Offer letter Vs Official Contract

PierremontQuaker03

Hi All,
I was offered a job last month, received a job offer letter (about this time last month) signed it and then handed in my notice - I have to give 2 1/2 months notice. As of yet I have not received the official contract for the new job. I know each company is different, but do you think I should be chasing up the contract - it took another week or so from the offer letter signed to agree a leaving date and it was passed over to the new company. I spoke to the agency a couple of weeks ago when the leaving date was agreed and they said I can chase up the contract with them, but I didn't. 
Just wondered what other people's experiences were. Thanks

MyRealNameToo

PierremontQuaker03 said:

Hi All,
I was offered a job last month, received a job offer letter (about this time last month) signed it and then handed in my notice - I have to give 2 1/2 months notice. As of yet I have not received the official contract for the new job. I know each company is different, but do you think I should be chasing up the contract - it took another week or so from the offer letter signed to agree a leaving date and it was passed over to the new company. I spoke to the agency a couple of weeks ago when the leaving date was agreed and they said I can chase up the contract with them, but I didn't. 
Just wondered what other people's experiences were. Thanks

Legally there is no requirement for a contract at all, you are required to be given the principle written statement of employment particulars, no later than the end of the first working day. The full statement must be given within the first 2 months. 

Given an agency is involved, are you going to be an employee of the hiring company or the agency or a contractor? 

Practices vary massively, there are some who say they won't resign until there is a signed contract but that creates a chicken and egg issue as your contract needs a start date which you won't always have certainty of until you have resigned. 

I have a very relaxed view, I may not have a written contract but I will have already asked and had confirmed the key points I am interested in like notice periods, benefits, holidays etc and so see the actual document as a rather unimportant formality. At one gig as a fixed term engagement we agreed a 9 month extension but it took them over 6 months to produce the new contract even though it was only 1 page saying new end date and everything else stays the same. What annoyed me was a 1) a week later they were chasing that I hadn't signed it and 2) it stated it couldnt be retroactive though clearly it was. 

PierremontQuaker03

MyRealNameToo said:

PierremontQuaker03 said:

Hi All,
I was offered a job last month, received a job offer letter (about this time last month) signed it and then handed in my notice - I have to give 2 1/2 months notice. As of yet I have not received the official contract for the new job. I know each company is different, but do you think I should be chasing up the contract - it took another week or so from the offer letter signed to agree a leaving date and it was passed over to the new company. I spoke to the agency a couple of weeks ago when the leaving date was agreed and they said I can chase up the contract with them, but I didn't. 
Just wondered what other people's experiences were. Thanks

Legally there is no requirement for a contract at all, you are required to be given the principle written statement of employment particulars, no later than the end of the first working day. The full statement must be given within the first 2 months. 

Given an agency is involved, are you going to be an employee of the hiring company or the agency or a contractor? 

Practices vary massively, there are some who say they won't resign until there is a signed contract but that creates a chicken and egg issue as your contract needs a start date which you won't always have certainty of until you have resigned. 

I have a very relaxed view, I may not have a written contract but I will have already asked and had confirmed the key points I am interested in like notice periods, benefits, holidays etc and so see the actual document as a rather unimportant formality. At one gig as a fixed term engagement we agreed a 9 month extension but it took them over 6 months to produce the new contract even though it was only 1 page saying new end date and everything else stays the same. What annoyed me was a 1) a week later they were chasing that I hadn't signed it and 2) it stated it couldnt be retroactive though clearly it was. 

Thank you for the response, I will be an employee of the hiring company - so yeah from the agency's point of view they will say they have done their bit - I've signed the offer letter (which had a summary of all the bits I was interested in) and given them start date. I agree with you about the chicken and egg situation at the time when they offered me the job.  I think my instinct was right not to chase at this moment in time. 

twopenny

Could you ask for a confirmation letter with the start date just to put you on the right footing or is that covered in the offer or acceptance letter.

PierremontQuaker03

twopenny said:

Could you ask for a confirmation letter with the start date just to put you on the right footing or is that covered in the offer or acceptance letter.

Good idea