Should I hand in my notice now or wait until I receive the new contract?

*Kat*

They want me to start 8th October, which is AWESOME!! But, I'd like to receive the contract first and sign it, and then hand my notice in so I'm safe. Current job only requires 1 week notice, but I'd like to give them as much notice as possible

InsideInsurance

There is a post on here the other day from someone who resigned on the strength of an offer but the contract didnt turn up and the job disappeared.

Sensible thing to do is wait, personally I never have and luck rather than judgement has got me through.

getmore4less

make sure it is an unconditional offer

Uncertain

Unless the contract is going to contain special terms, like extensive periods of notice, then you gain little by waiting.

As you know you will have no protection against unfair dismissal (except for discrimination etc) for two years so the new firm could end your employment without a reason simply by giving you whatever notice is agreed.

Without contractual agreement then the notice would be zero in the first month then one week per year up to a maximim of 12.

In any case it could be argued that an offer letter constitutes a contract on the agreed terms (providing you have some evidence of what they are)!

denla

getmore4less wrote: »

make sure it is an unconditional offer

No such thing. You can be made an offer and the job's later gone due to company budget changes etc. There's lots of reasons the employer can use to change his/her decision.

Better wait until a start date is confirmed with an offer email/letter. Hand in only one week's notice. You do no one any favours by handing in a longer notice. Current employer might find a way to sack you during your notice period. Assuming you hand in your notice, the job's gone, and you end up getting sacked because of a unprovable grudge, all you can do is sue that could be employer for that one week's notice worth of money you'd have earned.

Evilm

Wait. Wait as long as you can.

Uncertain

denla wrote: »

Hand in only one week's notice. You do no one any favours by handing in a longer notice.

Well, that is fine if your current contract is silent on the subject but the vast majority require a much longer period of notice.

Sambucus_Nigra

Uncertain wrote: »

Well, that is fine if your current contract is silent on the subject but the vast majority require a much longer period of notice.

OP says that the current job requires one week's notice. So it is fine.

OP - why on earth would you want to give them longer? If they wanted longer, they would specify longer. One week is what they want, so that's what you should give them.

skibadee

I'm in a similar position, been offered on a job on condition of references, CRB and medical clearance....I have not handed my notice in yet...my present employer requires 4wks notice......I don't trust the offer on 'conditon of'....not so much 'don't trust'....but its obviously a long waiting game.

System

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

OP - why on earth would you want to give them longer? If they wanted longer, they would specify longer. One week is what they want, so that's what you should give them.

I agree.
I would only give longer notice if I felt any kind of personal oblication to the person I was working for. There is no point in deliberately souring relations - you might want to go back some day.

Squeakytight

Wait.

I was due to start a job 28 Aug and had signed the contract. On the 24 Aug I was emailed to say that due to redundancies they were unable to commit at that time.

Not even a "Sorry Smithers-Jones" and I'm still without work.