Will attending a 1-hour weekly class affect my ESD unemployment benefits?

You should be absolutely fine. Taking a one-hour class per week doesn't affect your ability to work full-time or search for jobs. ESD is mainly concerned about training programs that would prevent you from accepting suitable work. Since this is just one hour weekly, it won't interfere with your ability to accept a job offer or attend interviews. You should still report it on your weekly claim when it asks if you're attending school or training, but just explain it's a one-hour weekly class. Being honest now prevents headaches later. I took a short online course while on UI last year and had zero issues.

i did a coding bootcamp during unemployment and it was fine i just had to tell them. one hour isnt gonna be a problem lol they care about full time school

To clarify what others have said: you DO need to report any schooling or training on your weekly claim form - even if it's just one hour per week. But this short class won't make you ineligible. When you answer "yes" to the school/training question, ESD will likely ask some follow-up questions about the nature and schedule of your class. Just be honest about it being one hour weekly. As long as you remain able and available for full-time work and continue meeting your job search requirements (3 job search activities each week), your benefits should continue without interruption. The key consideration is whether your class schedule would prevent you from accepting suitable work. Since it's only one hour weekly, you can easily schedule around it for any potential job.

GUYS BE CAREFUL WITH THIS!!! My cousin lost 6 weeks of benefits because she didn't report a class she was taking!!! ESD does NOT mess around with unreported training and they made her pay everything back. ALWAYS report ANY class you take no matter how small!!! They have ways of finding out especially if you're using financial aid or if it's through a college. Better safe than sorry!!!

Has anyone here actually tried calling ESD to get clarity on this? I was in a similar situation last year and tried calling ESD for WEEKS without getting through. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an ESD agent in about 25 minutes. They have a video demo of how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent confirmed that small classes are fine as long as you report them and remain able and available for work. It saved me a ton of anxiety just getting a clear answer directly from ESD rather than guessing.

i'm actually taking 2 classes right now while on unemployment but there both online so i can do them anytime and esd is fine with it. the key is that you have to be able to take a job if one is offered to you. if your class doesn't prevent you from working then your good but you DEFINTELY need to report it every week when filing your claim!!

For what it's worth, I work in career services and have helped many clients navigate UI while taking classes. The one-hour class shouldn't be a problem, but I strongly recommend reporting it accurately. If your class is job-related training, you might also want to record it as one of your job search activities in your job search log. This creates a record showing that the class is actually helping, not hindering, your employment prospects. Remember that the underlying principle is always whether you remain able and available for full-time suitable work. As long as that's true, and you're honest about your activities, you should be fine.

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to make sure I report the class on my weekly claim and explain that it's just one hour per week and doesn't affect my availability for work. I'll also add it to my job search log since it's directly related to skills in my field. Really appreciate all the advice and experiences shared here!