About this advice: this is the best way to get rejected: “my previous employer was run by crooks, so I just left… but I will behave completely differently here.” Unfortunately: you signed the contract, now you have to live with the consequences. Imagine there are 20 applicants for a job: most can provide references, but you are unable… Who is going to be hired.
In times where the employer has advantage - I agree. But this isn't that time currently. Some companies like to act as if they have a huge talent pool from which to pick - but they do not currently especially the 'bottom feeders'. If your employer (seventhreedriver) was run by crooks then you would have joined most likely without knowing the full facts and what things may really be like once inside? so you cannot really be blamed for signing a contract and then leaving if things are hidden afterwards and you could of had no knowledge? Your behaviour (leaving) here would be one of abandoning a sinking ship and id say you would feel aggrieved in having to pay anything back if things were hidden from you yes?. You signed the contract and normally yes - live with the consequences - but in some small instances there are clown outfits with people that make out at recruitment time as to how great things are and you start with them - and they turn out to be the opposite or break contractual agreement or maybe skew things in the contract to suit themselves. Every good airline and recruiter knows the bad employers and if your not a person who leaves all the time from these companies (your previous employment history will reveal this most surely) then I think that most will see past this issue and especially in the current market where they are unlikely to see 20+ candidates of suitable quality. Most European countries are legally obliged to provide a reference anyway I think and
"benevolently worded".