THE SHORT ANSWER

Compare the written agreement with the job you accepted. Check pay, hours, location, notice and anything you may have to repay. Turn each mismatch into a specific question for the employer, then check the final version before you sign.

Getting the offer is exciting. Reading the contract can feel like an administrative step between you and the start date. A useful first read checks whether the document describes the job you think you are taking.

You do not need to understand every legal term to spot a missing remote-work arrangement or an unexpected repayment clause. Start with the things that would change your decision.

Employment contract checklist before signing

For each item, note the clause or policy, whether it matches your offer, and the question you need answered:

  1. The job: correct employer, role, start date and any fixed end date.
  2. Pay: amount, currency, pay dates and the separate rules for bonus or commission.
  3. Working arrangements: hours, overtime, location, remote days and travel expectations.
  4. Leave and benefits: entitlement, eligibility and which promises are contractual or discretionary.
  5. Probation and notice: duration, conditions and what changes after probation.
  6. Leaving costs and restrictions: training, relocation or joining-payment repayments, plus limits on later work.
  7. Ownership and attachments: side projects, outside-work permission, referenced policies and any missing schedules.

This is a reading checklist, not a universal list of legally required terms. For Great Britain, Acas lists what a written statement must include. Use the local rules for your role and location when checking legal requirements.

Put the offer beside the contract

Keep the offer email, written salary details and any agreed working arrangements open beside the document. Ask for referenced schedules or policies you have not received, especially bonus, commission, intellectual-property and relocation terms.

A contract can point to other documents that contain important conditions. As one jurisdiction-specific example, Acas explains that a written statement of employment particulars summarises key terms, but is not the whole employment contract. Its guidance concerns Great Britain; do not apply its legal requirements automatically elsewhere.

Make a short comparison:

What I understood What the document says What I need to clarify
Two days in the office Normal workplace is the office Where is the hybrid arrangement recorded?
A target annual bonus Bonus is discretionary What determines eligibility, amount and payment date?
A joining payment Repayment required if I leave How much, for how long, and in which circumstances?

These are fictional examples. A difference is a reason to ask, not proof the employer is acting badly.

Read the terms that affect an ordinary week

Check the amount and currency of pay, payment frequency, expected hours, overtime arrangements, workplace and travel expectations. If your income depends on commission, find the separate rules: when it is earned, when it is paid, and what happens if a customer cancels or you leave.

For leave and benefits, distinguish a contractual promise from a policy or discretionary scheme. If the contract says a policy can change, ask which parts of the offer are fixed. A benefits brochure alone may not answer that.

Write down the practical consequence. “Hours clause unclear” is less useful than “I cannot tell whether the salary includes regular weekend work.”

Check the cost of leaving

Find notice periods, probation terms, repayment obligations and restrictions after departure. Check whether the rules differ during probation and afterwards. Look for training, relocation or joining payments you could be asked to repay.

Do not assume that a restriction is enforceable just because it is written down, or harmless because an AI calls it standard. Enforceability depends on the location and facts. Your first task is to identify what the document asks you to accept and what needs a clear answer.

If you have an existing side project, read intellectual-property and outside-work clauses with that project in mind. Ask how pre-existing work will be recorded and whether permission is required for outside activities.

Turn one concern into a useful email

Here is a fictional example of a clarification request:

Thank you for sending the contract. Before I sign, could we confirm the hybrid arrangement we discussed? Clause 4 lists the office as my workplace, but I cannot find the two remote days. Could the agreed arrangement be included in the final document or an agreed written addendum?

The request names the issue, points to the source and asks for a concrete change. You can combine a few questions into one email. Prioritise the ones that affect your ability to take the job rather than sending every unfamiliar word as a separate objection.

Use a second read with your priorities attached

Contracts.money accepts a PDF or DOCX and emails an AI review with quoted passages, concerns and suggested improvements. The context field is useful here. For example:

I am the prospective employee. The role is based in [country/state].
We agreed [working arrangement]. I also have an existing [side project].
Please focus on pay, working location, notice, repayment obligations
and ownership of work. Flag anything that conflicts with that context.

An AI review can help surface questions; it cannot know an unwritten promise you did not tell it about. Read the relevant original passages and any employer response before making your decision. If one important issue remains unresolved, a focused question is more useful than a general request to “check everything.”

When the employer sends an updated contract, use the revised-contract worksheet to check the actual final wording and all attachments. Keep the agreed version for yourself.

Follow the issue that matters to your offer

Put your own contract in context.

PDF or DOCX. Your priorities. An AI review delivered by email.

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