Bose said;
Whilst not condoning it, yes you can. As long as you receive no valuable consideration you can do it.
There is an FI at Sywell for example who is employed as a receptionist who happens to teach most of the day as he is unable to get a JAA CPL. Perfectly legal unless he is required to fly.
No. No. and again No.
As many others have pointed out, it is not simply a matter of not paying the pilot. Unless everything done is free i.e. the operator in the back is not being paid anything (and can choose not to fly with no fear of an adverse outcome) and whoever is doing the survey is not receiving anything valuable while remembering that having a survey done to support your own planning application or other project is very valuable indeed.
If the situation is as you describe at Sywell and it is not training for a Microlight Rating (which a PPL can be paid for) then;
a) It is clear from what you say that the person is not "employed" as a receptionist because as you point out, you will never see them "employed" in that capacity.
b) If as you say they spend their time providing flight instruction for an organisation that provides them with valuable consideration when they are not actively employed in another capacity (see a)) then they and the organisation are operating illegally; and
Most importantly -
All training conducted by such an FI would be illegal and thus not count towards the training required for a licence or rating issue.
That would be a very expensive situation for a prospective student
Sounds like a place to be avoided at all costs if what Bose says is true.
If it is not true then he has nothng to support his position.
Regards,
DFC