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uk Work & employment crises start work no contract • recruiter wants you to start • begin work before signing • no written contract yet • verbal offer only • offer changed last minute • unpaid trial shift pressure • agency role unclear employer • asked to work immediately • missing pay and hours details • asked for bank details early • worried job is not real • start date but no paperwork • promised contract later • unsure who you work for • employment terms not confirmed • pressured to say yes now • onboarding before contract

What to do if…
a recruiter asks you to begin work before any contract is signed

Short answer

Pause and get the key terms in writing before you do any work. If you start work on or after 6 April 2020 (as an employee or most workers), you have a right to a written statement of the main terms on or before day one.

Do not do these things

  • Do not do any “quick task”, “trial day”, or “first shift” unless pay, hours, and who you work for are clearly agreed in writing.
  • Do not share passport/ID scans, National Insurance number, or bank details until you’ve verified who is employing you and why they need them.
  • If anyone asks you to pay upfront to “secure” the job, pause — treat it as a scam red flag.
  • Do not resign from your current job or stop job-searching just because someone says “it’s definitely happening”.
  • Do not accept “we’ll sort the paperwork later” as a reason to start work without the basics agreed.

What to do now

  1. Ask for the essentials in writing (email is fine): legal employer name, start date, job title/duties, pay rate or salary, pay frequency, hours, location, and any probation/notice basics.
  2. If this is via an agency/recruiter, clarify the structure before you start:
    Ask: “Am I employed by the agency, by the end client, or via an umbrella company?” and “Who pays me, and what deductions will be taken?”
  3. If it’s agency work, ask for the ‘key information document’ before you agree to start:
    If they cannot provide this (especially where an umbrella company is involved), do not start the assignment.
  4. Request the day-one written statement/offer letter before you do any work:
    A simple line is enough: “I’m ready to start as soon as the main terms are confirmed in writing.”
  5. Do a quick legitimacy check using independent details:
    Use contact details you find yourself (official website, switchboard). If it’s a company, check Companies House; if it’s a charity, check the Charity Commission entry. If details don’t match what you’ve been told, pause.
  6. If they push you to work anyway, protect yourself immediately:
    Keep everything in writing. Do not perform work. If you have already done work, write down dates/times, who instructed you, what you did, and keep copies/screenshots of messages and any work product.
  7. Get confidential, practical help:
    Call Acas on 0300 123 1100 (Mon–Fri) to sanity-check what you should receive and how to respond to pressure.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide today whether to accept the job long-term.
  • You do not need to negotiate every clause right now — focus only on essentials (employer, pay, hours, start date, location, duties, and how you can leave).
  • You do not need to accuse anyone of wrongdoing. If you later suspect fraud, you can report it (for example to Action Fraud) after you’ve secured your own information and stopped further exposure.

Important reassurance

It’s normal to feel panicked when someone pushes you to start immediately — especially if you need the income. Legit employers can move fast, but they should still be able to confirm the basics in writing. Slowing the process down a little is a reasonable safety move.

Scope note

This is first-step guidance to prevent you being drawn into unpaid work, a scam, or a bait-and-switch. Once you have the key terms in writing, you can decide whether to take specialist advice before signing anything more detailed.

Important note

This is general information, not legal advice. Employment situations vary (employee, worker, agency work, contractor), and the safest next step is usually to get the core terms confirmed in writing before you do any work or hand over sensitive documents.

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