Maste

I want to volunteer in my spare time, as I do find myself with a lot of spare time, and would like to put this to good use!

Now, typically, I can't just 'volunteer', as it needs to truly be a voluntary thing I undertake. I think for student visas, it's defined as 'not undertaking volunteering that a USC or LPR could be, or would usually be, paid to do'.

I was considering volunteering at the local Y center, as there are a few in St Louis and I would love to work with underprivileged children. I also would like to volunteer to coach youth soccer too. I assume the Y center one would be classed as a true volunteer position? Does anyone have any idea? And what about coaching youth soccer?

Sorry for so many questions, but I do want to ensure I remain in good status on my f1 visa! I will ask my ISS (international student services) at the school I'm at soon, but they are notorious for being slow at responding, so I wanted to at least get the ball rolling first.

Twinkle0927

The rule of thumb is that those without unrestricted work authorization should only volunteer in a capacity that no one would expect to be paid for. The example of helping underprivileged children is a good one. Animal shelters, soup kitchens, church events, etc that people do purely because they feel passionate about the cause and want to give their time with no expectation of any compensation in return. Teaching football (sorry, I will never be able to call it soccer) does not really fit that picture. If the players were disabled and no money was exchanging hands anywhere along the line, possibly, but if these are children whose parents are paying for coaching and it's run as a profit-making thing then it wouldn't be a true volunteer role.