When you ask for a letter of recommendation, how long do you need to give the employer or professor?

Usually two weeks.

Greater than a week. But they should have it to you by week two for sure.

At least two weeks. If you are nice, a month, but them remind them at the two week mark.

As long as he/she/they want. No one is under any kind of requirement to write you a letter. No one gets paid to do it. They do it themselves, of their own free will and generosity.

As a college faculty member, I’m incredibly offended when one of my students says “Can you write me a recommendation, and I need it by ______”. Well, too bad. You’ll get it if/when I’m ready and willing to write it. I’m sorry if that sounds mean, but I do have a life outside of these walls and I’ll do my best to fit in your request when I’m able.

@MrItty, that’s an understandable position, but do you ask up front if they need it for a certain application deadline, and what that deadline is?

Honestly, MrItty, if you aren’t willing to abide by the deadlines the student has you shouldn’t agree to write the letter. I understand if it is less than two weeks away, you might get cranky, but two weeks is the accepted minimum and frankly uncooperative teachers hurt students every year. That attitude could cost someone a scholarship or job. Students don’t get to make up their own deadlines usually.

Empress, students are well aware they’re going to be applying to college or for scholarships YEARS before they need a recommendation letter. Simply because they don’t necessarily know the exact date of the exact institution they’ll be sending it to is not an excuse. With incredibly minor variations, a recommendation letter to one college/scholarship is identical to any other recommendation letter. If you know you will be wanting a recommendation letter from a certain professor, you should be asking that professor at your earliest possible convenience, not as a last step towards filling out a specific application.

Yes, students should ask early, but if a professor isn’t willing to abide by that deadline, yet agrees to write the letter they are hanging the student out to dry. And that is not appropriate. Nothing you say, no matter how you try to frame it as the student’s fault, is going to make me think otherwise.

If a student says to me “I need it in two days”, I will never reply “Okay” if I don’t think it likely I’ll be able to get it done in two days. I am more likely to say “I hope you have a backup just in case I can’t meet that deadline”.

I said I take offense when a student gives me a near deadline, not that I would mislead a student and screw him/her out of their college or scholarship chances.