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[LouiseA]

For my job I deal with recruitment agencies and I have to say I get very confused by some who say they are not technically recruitment agencies and I wondered if someone with experience could tell me what the typical types of agencies are. I'm sorry to be a bit vague but I really can't recall what some call themselves. I remember one saying that they don't actually have or advertise jobs. How would that work?

I'd love to get my head around all this as it's a little embarrassing when I really don't know what they are talking about!

Kind regards

Louisa

Chichester jobs

[HRManager]

Hi

I will have a go but no guarantees that it is 100% correct.

Basically I think the words are sometimes mixed about a bit - headhunters, recruitment agencies, employment agencies, temporary agencies, search and selection etc.

The different types are those that actually employ the individuals (usually on contracts for services but sometimes on contracts of employment) and the 'hire' them out to the company - this is more typically in the temporary area but also in the interim space as well.  Most of the big high street brands do this, in addition to doing recruitment.

In terms of recruitment agencies will do different types of search assignments - contingency (which means that they only get paid if their candidate is placed) and a retained search where they are paid at clear stages of the process - at the point of starting, at the shortlist stage, at the placement stage - thus they get paid even if they do not find a candidate - but clearly only the first two payments. 

Interestingly I found the following on the dti website which may be why they say they are not a recruitment agency:
Employment Agency
Broadly speaking an employment agency introduces work-seekers to client employers for direct employment by those employers. This is usually known in the industry as “permanent recruitment” or employment even though the employment may only be for a fixed period.
Employment Business
An employment business engages work-seekers under either contracts for services or contracts of employment and supplies those work-seekers to client hirers for temporary assignments or contracts where they will be under the hirers’ supervision or control. This is usually known in the industry as the “supply of temporary workers”. A company engaged in both “permanent recruitment” and “the supply of temporary workers” will fall into the definition of both employment agency and employment business to reflect both sides of the business. Where this Guidance uses the terms “direct employment” or “permanent recruitment” it refers to the operation of an employment agency. Where the Guidance refers to the “supply of temporary workers” it is referring to the operation of an employment business.

This is a long ramble - hopefully vaguely interesting even if it does not quite answer your question.