Documentation Required By Agency - Do I Really Need All This ?

[iguy2008]

Hi

An agency has agreed to put me through for an interview but want the following documents with 48 hours of an offer:

A copy of your Certification of Incorporation
A copy of your VAT Registration Certificate
A copy of your Insurance Certificate (Employers Liability - limit of £1 million, Public Liability - limit of £1 million, Professional Indemnity - limit of £1 million) These levels of insurance must be held by the Limited Company/ Umbrella Company
A copy of your passport (and any Visa Documentation if required)
A copy of a bank statement for your Limited company/ Umbrella Company (Any transaction information maybe blacked out)
A copy of your driving license
A copy of a utility bill
Criminal check form (enclosed in offer)
Two professional references

I understand the need to provide the company information but its the rest of it Im not sure about. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Cheers

[eek]

The first three show that you are running a legitimate company although I would argue over the employers and public liability insurance as your own company would be a 1 man band.

The passport is to prove that you can work in the UK.

The utility bill and driving licence is for the CRB check (you need 1 form of photo id and two for addresses. Driving licences are good as they resolve two issues in 1 document.

Really the only bit with a question against it is the bank statement but personally I would give it to them as it means that any screw up on payments can only be their fault.

[SueEllen]

A copy of your Certification of Incorporation
A copy of your VAT Registration Certificate

Yes and this is standard.

Even if you contract direct with companies they will want to see your VAT certificate as it helps protect against different types of VAT fraud

A copy of your Insurance Certificate (Employers Liability - limit of £1 million, Public Liability - limit of £1 million, Professional Indemnity - limit of £1 million) These levels of insurance must be held by the Limited Company/ Umbrella Company

If you don't employ anyone then you only should have Professional indemnity Insurance. The limit required is up to the agency and client.

Some agencies want proof you have this others don't.

If you do employ other people in your company you need Employers Liability. If you allow people to visit your premises whether temporary or permanent premises then you need Public Liability.

A copy of your passport (and any Visa Documentation if required)

They need to check you are legally able to work in the UK. It just protects them if Immigration comes knocking.

However a scanned copy of this won't do. They need to see the original in case you provide a fake.

A copy of a bank statement for your Limited company/ Umbrella Company (Any transaction information maybe blacked out)

This is to check they are actually paying into a limited company account but to be honest it proves absolutely nothing.

If you want to check you are paying a limited company then they should pay you by a crossed cheque into the full name on the certificate of incorporation. If you can't cash it then it's your problem.

A copy of your driving license
A copy of a utility bill

OTT - unless the client requires them OR you haven't opted-out

Unless the contract involves driving the end client's vehicles it should be passport or driving license and utility bill to prove it.

Criminal check form (enclosed in offer)

OTT - unless the client requires them OR you haven't opted-out

Two professional references

OTT - unless the client requires them OR you haven't opted-out.

[malvolio]

Just as an aside, all of the above relate to the legal duties for employers with respect to their employees and employees of their suppliers, as per the Primark case (Primark got sued for using a supplier who was employing illegal immigrants).

So why do the agencies go to such great lengths to prove that you are not an employee of theirs or the clients?

Come to that, as far as I know I'm not an employee of anyone, not even MyCo.

Interesting, eh?

[SueEllen]

Just as an aside, all of the above relate to the legal duties for employers with respect to their employees and employees of their suppliers, as per the Primark case (Primark got sued for using a supplier who was employing illegal immigrants).

So why do the agencies go to such great lengths to prove that you are not an employee of theirs or the clients?

Come to that, as far as I know I'm not an employee of anyone, not even MyCo.

Interesting, eh?

Simply because the law is an ass.

[nfoote]

However a scanned copy of this won't do. They need to see the original in case you provide a fake.

Aye? You're talking about the Passport here right? I've only ever emailed black and white scans of my New Zealand passport and enclosed UK working visa to agents/clients who request them. Nobody's ever complained or asked for the original.

Considering what it is I'd only ever send clearly un-usable copies (ie B&W) of my passport or physically hand it to someone for review while it never leaves my sight. I'd sooner send £1000 cash in the post than trust over my passport!!

[malvolio]

Aye? You're talking about the Passport here right? I've only ever emailed black and white scans of my New Zealand passport and enclosed UK working visa to agents/clients who request them. Nobody's ever complained or asked for the original.

Considering what it is I'd only ever send clearly un-usable copies (ie B&W) of my passport or physically hand it to someone for review while it never leaves my sight. I'd sooner send £1000 cash in the post than trust over my passport!!

A passport is only a proof of ID if you are seen holding it in your own hand. People have finally cottoned on to that minor detail, hence (a) photoshopped copies are now useless and (b) agents and/or contrators are shuttling around the country so the agency can see you holding you passort. So perhaps you need a rethink...

AS I said, it doesn't apply to contractors anyway but as we all know, agents are simple creatures who can only hold one thought in their head at a time. Plus, in my own case, I just left a six month gig with a public body and have current SC clearance, so I would rather hope that demonstrated my eligibility to work in the EU. Which is all the agency needs to prove, that they have taken reasonable care to verifiy that eligibility. Clearly asking someone who knows, such as my previous client or even MyCo (who know who their workers are) is beyond them, the poor dears.

The whole thing is a pointless mess, but we're kind of stuck with it for a while.

[SueEllen]

Aye? You're talking about the Passport here right? I've only ever emailed black and white scans of my New Zealand passport and enclosed UK working visa to agents/clients who request them. Nobody's ever complained or asked for the original.

That's cos they have never been done by Immigration.

You can't do the checks listed on the pdf - Prevention Of Illegal Working (pdf is in the middle of the page) if they don't see the passport in person. For example how are they going to be able to tell if you look different to your photograph?

Considering what it is I'd only ever send clearly un-usable copies (ie B&W) of my passport or physically hand it to someone for review while it never leaves my sight. I'd sooner send £1000 cash in the post than trust over my passport!!

I've never posted my passport or driving license to anyone.

[doodab]

I've never posted my passport or driving license to anyone.

I have, when I renewed my passport (avoidable if you can be bothered to go to the office in person), when I got points for speeding, and when I exchanged my paper license for a photo one. But not apart from that.

[nfoote]

So perhaps you need a rethink..

For example how are they going to be able to tell if you look different to your photograph?

Well, agreed, but my point was nobody's ever asked me so far, guess I've just had particularly slack slackers .. uh, agents.