How to Read an Employment Contract Clause by Clause

A work contract is the most important document you will sign. It is the only place where the promises made to you become something you can point to later. Most people read the salary line and sign. This guide goes through the clauses that matter, in the order you will usually meet them, and tells you what to look for in each one.

Read the whole contract before you pay anyone and before you travel. If it is in a language you cannot read, ask for a translation you trust, and ask a person who is not paid by the recruiter or the employer. This guide gives general principles. Rules differ between countries, and your specialist can confirm how each point applies to your route.

1. The parties

• Employer: the full registered company name and address, not just a trade name or a phone number. You should be able to find the company on its own official register or website.
• You: your full name exactly as it appears in your passport.
• Check that the employer named in the contract is the one you will actually work for. If the contract names a different company from the one you were told about, ask why before you go further.

2. The job

• Job title and main duties. A title that is much broader or much lower than what you were offered is a warning sign.
• Place of work. Is it one site or several? Are you allowed to be moved to another city or another employer, and under what conditions?
• Check that the duties match the skill you have. If you were offered a skilled trade role and the contract says general labour, the pay and the visa type may be different.

3. Pay

• The amount, the currency, and how often it is paid (weekly, monthly).
• How it is paid: into a bank account in your name, by cash, or another way. A bank account in your own name gives you a record. Be cautious about any arrangement where pay goes to someone else.
• What is included in the amount (basic pay, allowances) and what is extra (overtime, bonuses).
• Deductions. Look for any clause that allows the employer to take money from your pay, and ask exactly what for, how much and for how long. See our guide on payslips and deductions.

4. Working time

• Hours per day and days per week.
• Rest days and paid leave.
• How overtime is counted and paid, and whether it is optional.
• Public holidays.
• Ask for these in writing even if the destination country has rules about them. Rules are a floor, and the contract should state what applies to you.

5. Housing, food and transport

• Is housing provided or is there an allowance? Who pays for utilities?
• Is food provided or is there an allowance?
• How do you travel to work, and who pays?
• Anything that is "provided" should be written down with enough detail to compare later with what you actually receive.

6. Travel and visa costs

• Who pays for the flight to the destination, the visa, the work permit and the medical examination?
• Who pays for the flight home at the end, and if the contract ends early?
• These are the clauses most often left vague. International fair-recruitment guidance says workers should not bear recruitment fees or related costs, but national laws differ, so make sure the contract states who pays each item.

7. Length and renewal

• The start date and the length of the contract.
• Whether it renews automatically and how.
• What happens at the end: return travel, final payment and any end-of-service payment the country requires.

8. Probation and notice

• The length of any probation period and the terms during it.
• How much notice you and the employer must give to end the contract, and what happens if either side ends it early.
• See our guide on probation and notice periods.

9. Ending the contract

• The reasons the employer may end it, and what you are owed if they do.
• Whether you can leave, and what it costs you if you do.
• Be careful with any clause that makes you repay large sums if you leave, or that says your passport or documents will be kept by the employer.

10. Your documents

Many countries restrict or prohibit employers from keeping a worker's passport. If the contract says the employer will hold your passport, stop and ask for advice before signing.

11. Disputes and the law that applies

• Which country's law applies and where a dispute would be heard.
• Who you can contact if something goes wrong. Your destination's labour authority and your own embassy are listed on our verify and before-you-fly pages.

12. Signatures and copies

• Both sides should sign. Check that your signature is on the copy you keep.
• Keep a full copy of the contract, including every page, in your phone and on paper. If the version you are asked to sign abroad is different from the one you accepted at home, do not sign without taking advice. See our guide on contract substitution.

A short pre-signing checklist

• I have read every page, in a language I understand.
• The employer is a real company I have checked.
• The job, pay, hours and housing match what I was told.
• It says who pays for flights, visa and medical tests.
• It does not say my passport will be kept.
• I have a copy of everything.

You can also use our offer checker to tick off what your offer states and see what is missing before you sign.