You are poorly informed. I think it's maybe rather that these processes and expectations can be quite different in different places, and naturally my views are

You are poorly informed. I think it's maybe rather that these processes and expectations can be quite different in different places, and naturally my views are based on my own experiences rather than my position as a single infallible global oracle :) It certainly seems like cultural expectations of what constitutes an "offer" or a "reference" in the US is somewhat different from what I understand in the UK.