Urgent advice on new job offer needed! Please!

[ErickBroch]

I need pretty urgent advice on taking a new job!

I have been offered a new job, great news, good salary, all fine. I was going to hand my notice in today as I would do but google has frightened me as I haven't officially signed a new contract yet.

I have a formal offer letter and have formally accepted the position.

The problem is that I cannot get the contract until they complete my references, and I cannot give them my current employer as a reference without telling them I am leaving!

I work in the third sector and for all of my previous jobs this has been the same, and worked out fine, but for some reason I am panicking now.

I cannot see any way around it... they won't give me a contract to sign without references.

Any advice from anyone on this please?? It has always worked out before but now I am stressed!

Thank you!

have you spoken to the HR people in the job you are being offered and explained your situation?

You don't need a written contract. You have an offer letter and you've accepted the job offer. The offer will be subject to receipt of 2 satisfactory references.

You need to resign and tell your current employer and ask them to provide a reference. That's how it works.

The new employer is entitled to revoke the job offer if the references are not satisfactory. It doesn't matter whether you have a written contract or not.

This is standard you accept, they have to check references. So you accept and hand In notice...

Thanks everyone - this is what I thought but friends/the internet massively spooked me.

I ended up reaching out to the employer and they sped the contract up and sent it to me, and I resigned today :)

Thank you all for your help