Young Scot Card - Referees

PASS-approved referees

Referees must work in a recognised profession or be “a person of good standing in their community”:

  • Accountant
  • Airline Pilot
  • Articled Clerk of a limited company
  • Assurance agent of recognised company
  • Bank/building society official
  • Barrister
  • Chairman/director of limited company
  • Chiropodist
  • Local Councillor
  • Civil servant (permanent)
  • Dentist
  • Director/Manager/Personnel Officer of a VAT registered Company
  • Engineer (with professional qualifications)
  • Financial services intermediary (e.g. stockbroker or insurance broker)
  • Fire service official
  • Funeral director
  • Insurance agent (full time) of a recognised company.
  • Journalist
  • Justice of the Peace
  • Legal secretary (associate member or fellow of the Institute of legal secretaries and PAs)
  • Licensee of public house
  • Local government officer
  • Manager/Personnel officer (of limited company)
  • Member, associate or fellow of a professional body
  • Member of Parliament / Member of Scottish Parliament
  • Merchant Navy officer
  • Minister of a recognised religion
  • Nurse (RGN and RMN)
  • Officer of the armed services
  • Optician
  • Paralegal – certified paralegal, qualified paralegal or associate member of the institute of Paralegals
  • Person with honours (e.g. OBE MBE etc.)
  • Pharmacist
  • Police officer
  • Post Office official
  • President / Secretary of a recognized organisation
  • Salvation Army officer
  • Social worker
  • Solicitor
  • Surveyor
  • Teacher, lecturer
  • Trade union officer
  • Travel agent (qualified)
  • Warrant officers and Chief Petty Officers

Clarification notes

  • Referees must be in current employment; retirees cannot act as a referee.
  • Referees must have no family or personal relationship with, or live with, the applicant (including that of guardian or foster carer).
  • Referees must agree to be contacted at their place of work.
  • For many young people, a youth worker is the only available referee; however, youth workers may not fit into the above categories.  Fortunately, in most cases, their manager would match one of the above (e.g. as a manager of a charity).  In such cases, follow through the checklist, and then ask to speak to their manager; verify with the manager that the youth worker can be trusted, and note the manager’s name and job title on the checklist.