Civil Service Provisional Job Offer. Start date in 5 weeks. Do I advise my current employer?

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Im a regular but have changed my name.

I have a provisional job offer with the civil service. They advised me 5 days ago. My start date is the beginning of january.

DBS checks have been completed and its basically references and security checks left to collate. All of which should come back with no issues. I was self employed for a while but can get numerous character references and have 3 employment references. I can offer more if needed. Nothing should stop this from going ahead.

My query is do I warn my current employer. I would generally not consider this however I work for a small organisation that is going through huge changes, already has staff shortages with huge amounts of work to cover. There are more shortages coming and I have been asked to work extra hours over the next 3 months to help cover this. I said I could but now this job offer has come in. Clearly this is going to impact on my current work place heavily and I feel like im deceiving awkward not saying anything. They have been very good to me.

My notice period would be partially over christmas and I have two weeks annual leave booked for this time. The date the civil service are proposing I start will mean I have, at most, 3 weeks of work left with my current employer taking into account my annual leave.

My dh says I should say nothing till its confirmed. I will not hand my notice in until I have a contract however I feel I should let them know this is highly likely to happen. I also feel I should advise them as they will be getting reference requests.

Im unsure what to do.

Congrats!

You sound great but I agree with your husband. Put your interests first.

Won't you have to give 4 weeks notice? If so hand your notice in at a point 4 weeks before your start date.

I'm starting a new job soon and handed my notice in before dbs checks came back and before they'd got references. I knew there wouldn't be any issues and just wanted to make sure I was ok to start in the new year.

Wait til you get a written job offer and contract.

I agree with the others who say you shouldn't say anything until it's fully confirmed. Telling your employer can be taken as notice so you cannot safely tell them early.

Which security checks need to be collated? They can take a while...
It is also unusual in the civil service to receive a contract before you start so don't necessarily plan around this.

I've indicated I need 4 weeks notice on my application so they know this.

I believe it's full security checks.

If I don't get a contract till I start how do I know it's all going ahead? I've had some dreadful recruitment experiences in the past hence why I'm cautious.

It is also unusual in the civil service to receive a contract before you start so don't necessarily plan around this

Even if you don't get a Contract, they ought to give you something written as a comfort factor that if you're giving up a job elsewhere, you know what you're moving to and at least basic details of salary, work hours and employment status eg Permanent or Fixed term Contract.

What you need is some formal offer either as an email from the CS or an offer letter, something more than an informal expression of interest. The CS will know that if you have a contractual notice period of 4 weeks, they can't insist you join sooner than when you have fully met your obligation to your current employer.

If you’re uncomfortable with the CS proposal, speak to your HR contact in the CS and explain.

I work for the civil service. I can tell you that once they offer you the job and you accept they have a huge number of rules that mean they can’t then not take you because you’re pregnant.

If I were you I would keep quiet until job offer is accepted and security done and then say. Usually you don’t need to say anything until 3 months anyway.

Working for thecivil service is actually a pretty sweet position for situations like this. Certainly in my department anyway!!

Eh? Not sure pregnancy has been mentioned. To be honest OP I would feel the same as you; if they are going to be asked for references they will know soon anyway, so personally I would mention it.

Unless I'm mistaken Karigan, this isn't related to pregnancy, it's to do with the OPs notice period and when to tell their current employer about leaving.

Well you'll have to tell someone if yiu want a reference I'd have thought, as you say yourself

You need to give the notice period that is in your contract
Do you need to be be doing it now if your new job starts at the beginning of January

Yes, just ensure you get something in writing from the CS beforehand like daisychain has suggested.

I'm not sure where the pregnancy thing came in. Im not pregnant. My family is complete. Another baby is not on the agenda.

I wont give my notice period until I have a definate job offer. The CS recruitment team know I have a 4 weeks notice period with my current employer, have advised me not to resign until I get a formal offer. I''m assuming they are working with a view to meeting this. With the CS timelines I will need to give notice at work within the next 10 days. This leaves me only 1 working week because of my annual leave and christmas!

They are going to be approaching my managers for references tomorrow if they have not already. I am working away from the office tomorrow so I would need to email my managers tonight if I am going to pre warn them.

You can't not tell managers ref requests are on the way! I usually ask in advance if I can put them down

So do I email and advise Ive got a provsional offer. Reference requests are coming and the suggested start day if all goes to plan will be January.

Or do I say nothing?

If references requests are coming on I'd tell them you have been offered a job which you haven't formally accepted.

Then once you get a formal offer
In writing then give notice.

Have you acrued enough leave if you finish in 4 weeks time?

yes Nap ive got enough annual leave to still take the time. I may even have more if Toil is taken into account.

I wouldn’t say a word. I have been burnt by this! My employer ended my contract with a weeks notice when I told them I was going to be accepting a new job (I thought I was helping them as it was a really small team and I didn’t want to leave them without giving them chance to train someone new).

Get something in writing. It’s nicer to speak to them if they are going to be recieving a reference request but it’s not a nicety contest.

Please put yourself first. Check what notice they can give you and if it’s less than the start date wait for something in writing. I would hate for someone to be in the same position I was!

But they'll know when they get the ref request? So how is not telling them helping?

The civil service are reknown for delays with recruitment. The difference a few weeks could make are huge. They’ll know when they get the request and I would use that to speak to them.

I wouldn’t tell them. Before this happened I would have told them without a second thought.

If your contract is different/ you have leave accrued it might be different to my circumstances but I would hate for the same to happen to someone else, especially round Christmas.

If unsure has a 4 week notice period contractually, the current employer can't just decide to unilaterally terminate with a week's notice. That's breach of Contract, they would be bonkers to do that!

However it's in the OPs best interests to get the formal offer letter and then formalise notice with the current employer. Of all employers in UK, the CS is more like than any to provide unsure with the assurances they need.

An email to their HR dept explaining the situation is in order to put your mind at rest OP

Say nothing until you have received a formal job offer and accepted it.