Employment agency rules

To protect the rights of workers, there are certain controls placed on employment agencies and businesses. If your employment agency doesn't follow these rules then you can make a complaint to the Employment Agency Inspectorate (EAI).

Restrictions on employment agencies and businesses

The rules governing employment agencies apply if :

they are trying to find you temporary work
you are a jobseeker looking for permanent employment with a new employer

There are differences in the rules that apply, depending on whether you are looking for temporary or permanent work.

Responsibilities of agencies

If you are an agency worker using an agency, your agency must give you written terms of employment before looking for work for you. This should include:

whether you are employed under a contract for services or a contract of employment
your notice period
your pay details
your holiday entitlement

Your agency must also

pay you for work you have done, even if the employment agency hasn’t been paid by the hiring company
state the truth when placing advertisements (this also applies to jobseekers using an employment agency to find a job)

If a new job is offered to you, your agency must also give you the full written details of any new job within three days. This should include:

who you will be working for
start date
likely duration of the work
type of work
location
hours
health and safety risks and steps the hirer has taken to control such risks
experience, training or qualifications needed for the role
any expenses payable
your rate of pay

Restrictions on agencies

If you are an agency worker using an agency, your agency can't:

change your terms of employment with them without your permission
withhold payment of wages to you because you failed to produce a signed timesheet (however, the employment agency can make sure that you have actually worked)
penalise you for ending an assignment (this only applies if you are employed under a contract of employment)
stop you from taking a permanent job with a hiring company that you have temped with (although in certain circumstances, the agency can require a fee from the hiring company)
prevent you from registering with other agencies (also applies to jobseekers)
disclose information about you to any third parties (other than for legal purposes or to any professional body of which you are a member) or to a current employer without your permission (also applies to jobseekers)
enter into a contract with a hirer on your behalf or sign you up to a contract on behalf of a hirer (also applies to jobseekers)
make a provision of finding a job conditional upon you using other services that the agency is allowed to charge a fee for charge a fee for finding you work (see further below)
supply you to a hirer to perform the work usually performed by their own employees who are involved in a strike or other industrial action

Fees and payments for services offered by the employment agency

Your employment agency can’t charge you a fee for finding or trying to find you work but they can charge you for additional non-work-finding services such as CV writing. However, they cannot make you use fee-paying services, for example CV writing, as a requirement for finding you work.

If your employment agency provides services which are charged for, you must be given full written details of the services including your right to cancel or withdraw from the services and the length of the notice period you must give.

You can cancel any paid services without suffering any penalty, including any services for accommodation, transport or training. However, you must give a minimum of 10 working days written notice to the agency to cancel living accommodation and a minimum of five working days notice for all other services.

If your employment agency sets out a longer notice period, then it is breaking the law and you should make a complaint about the agency. This applies equally to agency workers and jobseekers using an employment agency to find a new job.

Working abroad

If you are offered work abroad then your agency must check that the hiring company has business premises in the UK. If they don’t then your agency must ask the hiring company for a written statement to say that the proposed work will not be detrimental to your interests.

If you are looking for work abroad with an agency and they provided you with free travel to the job, then the agency must also pay for your return fare:

when your job ends
if the job does not start
if they have a written agreement with your hiring company to pay
if your hiring company doesn’t pay for the return fare when they should

If you are accepting a job abroad you should check the written statement provided by your agency carefully to ensure that you are clear about the terms and conditions of the employment before you leave.

Workers under the age of 18

If you are under 18 years old there are additional protections for you. An agency must check that you have received vocational guidance from the local careers service if you are expected to work during school hours. If the agency is arranging a job away from home (for example, abroad) for you then it must obtain written consent from your parent or guardian.

Differences in the entertainment and modelling industries

If you use employment agencies to find you work in the entertainment or modelling industries then some slightly different rules apply to those agencies.

Entertainment and modelling work

Fees payable by the hiring business

There are different fees that agencies and employers sometimes pay to each other. You should not be charged for any of the following fees.

Temp-to-perm fees

If your hiring company wants to take you on permanently they may have to pay your employment agency a ‘temp-to-perm’ fee.

Temp-to-temp fees

If your hiring company changes the agency they use but wants you to keep working for them as a temp, then they might request that you change or register with another agency. Your old agency could charge your hiring company a ‘temp-to-temp’ fee for your transfer to another agency.

Temp-to-third party fees

If your hiring company introduces you to another business that employs you directly your agency could charge the second business a ‘temp-to-third party’ fee.

The Department for Employment and Learning's EAI investigates complaints about employment agencies or businesses.

If the agency has breached the terms of your contract you can take action yourself through the courts. If the agency makes an unlawful deduction from your pay you can complain to an Industrial Tribunal.

Where to get help

If you have a problem with an employment agency, you can use the Employment Agency Inspectorate (EAI) online form to make a complaint.

Online complaint form (PDF 111KB)

Email: eai@delni.gov.uk

Telephone: EAI Helpline 028 9025 7554 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday)

Letter: Please write to:

Employment Agency Inspectorate (EAI)
Department for Employment and Learning
Employment Relations Policy and Legislation Branch
Room 203
Adelaide House
39-49 Adelaide Street
Belfast
BT2 8FD

The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) offers free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues.

Labour Relations Agency

If you are a member of a trade union you can get help, advice and support from them

Trade unions

Agents who are currently prohibited by EAI from operating in Northern Ireland

Name of Prohibited Agent	Name of Agency	Sector	Prohibited from	Prohibited until
Patrick Duncan	'Dealers Agency' (Belfast)	Actors / Entertainers	28 October 2011	27 October 2019
Glyn Davies	Formerly t/a "Lothian Variety" and "Emkay Lothian Entertainments" (Lothian Scotland)	Entertainers/ models	13 June 2011	12 December 2020