I have in front of me, 2 application forms. Both of them want my current employers details

[saltire]

I'm not keen to do this, as, if I don't get either job then they will know I was looking and might (in my team managers case definately) hold it against me and make things difficult at work.
Do i need to put them down? Unfortunatley one of the jobs (at the school ) they know I work and where, so i can't not put them down

Message withdrawn

I always have to fill in my employers' details but they've never contacted them until I've actually handed in my notice. Can you contact them to ensure that this is what they will do?

But they aren't going to ask for references from current employers unless they are seriously looking at offering you the job. It is also against the law to give a bad reference although they can just refuse to give one at all...

mark the form 'do not contact before interview'. everyone knows how sensitive this is , so don't worry

You can't not put your current employer on an application form, as hanaflower says, it's extremely relevant information to know about current employment when shortlisting.

I doubt very much they'd contact anyone before interview and/or without your permission anyway - if they did that for every candidate that would be extremely time consuming. But if your concerned, mark it clearly on the form.

And just to clarify, it's not against the law to give a bad reference. It's against the law to give a misleading reference, and an employer shouldn't say anything that isn't based on fact and that can't be substantiated. But that doesn't mean they can't say anything negative. In practice most employers would rather give very little information than say anything negative to be safe. I know it's not directly relevant in this case, but I do just feel I need to clarify - it's a common misconception that giving a bad reference is illegal, and it's not the case.

Good luck with your applications!

There isn't a lot of room for putting down my previous employment historeis, as some of the duties I did in those employments could be beneficial to my application.
Should I just put them down in the place on the from which asks for experience and personal skills, such as voluntary work, or should I attach my CV?

If there's enough space I'd put it on the form, or you could consider continuing what you are saying in the space on the application form on an attached blank piece of paper, that way there's no duplication as there would be if you attached a cv as well.

Sorry, I was told that by my previous employer re bad references etc.

It's a common misconception solo, loads of people think that. In reality, no one does give a bad reference because it 'feels' risky and it's just safer to just give dates or something.

I suppose the common practice of just giving dates or something in a situation where it could be a negative reference just gives rise to the belief that it's actually illegal to give a bad reference.

But if you consider a situation where an employee had done something really terrible, like fraud or theft, beyond any doubt, it would not be misleading at all to say in a reference that this person did all these horrific things, even though it's obviously negative.