Character reference: UK template, examples and how to write one

Example letter

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Example

Helen Marsh

Volunteer Coordinator, Kirkstall Community Food Bank

22 Abbey Walk, Leeds LS5 3HB

helen.marsh@example.com · 07700 900147

9 November 2026

Re: Character reference for Aisha Rahman

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to give a character reference for Aisha Rahman, who has applied for the position of Customer Assistant with your company. I have known Aisha for three years as the coordinator of the food bank where she volunteers every Saturday. I am not related to her.

Aisha is one of our most reliable volunteers. In three years she has missed only two shifts, both arranged weeks in advance. Since 2025 she has run the Saturday sorting table on her own, training new volunteers and keeping the stock records up to date.

She is patient and friendly with the people who visit us, many of whom are going through a difficult time. When our delivery van broke down last winter, she reorganised the collection rota in an afternoon so that no family went without.

I recommend Aisha without hesitation for a customer-facing role. I would be happy to confirm this reference by phone or email using the details above.

Yours faithfully,

Helen Marsh

This character reference letter is written by a volunteer coordinator for someone applying for a first retail job. Keep the structure and change everything else: your details, how you know the person, the job they are applying for, and above all the examples. A reference is only as strong as the facts in it.

Sign and date it, keep it to one page, and include a phone number or email address: employers often contact referees to check that a reference is genuine. If you know the recruiter's name, write "Dear Ms Taylor" and close with "Yours sincerely".

Acas describes a character reference as one "usually from someone who knows the applicant well", for example their manager, a mentor or someone they've volunteered for, and adds that it is sometimes called a personal reference. It speaks to who the person is: honesty, reliability, how they treat people. A work reference, by contrast, comes from a current or previous employer and confirms the job, the dates and sometimes performance.

Employers often ask for one of each, or for a character reference when someone has little work history: a school leaver, a student, someone returning to work after a long break or changing career.

The best referee knows the person well, has known them for some time, and has a role the reader will take seriously. Good choices:

• A teacher, tutor or head of year, for a student or school leaver.
• A volunteer coordinator, sports coach or club leader.
• A manager from a part-time job or placement, when the main reference comes from another employer.
• A mentor, faith leader or long-standing neighbour, for someone returning to work.

Avoid close relatives and partners: their view is easily seen as biased, and some employers and letting agents won't accept them. Some recruiters, like teaching agencies, also ask for the reference to come from a work email address: check what the employer wants before you ask.

1. Your details at the top: name, role, address, phone and email.
2. Who it is for: "I am writing to give a character reference for [full name], who has applied for [role]."
3. How you know them and for how long, and whether you are related.
4. Two or three qualities, each with an example: "reliable" means little on its own; "has run our Saturday shift for two years" shows it.
5. Why they suit this role: link their qualities to the job, the course or the tenancy.
6. A clear recommendation and an offer to be contacted.
7. Your signature and the date.

Acas's guidance for employers is a good standard for any referee: be accurate and fair, back opinions with evidence, and leave out irrelevant personal information. Don't mention the person's health, disability, religion or other protected characteristics unless they have asked you to.

Each example below is the body of the letter. The header, greeting and sign-off stay as in the template.

For healthcare and childcare roles, the employer also runs its own checks, which can include a more detailed DBS check. Your letter does not replace them: say only what you have seen, and don't guess about the rest.

A character reference for court is not a job reference with a different heading. Do not reuse the template above. In England and Wales, sentencing guidelines include a mitigating factor now titled "positive character and/or exemplary conduct (regardless of previous convictions)", and references are one way the court hears about it. What changes:

• It is addressed to the court, not "to whom it may concern".
• You need to know about the offence: the court reads your reference in light of it. Ask the person what they are charged with or have admitted.
• It goes through the defendant's solicitor, who decides whether and how to use it and by when they need it.
• Every word must be true: the court relies on what you write about the person you know.

If you are asked for a court reference, speak to the defendant's solicitor first. This page does not offer a court template: the form expected varies, and the solicitor is the right person to guide you.

Acas advises employers to request references at the final stage, usually after a conditional job offer, with your permission, and to make clear at the application stage whether they want a work or a character reference. So ask your referee early, and warn them that a request may arrive at short notice.

• Ask first, by message or in person: never give someone's name without their agreement.
• Send the job advert, your CV and the deadline.
• Remind them of two or three things they have seen you do, so they have examples to hand.
• Warn them about forms: the Acas reference request template asks a character referee four things: their relationship to you, how long they've known you, your character, strengths and weaknesses, and your suitability for the role.

If you're putting together your first application, see our CV examples for students and the sample cover letter for a job application.

Ask for their agreement before you write: a reference is personal information. Under the Data Protection Act 2018 (Schedule 2, paragraph 24), a reference given in confidence for someone's employment, training, volunteering or appointment to an office is exempt from several data protection rules, so they may not be able to obtain it from the organisation that holds it. Write as if they will read it anyway: say nothing you wouldn't say to their face.

Leaving a job yourself? Ask your manager for a reference before your last day, and see our resignation letter template.