What are Steria Recruitment Limited like? Good agency?

[rashm2k]

Seen a job with these guys anyone any experience of what they are like?

[eek]

Seen a job with these guys anyone any experience of what they are like?

Part of a French Consultancy Steria Group

[expat]

I had contact with them once when I lived in France. One of their agents left a message to call him, but it wasn't convenient so I didn't for a couple of hours. So he put me forward for a contract anyway - but at just over 1/3 of my asking rate!

Worse, in the meantime another agency had called me (and reached me), and wanted to put me forward to a contract, at my asking rate. But was I sure that I had not been put forward there before? Sure, I said.

Yup: it was the same contract. Not a chance of getting in at any rate, after that. And the Steria guy tried to tell me that the client wouldn't pay any more. Of course, the Steria agent was just trying to undercut everybody else. I can handle the lies, but putting me up without permission - at 1/3 of the rate - was not on.

They kept calling me afterwards and wouldn't take my word for it that I would never under any circumstances take a contract with them. Finally I convinced them with a very loud voice and a selection of non-A-Level vocabulary that I had acquired in the wrong parts of Paris over 15 years.


Now, maybe that was just one duff agent. I didn't feel like trying again to find out.


Edit: come to think of it, eek summed it up in his first 5 words.

[rashm2k]

Ah ok so be prepared for them to try and screw me over.

It's is my first contract I'm applying for so beggars can't be choosers

[DirtyDog]

I've had two contracts through them - one when they were Xansa Recruitment before they were taken over, and one with Steria.

Never had a problem with them - payment on time. 30 day terms, weekly invoicing, so you have a lead time before getting the first lot in, but you get paid for another month when you finish. I used their self-billing, which does it all from your timesheet - never had an issue with it, but make sure you check the sums balance.

At the end of the day, you are likely to be working on one of their projects, which (if past performance is anything to go by) tend to run for quite some time, go over-budget and may not be the best run projects in the world. I interviewed for a three month role, by the time the offer came in an hour after the interview, it was a four month role, and I was there for nearly a year before moving on.

Flexibility about working location is going to be down to the individual project and project manager - my first role was very flexible, last one wasn't.

I keep in touch with most of the people from the last project, and would go back to work with them again if the opportunity arose.

[expat]

I keep in touch with most of the people from the last project, and would go back to work with them again if the opportunity arose.

Which is fair enough. It sounds like I got a bad agent, but the company is OK.

[Sausage Surprise]

They have only ever contacted me quoting ridiculously low rates....on that basis "I'm out".

[eek]

They have only ever contacted me quoting ridiculously low rates....on that basis "I'm out".

They charge out at roughly £500 or so a day (unless they have increased them massively in the past couple of years). Hence your typical bum on seat contractor is not profitable for them....

[suityou01]

I had a recent IR35 related issue.