Advice on starting a niche recruitment agency

[sandforthintl]

Hi,

I am in the process of starting up a recruitment agency to supply U.K. employers with skilled/unskilled workers from outside the EEA.

The problem that I am having is convincing agencies or employers to consider my candidates along with others that they may have on their database.

This is down to the problem with all my candidates requiring a work permit in order to work in the U.K. and this is putting off the agencies/employers.

Any advice, help or joint venture ideas most welcome.

Thank you

JB
[email protected]

 

[Strategist]

Hi,
First of all I would be interested to know your experience in respect of this line of work as I would have expected someone dealing with non-EEA citizens to have anticipated this. It has long been the responsibility of employers to check that employees (and obviously potential ones) are eligible to work in the UK. The sort of agency you are describing can only really operate effectively if it also provides an immigration assistance service as well - i.e. helps candidates with their visa applications. This requires being a registered HO immigration adviser or using/employing one. Unless you are looking at areas of work in particular demand, e.g. the health service, then I would say this is a non-starter. Even in the health service their is now a tide of public backlash to the importation of large numbers of African health professionals, thus depleting the availability of specialists in some countries that desperately need more, not less doctors and nurses.
Finally, maybe someone else can help here, I understand that legislation is in the pipeline for the regulation of employment agencies in general. This is due to the ease of setting up, the large numbers that do so and the large numbers that go bust leaving debts all over the place.
I would either rethink your strategy if you have already started or think of something else to do if you haven't!
Either way, good luck.

 

[Ian J]

UK Recruiter has it's own discussion forum at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/cgi-bin/toast/toast.asp where they can probably answer your question.