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Indian recruitment consultancies operating in the UK

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  • Petruh
    replied
    Indian consultancies to add to the list

    Originally posted by stek View Post
    If you read the right fora and are itk you’d understand UKVI are on to this and spot them pretty quickly.

    Plus the costs of becoming a licenced sponsor nowadays aren’t trivial
    I seem to unfortunately become the focus of several Indian agencies. I do not have anything against India or Indians, indeed I have a few as FB friends and I have worked closely with quite a few and these have been good experiences.

    However I do get quite frustrated with the emails I seem to get a never ending stream of, all claiming to offer this or that amazing role, offered by an Agency with a really flash website (whoever they get to produce the websites, they are quite slick, I have to give them this) but universally they all look rather too good.

    What gives it away is a quick Google check on Companies House and they are revealed to be 2 or 3 person companies, who definitely do not have the client list they claim and it's basically fraud. I do not know the numbers of honest contractors that get sucked in by these guys, but I feel sorry for those that do. I know that these agencies operate a common scam (I know it exists, I have been a victim of it myself) is where they offer your CV to a prospective client, the client is really interested and then the agency pulls your CV at the last minute saying that you have dropped out and then they offer 2 cheaper alternatives.

    Someone on this stream was building a list of Indian agencies (all have British addresses, but most of the calls come from India), so this is my own contribution to this list

    First Tek Inc. (US company)
    Test Yantra Software solutions
    Infoplus Technologies UK Ltd
    Staffing Prime
    Smartedge Solutions Ltd
    TESTQ Technologies Ltd
    Dabster Systems UK Limited
    TGC World (claims to have at least 60 multinational clients!)
    Square One Resources (not sure about)
    NP Tech Solutions Limited
    Data Inc UK

    I think that is enough for now.....

    Leave a comment:


  • stek
    replied
    Originally posted by Ebenezer View Post
    Ah, but there's a "workaround". What happens is that a UK permanent resident incorporates a "micro-umbrella" that pays the minimum salary required to sponsor a Tier-whatever applicant. The "employee" is then required to seek contract work through the usual channels on behalf of the "micro-umbrella" in order to repay the salary and other costs.

    Whatever is left over is divided between the "employee" and the "umbrella". The UK permanent resident typically keeps about 30% of the day rate, and it is not atypical for such "umbrellas" to have half a dozen "employees" on the books.
    If you read the right fora and are itk you’d understand UKVI are on to this and spot them pretty quickly.

    Plus the costs of becoming a licenced sponsor nowadays aren’t trivial

    Leave a comment:


  • garethevans1986
    replied
    testqtech.com is another one....8 emails from them for the same poorly paid role in 2-3 days.

    Adding to blacklist now.

    GE

    Leave a comment:


  • Ebenezer
    replied
    Originally posted by stek View Post
    There is no UK work visa currently that allows a non-EU national to contract either via Ltd or brolly, has to be PAYE only. That can be obvs. via a large consultancy under full control of them but I somehow doubt the cost of work permit processing, RMLT, COS admin, SMS admin etc is worth it for a 3/6 months gig. If it happened the consultancy would have to bench the guy at their own cost for the rest of the term of the WP.

    Nice conspiracy theory but a non-starter.
    Ah, but there's a "workaround". What happens is that a UK permanent resident incorporates a "micro-umbrella" that pays the minimum salary required to sponsor a Tier-whatever applicant. The "employee" is then required to seek contract work through the usual channels on behalf of the "micro-umbrella" in order to repay the salary and other costs.

    Whatever is left over is divided between the "employee" and the "umbrella". The UK permanent resident typically keeps about 30% of the day rate, and it is not atypical for such "umbrellas" to have half a dozen "employees" on the books.

    Leave a comment:


  • rocktronAMP
    replied
    Originally posted by Eirikur View Post
    Smartedge solutions
    First calling me from
    020 35002108 - blocked number after first call
    2 days later from 020 35002130 - blocked after first call which I foolishly answered, but hung up after I heard the word smartedge
    again a day later from 020 35002129 - blocked after rejecting first call
    Frantically emailing me as well that Tech Mahindra have shortlisted me for an interview (never ever gave them permission to represent me and certainly not at Tech Mahindra) - blocked their email domain now as well

    Hope they get the message

    Annoyingly they can still leave VMs
    As they go straight to VM sometimes they don't notice and leave a long empty message, I can clearly hear people speak in an Indian language in the background more proof they are not calling from the UK
    @Eirkur Good on you. I also blocked a serious of domains earlier in the year. Created a Contact called ZZZZ JUNK, which is blocked and add phone numbers to it periodically. Unfortunately, bugs in iOS means sometimes they get through.

    BTW: What is your main skillset? C# Developer? Agile Project Manager? When I had these calls it was for the HM Passport Office in Croydon, so I already knew it was rubbish and public sector, and the contract rate was unacceptable for London (off-payroll rules hadn't yet come into affect). I am only interested to know what are they chasing for now, I am a contractor too working a contract.

    Leave a comment:


  • Eirikur
    replied
    Smartedge solutions
    First calling me from
    020 35002108 - blocked number after first call
    2 days later from 020 35002130 - blocked after first call which I foolishly answered, but hung up after I heard the word smartedge
    again a day later from 020 35002129 - blocked after rejecting first call
    Frantically emailing me as well that Tech Mahindra have shortlisted me for an interview (never ever gave them permission to represent me and certainly not at Tech Mahindra) - blocked their email domain now as well

    Hope they get the message

    Annoyingly they can still leave VMs
    As they go straight to VM sometimes they don't notice and leave a long empty message, I can clearly hear people speak in an Indian language in the background more proof they are not calling from the UK

    Leave a comment:


  • SueEllen
    replied
    Originally posted by KentDogWalker View Post
    Why are Indians obsessed with number of years of experienced in x tech?
    That's the way they sell people.

    Leave a comment:


  • MrMarkyMark
    replied
    Originally posted by LondonManc View Post
    I think you're missing the kicker - they want to bring a benched Wipro bod over from India, not a generic Indian contractor. They're paying Ranjeev a wage and need him to start earning it.
    Absolutely this.

    Pay them sod all, charge 'em out at £600PD, often last a variable of a few weeks/months before being booted out, rinse and repeat.

    Leave a comment:


  • KentDogWalker
    replied
    Why are Indians obsessed with number of years of experienced in x tech?

    Leave a comment:


  • uk contractor
    replied
    Originally posted by stek View Post
    There is no UK work visa currently that allows a non-EU national to contract either via Ltd or brolly, has to be PAYE only. That can be obvs. via a large consultancy under full control of them but I somehow doubt the cost of work permit processing, RMLT, COS admin, SMS admin etc is worth it for a 3/6 months gig. If it happened the consultancy would have to bench the guy at their own cost for the rest of the term of the WP.

    Nice conspiracy theory but a non-starter.
    This is why they like to get their PAYE benchwarmers over here as they get paid next to nothing & the profit margin is extreme!

    Leave a comment:

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