What to do if you cannot get a reference

If you cannot get a reference from a particular employer, most public sector recruiters will accept an alternative, provided you tell them early and say why. The usual substitutes are an HR reference confirming your dates and job title, a reference from a former manager who has since moved on, a tutor or course leader, or, for time outside paid work, a character reference from someone who knows you in a formal capacity and is not a relative. Schools are the strictest, because the rules on safer recruitment expect a reference from your current or most recent employer.

Why public employers care so much about references

References are part of the pre-employment checks for almost every public sector job. The NHS usually wants references covering the last three years of employment. Schools in England follow Keeping Children Safe in Education, which expects references to be obtained, ideally before interview, and to come from people who can comment on your suitability to work with children. Councils and the Civil Service have their own policies with similar aims.

The purpose is to confirm what you said in your application and to give a previous employer the chance to raise concerns about conduct or safeguarding. An employer that cannot get any reference covering a period of your history has a gap in its checks. Your job is to help them fill that gap another way.

Common problems and what usually works

Situation	What employers usually accept
Former employer has closed down	A reference from your former manager in a personal capacity, plus payslips or P60s showing dates
Your manager has left the organisation	An HR reference for dates and role, plus a personal reference from the former manager
Employer will only confirm dates	A factual HR reference, usually acceptable on its own for that employer
You were self-employed	A client, accountant or business contact who can confirm the work and dates
You worked through an agency	The agency, which can confirm assignments, and a supervisor from a placement if possible
You have never had a job	A teacher, tutor, college or university contact, or a volunteering coordinator
Time out for caring or illness	A character reference covering that period, and your explanation on the form

These are the alternatives most employers consider; each one decides for itself what satisfies its policy.

If you have lost track of dates, your HMRC personal tax account shows your employment history for past tax years, which helps when a reference cannot confirm when you started or left.

Factual references are normal

Many large organisations, including NHS trusts and councils, give only factual references: job title, dates of employment and sometimes sickness absence or disciplinary record. Receiving employers treat that as a proper reference, and they see them constantly, so a short one does not suggest anything bad about you. If your old employer gives only this, tell the new one so they do not chase for more.

Character references

A character reference is a personal view of your reliability and honesty from someone who knows you outside a working relationship. Public sector employers accept them in limited circumstances: for school leavers and others with no work history, for long gaps, or alongside employment references when one employer cannot be reached.

The referee should hold a formal or professional role and have known you for a reasonable time. A teacher, faith leader, sports coach, voluntary group organiser or former tutor all fit. A relative, partner or close friend does not. The referee should say how they know you, for how long, and give specific examples of your conduct. A few lines of general praise carry little weight.

If you are building experience for a first job, volunteering is one of the most reliable ways to gain a referee. See Volunteering to get experience for public sector jobs.

Gaps in your history

When a period cannot be covered by any reference, explain it on the application form. Public sector forms ask for a full history so they can account for gaps, especially in schools. A short, factual line is enough: caring for a parent, travelling, unemployed and looking for work, studying. Panels may ask about gaps at interview and simply want an honest answer. Our guide to explaining employment gaps on an application covers wording.

When a former employer refuses or you fear a bad reference

Most employers do not have to give a reference, though some regulated roles have rules that expect one. If an employer does give a reference, it must be accurate and fair. It can mention genuine concerns, such as a completed disciplinary process, but should not give a misleading picture. Your rights about references explains the law.

If you left on bad terms, consider giving a different manager from the same employer who saw your work, or ask the HR department for a factual reference. Then tell the new employer briefly what happened. Recruiters are more concerned by something they discover late than by something you told them at the start.

If you want to see a reference that has already been given, you can ask the organisation that received it for a copy. A subject access request is the formal route.

Schools and safer recruitment

Schools have less room to accept substitutes because of their safeguarding duties. Expect to be asked for a reference from your current or most recent employer, and from any previous job working with children. Open references and testimonials you bring yourself are not accepted; the school must request the reference directly. If your last employer genuinely cannot be reached, say so on the form and give the most senior person you can who saw your work. Safer recruitment in schools sets out the full process.

Tell the recruiter early

Whatever the problem, put it on the application form in the references section, and repeat it to HR when the conditional offer arrives. Give the name of the alternative referee and the reason. Most delays at the checks stage come from references that are slow or impossible to get, and most of those delays could have been avoided by a single line at the start.