to expect my university to provide a reference

[homertonb]

for me

Graduated this year. Recently given a job offer and the company are asking for a reference from every place I’ve studied/work (even short temp roles).

I have managed to get references from all previous employers and my Sixth Form college (no questions asked) but not my university.

According to my university website (and a careers advisor at my uni) typically personal tutors will provide references. I have contacted my tutor twice via email, and have been blanked. Also, contacted student pastoral office who emailed my tutor on behalf of me - still nothing back.

Now I don’t know if perhaps I’m being unreasonable to expect a reference from my tutor as he doesn’t know me well at all. (Only met once in first year)

I presume it’s more academic to confirm grades etc rather than a personal/character reference anyway. I can understand a lecturer turning me down but surprised personal tutor can’t help (I haven’t bothered asking any lecturers because I don’t think any know my name and I’m not their responsibility)

Feeling rather down as I had so many job rejections and finally got an offer - only to potentially be turned down for lacking a reference

Escalate it to the head of department. Your tutor absolutely should provide a reference.

Can't you ask for a reference from someone at the university who actually knows you academically? A seminar tutor, college senior tutor, lecturer, dissertation supervisor etc?

You could ask a lecturer or tutor who would've known you.

I would either do as the PP suggested and email a member of staff who does know you (a dissertation or other project supervisor is a good bet) or email the head of department or senior tutor and ask what you should do. You should be able to get a reference from the university, it is very poor to get no response at all from your tutor.

Well you can "expect" but it's not working.

It's August. Is it simply a matter of them being away on holiday?

My personal tutor at uni was a total dick and said she was "too busy" to give me a reference, all she had to do was confirm attendance and marks. My dissertation tutor thankfully wasn't a stuck up dick and did it for me, so maybe try someone else.

This was over 10 years ago, I'm still holding onto some resentment it seems!

I used to work in student services at a uni and reference requests came to us. Tutors are too hard to pin down and would dodge and delete these requests. We used the database and provided the dates, course title and grades achieved. This is all that is normally required but the request has to come from the employer not the graduate. Can't you provide the uni Student Services contact details as a referee and let the employer contact them?

How can you only have met your personal tutor once? And why don’t any of your lecturers know you? It’s very difficult to write references in those circumstances. If it’s only grades that are required, surely the employer would just ask for a transcript?

And, yes, most of the academics in my department are on annual leave at the moment (the summer vacation is the only time I’m able to take my annual leave). But the tutor should have set up an autoreply on their email.

You dont normally have to source your own references btw, just provide the employer with contact details.

Did you write a dissertation as part of your degree? Perhaps ask your supervisor instead - my dissertation supervisor provided me a reference after uni. I don't think I even asked my personal tutor, thinking back!

I’m amazed to hear about tutors not writing references, that would never happen where I work. Plus, it is very much in departments’ interests to write references now that graduate employment and salary statistics are part of publicly-accessible data and may eventually be linked to student fees.

They are mostly away at conferences or on holiday now Ask the admin team, I'd do you an academic one from your online transcript. Which would be as valid as form someone who had met you once.

If they only met you once 3/4 years ago What kind of reference do you seriously expect to get? E- mail someone who knows you!

University lecturer here - writing references is absolutely part of our jobs everywhere I've worked, and it would be considered outrageous to not bother to do it. You should escalate this via the pastoral service and/or head of department. But usually the student just gets in touch to check it's ok and it's the employer who actually makes the request.

Yep, ask Admin team.

Totally believe this - I was going to apply for a Masters at the university I did my undergrad in 15 years ago, same subject. The admissions guy in the department said I needed an academic reference. I asked if they could just get my records etc as I went to the institution as an undergrad. No he said, I should check and see if any of the lecturers who taught me 15 years ago were still there and contact them. I pointed out that none of them would remember me (and only one is still there) but apparently that was fine, the lecturer could just check the computer records and confirm my grades etc. I went somewhere else.

I'm a university lecturer and a few things come to mind ...

