which will lower the financial impact for individuals who volunteer.
Presently only around 350 UK public servants per year take up such assignments, from a public service of some 4 million. It is hoped that this new government incentive will make a significant difference to the number of public sector workers entering the programme which has been a life changing experience for thousands of past volunteers, and the communities volunteers have helped.
Judith Brodie, Director of VSO comments "This move demonstrates that the Government is supporting UK public servants to undertake structured assignments of voluntary service in poor countries, and also encouraging them to return to enrich the UK public service with the experiences and skills gained."
