Can I change my mind after accepting a conditional offer of employment?

[Fairweather4]

I have been offered a new job and have received the offer of employment letter and been advised that my contract of employment will arrive the first week I start. My dilemma is that I am also currently interviewing for a different job which I really want. The interview process for the second job is quite long and I am concerned that I will need to sign my offer letter quite soon before I know the outcome of the interview for the second job. I don’t want to say no to the first job in the event I don’t I get the second one. If I sign the offer letter for the first job am I legally bound to take and start that job? Although not ideal and not something I feel comfortable with but could I pull out of the first job I have accepted and signed the offer letter for at the last minute if I do get the second job? Sorry for the rambling - never been in this position before and my ethics are also bothering me. Thanks for the help.

if you accept their letter or have signed a contract you must start that job, however you can still do the interview process for the second job. If you get the job you want, you can put in your resignation notice and work the allotted days you need to (if need one week or one month notice, suggest look at the contract). Then start the job you want, if they allow you to delay it off.

I've done this a few times. You do feel guilty but it soon fades lol.

if you accept their letter or have signed a contract you must start that job

This is nonsense.

If you don't start the job then strictly speaking the potential employer can sue you for damages, but in practice that never happens.

@CorrBlimeyGG

You don't need to start the job, but the potential employer can sue like you said or make them work until termination of notice. www.gov.uk/job-offers-your-rights.
But OP is currently being interviewed, there is no guarantee to anyone at interview process that they will get a job. Unless the have been advised otherwise.

@LegalUtopia That's exactly what I've stated, and the opposite to what you said. Are you just here to advertise your website?

Thanks - did you sign an offer letter and then change your mind? We’re there any reprocussions for you?

I haven’t see the contract as I will only get this the first week I start so have no idea what the notice period would be. Also hoping to know about the second job before I even start the new job. Not sure the first employer would want me to start and work out a notice prior knowing I don’t want to work with them??

Yes you can do that. It's your career at the end of the day and you are well within your rights to withdraw from a job offer.

Obviously don't do this until you have received an unconditional offer from the second job (unless you are the person who recently beat me to my dream job by one point in interview - then feel free to withdraw now )

Errr dumb question. But if you haven’t got a contract to sign yet then what power do they have to make you stay?

Also it’s very strange not to sign a contract before you start!

Dumb question?? That is a bit rude!! Actually within my sector very very rarely do you get a contract of employment before you start which is why you get a offer letter. My question is about an offer of acceptance letter which is a legal document therefore looking for clarity on that. Commenting that this is a dumb question is not helpful and not sure why you needed post anything considering it wasn’t helpful at all.

I pulled out once after I'd accepted the job. I got a snotty letter but I did what was right for me as a better offer came along unexpectedly. I felt guilty. But sometimes you have to do this. Even if you accept the job how can they make you start. They can't.

I meant I was asking a dumb question.

Had you signed any letter or contract before you withdrew from the job?

Apologies your punctuation implied that I was asking a dumb question. I have never been in this situation before as I was in my last job for a very long time!! I am just trying to make the best decision for my career and family but also not annoy a prospective employee.

I accepted the job in writing then around two weeks or maybe a bit less (but not just a couple of days before starting) I withdrew. It was years ago but I'm still glad I did. You really do have to do what is best for you.

Sorry. I was just confused how you could say yes to a job until you’ve seen the contract? What happens if the contract is bananas? I thought I was asking a question that everyone else but me knew the answer to. I didn’t mean to imply that you were asking a silly question, I thought I was asking a silly question!

And I will admit no it’s not technically happened to me but did happen to my husband recently. He said yes but then got the contract and it was not what they claimed the hours were or location so then he didn’t sign and as he’d not signed the contract which talked about notice period or the like there was nothing they could do.

The best thing to do is to tell job #2 you have an offer already on the table and could they speed their interviewing process up, while simultaneously stalling job #1 a bit. If they say no, you probably wouldn't have got the job anyway. If they say yes, happy days, you are now a desirable commodity in their eyes and can hopefully find out whether they're going to make you an offer before you have to commit to job #1.

Or you can pull out of job #1. There is effectively nothing they can do about it, but you have to accept that you've categorically burned that particular bridge.

I had exactly that earlier this year. I was offered job 2 on my first afternoon in job1. Since the money was 2x and 3days wfh, I just explained to my boss who said 'ok, come back tomorrow morning and we'll sort the paperwork.' They even paid me four days gardening leave.

Thanks for the advice - I had considered telling job 2 that I have an offer on the table - but thought it may sound fake or threatening. I guess if job 1 asks for the paperwork to be signed and returned for job offer 1 then I may need to let job 2 know that I have an offer. I feel very stressed by it all 🤦‍♀️

Wow - that sounds like an awesome outcome for you. I have the impression that if I left after my first day I would not get the same response lols - although I may be wrong. I am glad it worked out for you.

@Fairweather4

Thanks for the advice - I had considered telling job 2 that I have an offer on the table - but thought it may sound fake or threatening. I guess if job 1 asks for the paperwork to be signed and returned for job offer 1 then I may need to let job 2 know that I have an offer. I feel very stressed by it all 🤦‍♀️

It happens all the time. Most people job hunting have multiple applications on the go and naturally have preferences. It allows you to affirm to job #2 that you're really interested while also pulling the neat little Jedi mind trick of giving you scarcity value.