1. It's the summer holidays! At my uni half the staff are on leave as we r too busy to take it any other time of the year! So your tutor may very well be on leave.
2. If it's simply dates and confirmation you attended, the admin or student services can surely do that for you?
3. I get loads of requests for references from students this time of year. I prioritise the students I know well, who I believe in, who have built a good relationship with me, and who's work history, career goals and aspirations I know about and have discussed with them. I also prioritise students who have had the courtesy to ask me first if it's ok for me to act as their referee. For these students, I will write a reference on the day I receive the request from their new employer and will support them in any way I can.
4. I have had times when I've been asked for a reference for someone I have never heard of. I have professional registration and am not willing to put that, or my job, on the line by writing a reference for someone I have never met (and for all I know, has never even shown up for any lectures or even actually attended the uni in person for even a day - it happens).
5. There have been times when I am aware of the student (they are enrolled in my course and I have heard they attend), but I simply feel other staff know them better. In which case, I'd advise the student to ask someone else who they know to complete the reference.
6. Supervisors are often best to complete references as they know their supervisees fairly well.
7. It can be a good idea to make an appointment to see the person you want to write your reference, to show them your CV, talk about your career goals, and chat to them about the job you r applying for. It'll make it much easier for them to write the reference for you.

**8. Moving forward, for future jobs, make sure you build a good relationship with your boss or people who can provide a future rference. Make sure you ask them in advance for a reference, and don't assume a reference is a right. It is courteous to ask, and preferable that the referee actually knows a a bit about you.

Contact the department if you can, they should have an admin type contact email address. My tutor used to work abroad in the summer holidays (relating to his subject), perhaps they haven't been in the office and the department can find someone who can do it.

What @ItsLate said. I will absolutely prioritise students I know, who’ve engaged with their work — I wouldn’t give a reference to a personal tutee I met once. How could I possibly have anything to say? If all you need is confirmation of grades, your transcript will do. But yes, I also want to know why none of the people who taught you know who you are — didn’t you attend and participate?

I haven’t bothered asking any lecturers because I don’t think any know my name and I’m not their responsibility

I think you might be surprised by who remembers you, or is at least willing to look up your details and write a reference from their comments on your work, etc. I'm an academic and I get a lot of reference request emails from former students that begin 'You won't remember me but...' and I almost always do remember them at least a little. Sometimes it makes me laugh that they think I won't remember them - I got one recently from someone I taught in a group of six students for two hours every week last year - of course I remember you! It's actually quite sweet.

Can I ask what subject you lecture in @ItslateImTired? Do you think there is more emphasis on student experience now they have to pay such high fees, certainly 15 years ago no lecturer knew or cared about my career aspirations and they would have struggled to pick me out of a line up. It was all about volume of students. I was in the first year of fees so I'm thinking perhaps some things have changed a lot (along with the much nicer accommodation now, although orange water and sleeping two people on a camp bed are surely part of the student experience!)

I wouldn’t give a reference to a personal tutee I met once. How could I possibly have anything to say?

Like GCAcademic I'm astonished by this - it just wouldn't be an option for me not to give a reference to a personal tutee if they asked for it where I work. They are explicitly told to approach their tutor first for references. I do sometimes suggest that someone else (usually their dissertation supervisor) would be more appropriate, but I do think it's my job ultimately. I have access to all their marks and feedback as their tutor, so it's pretty easy to cobble something together.

Admittedly, I wouldn't ever have a personal tutee that I'd only met once - in fact, in that situation I'd definitely remember you because you'd be the one that I'd sent all those emails asking why you weren't attending meetings.

haveuheard - I teach hundreds of students, so yes, there are a lot of students that I don't know and couldn't pick out of a line up! - but there are also plenty I do know and am cheering on from the sidelines because they are making an effort, have seen me for advice, have asked for feedback for essays, or want to talk about their futures. These are the people I want to write references for. If I have no clue who a student is, then I'd suggest they ask a staff member they do know, to write them a reference - their project supervisor for example - who they should at least have met a couple of times! (In my subject area there is always a 3rd year substantial project to complete), Or yes, a personal tutor if they have actually met them within the last few months...

(When I went to university over 20 years ago! Most of my lecturers wouldn't have known who I was either!! But one or two did because I enjoyed their modules and got to know them a bit. And I did actually meet my personal tutor more than once! I always would ask someone first before putting their name down as a reference, and wouldn't have picked the lecturer who had no clue I existed!) I think a common problem in recent years is that students have never been taught basic etiquette, like actually asking a potential referee before putting their name down, getting to know someone first before using them as a reference, building strong relations, and engaging with staff (to develop, learn from feedback, seek advice on course material etc...), as well as writing a good CV and developing skills necessary to produce a good application form and CV for jobs)