Conditional offer
What it really means
A job offer that only stands if certain checks pass — for example references, a DBS check, right-to-work proof or health screening. Don't hand in your notice until the conditions are cleared.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Treat 'subject to references and checks' literally: until the employer confirms every condition is satisfied, the job can lawfully evaporate, and your remedy if it does is usually limited — so never resign, give notice on a flat, or book travel on the strength of a conditional offer alone. Ask which conditions are outstanding and chase them yourself where you can: prompt referees, generate your right-to-work share code early, and dig out certificates before they are requested. Get the offer's key terms — salary, start date, location, hours — in writing rather than by phone, and if the start date shifts while checks run, get that in writing too.
If an offer is withdrawn for a reason that smells discriminatory (health questions, pregnancy, nationality beyond genuine right-to-work requirements), that can be challenged even though the job never started. Once the employer writes that all conditions are met, the offer is binding on both sides.