Leaving a job, what would you do?

[veryhuman]

If you were planning to leave the current employment, and actively seeking for other jobs, would you use the current manager as a reference source, when the current company does not know you’re leaving yet?

My situation is as follows, my current position is a contract one, but it seems people may leave when they wish (just be polite and give a 2 week notice). The contract will end by April, so naturally I’m seeking other opportunities elsewhere, instead of sticking around seeing if they decide to keep me or not.

So I have been getting several different interviews, my question is, would it be appropriate to leave my current manager’s contact information as a reference during these interviews without letting my current company know I am looking elsewhere.

Thanks for all inputs.

[StarvinStudent]

You should always check with your references for permission before listing them as a reference. Not only is it common courtesy, but if they're caught off guard, you likely won't get the best reference you can from them. So as long as your current boss is fine with it, it should all be fine.

[ohanna]

Not sure if it is true for your area. Usually you don't have to provide reference until the final step when they are almost ready to hire you. If that's true, you really should let your reference know if you want him to say something nice about you.