• Advertising - a TES advert can cost thousands
• Postage costs for sending out application forms, interview confirmations and job offers
• CRB costs

Or the additional time costs of:

• Short-listing candidates
• Sending out interview confirmations and application forms
• There is no time wasting as the agency can brief candidates before their interview
• Saving time for the 2 or 3 management staff that are on the interview panel
• The office don't have to do references, CRB or any identity checks
   

Once the recruitment agency has short-listed the best candidate for the role they will attend the school for a trial day or interview.

1. There are around 150 education recruitment agencies that operate throughout the West and East Midlands.
2. Its important that you spend some time to research the recruitment agencies most suitable for your school and your own needs.
3. Research the most appropriate recruitment agencies to use, some operate on a National basis, others specialise in particular industries, skills or geographic coverage.
4. Find out their terms and conditions, ensure you have agreed charge rates and expectations upfront.
5. Give the recruitment agency as much detail on your school and requirements. For permanent vacancies be prepared to provide a job description and information on salary, benefits and Interview process.
6. Find out what the education agency's recruitment methods are and whether they pre-screen and interview their candidates.
7. Identify what their vetting procedures are and ensure they fit in with your school and Ofsted policies.
8. Research what the recruitment agency's methods are for attracting candidates, where do they advertise and will they advertise on your behalf.
9. See if the recruitment agencies have testimonials from other schools and ring round the local schools to see if they use the recruitment agency
10. Ask each recruitment agency about their credentials and specifically find out whether they are REC and DfE accredited.

How does a recruitment agency charge for the service?

One of the main attractions of using a recruitment agency is they normally operate on a "no win - no fee" basis, you shouldn't pay for any part of the service until you have a candidate working for you.

This is highly attractive for school employers as it is "low risk".  There are several charge options

• A weekly timesheet and pay a daily charge rate
• Permanently and pay a one off fee which is a certain percentage of the candidate's salary
• Temp to Perm, where a candidate works on a timesheet for a number of weeks (normally around 12) and then the school can take them on permanently with no extra charge.

REMEMBER that the cheapest is not necessarily the best. Consider the overall package on offer.