UKCOA Jobs is a secure and private platform, but user safety depends on individual responsibility. We provide the platform; you manage your safety in your interactions.

To use UKCOA Jobs safely:

• Be Cautious and Vigilant: Approach all online interactions with a degree of healthy skepticism and awareness.

• Use Your Judgment and Trust Your Instincts: If something feels "off" or too good to be true, exercise extra caution or disengage. Your intuition is important.

• Practice Due Diligence: Take the time to thoroughly evaluate profiles and job/gig listings before responding.

• Communicate Clearly and Ask Questions: Ensure you have a clear understanding of the work, payment terms, and expectations through direct communication before committing.

• Protect Your Personal Information: Be mindful of what personal details you share online, especially in initial interactions.

• Meet in Public, Well-Lit Places: If meeting in person, always choose a public and well-lit location for your first meeting.

• Tell Someone Your Meeting Plans: Let a friend or family member know who you are meeting, when and where, and when you expect to be back.

Your safety is in your hands when connecting with others on any online platform, including ours. Using common sense and following these guidelines will significantly enhance your safety and experience.

With UKCOA Jobs, trust comes from understanding how the platform is designed. We've built it to be a self-service connection tool, not an intermediary. This means:

• We don't get involved in your dealings: Your communications and agreements are directly between you and other users. We don't and cannot monitor those interactions, this is technically impossible by design.

• Privacy-Focused Approach: We collect only minimal personal information necessary for basic account functionality. We are committed to protecting your privacy (Privacy Policy).

• Platform Transparency: Our Terms of use and Privacy Policy clearly outline our role and responsibilities (and limitations) as a platform provider.

Instead of asking you to "trust us" in a traditional sense, we aim to provide a transparent and secure platform where you are empowered to make informed decisions and manage your own connections and work arrangements. Your trust should be in the system we've created to facilitate these connections responsibly and respectfully of your privacy.

We understand, typically there's a reason behind offering something for free. With UKCOA Jobs, there isn't a hidden "catch" in the sense of compromised user experience or data exploitation. Instead, we can offer this platform for free because it's designed as a cost-effective extension of our existing operations:

• Low-Cost Extension & Self-Service: UKCOA Jobs is built as a cost-effective extension, integrated directly into our existing website infrastructure. Furthermore, the platform is designed to be fully self-service, eliminating the need for dedicated staffing or company resources for ongoing upkeep and user management. This lean design allows us to offer the platform without charging user fees.

• Platform Insights & Improvement: Running this platform, even as a low-resource initiative, allows us to gain valuable insights into online community dynamics, platform functionality, and user needs in this market. This practical knowledge informs improvements across all our services.

So, while UKCOA Jobs is free for you to use, its design as a low-cost, self-service extension of our existing website provides strategic benefits to us through valuable learning and broader online reach. We do however hope you find it a useful tool!

No, UKCOA Jobs operates as a self-service platform. We provide the space and the tools for individuals to connect directly with each other for work opportunities. Think of our platform as a marketplace where you can explore listings and connect with those offering work, or advertise your own services to those seeking workers. We empower users to find and offer work independently using the features we provide. While we don't offer a job-finding service ourselves, you can effectively use our platform to search, discover, and connect with potential work opportunities that suit your needs and skills.

We implement several technical safeguards to protect your information and online interactions. This includes using secure SSL connections to encrypt data transmitted between you and our platform.

However, it's important to understand that online platforms for connecting individuals always require users to play an active role in their own safety. UKCOA does not verify user identities and does not monitor communications that take place outside of our platform (as we don't offer in-platform communication tools to maximise user choice and privacy).

Therefore, we strongly advise all users to practice due diligence: evaluate profiles carefully, communicate thoroughly using a method you trust, and ensure you have a clear understanding of any work arrangement before proceeding. If you are going to meet someone in person, or if you want to learn more about staying safe while using our platform, please take a look at our Staying Safe guides.

No, UKCOA Jobs is exclusively for individuals aged 18 years and over. Using the platform if you are under 18 is a violation of our Terms of use and may result in account suspension. Protecting user privacy is a core principle for UKCOA. Therefore, we do not routinely request age verification from users upon registration. However, if it is brought to our attention that an account is being used by someone under 18, we will need to take action, which may include account suspension, to ensure the platform remains compliant with legal standards and provides a responsible environment for all our adult users. We appreciate your understanding and adherence to this important policy.