Deduction of rate for usual fees & request to keep a time log from a recruitment firm

[Wanderer]

Yes, I was made aware of the fees before signing the contract.

Is the contract governed by English law?
Is the agency a company incorporated in England or Wales?

If your answer to those two questions is yes then the agency may be acting illegally.

[Andy Hallett]

Which country you going to be working in?

[JamesDeen]

Is the contract governed by English law?
Is the agency a company incorporated in England or Wales?

If your answer to those two questions is yes then the agency may be acting illegally.

Hi Wanderer, yes the agency is based in the UK and there should adhere to English law. Could you please expand upon why you think there practices may be illegal?

[Wanderer]

Hi Wanderer, yes the agency is based in the UK and there should adhere to English law. Could you please expand upon why you think there practices may be illegal?

Yes, specifically the Employment Agencies Act 1973 section 6 states:

a person carrying on an employment agency or an employment business shall not demand or directly or indirectly receive from any person any fee for finding him employment or for seeking to find him employment.

Now there are exceptions to this for offering other services like rewriting your CV etc but these services can't be conditional on the agency finding you work.

The general exceptions to this are Entertainment, Sports or Modelling but if you don't work in those areas then an agency should NOT charge you a fee. Any agency which seeks to do this should be viewed with deep suspicion, you have been warned.

[cojak]

Which law makes it illegal for a firm to charge for seeking jobs ?

[Wanderer]

Which law makes it illegal for a firm to charge for seeking jobs ?

Top answer! Maybe I should have done a search.

It should also be noted that there is no provision to "opt out" of the Employment Agencies Act so no agency should ever charge work seekers a fee (except for the named professions which are exempt)....