An employment agency is not an obvious choice for everyone. Some people insist that every broker is a cheater, who wants to extort money from a jobseeker. We know that this is not true. However, often hearing such opinions, we decided to write an article on this topic. If you are ready to change your mind, below we explain exactly how job agencies work and how they earn.
Before you start
We usually deal with topics related to employment – full of legal tricks and complicated terminology. In the article below we will show you how agencies work, e.i. brokers, that make it easier to find a job abroad, and then independently employ and delegate employees to work abroad.
Why do agencies exist?
It is possible that you once thought: „Do people really need job agencies at all? After all, it is only additional costs for the employer and lower earnings for the employee.” In a way – right. However, annual data on the number of job agencies established indicate sufficient interest in such services among Poles. Where do this come from?
LACK OF RECRUITMENT DEPARTMENT IN THE COMPANY AND TOO SMALL HUMAN RESOURCES
Employment agencies operate on behalf of companies, often too small to have their own recruitment departments and adequately qualified employees. Thus, they are not able to carry out professional recruitment for new positions (often requiring complex skills) in their company. Larger workplaces with adequate resources also use the services of a job agency. Why?
Most often they want to save time when they need to recruit more people quickly. There is no doubt that commissioning the recruitment process for an external company is a very convenient solution for them. They hire an employee, and the whole process of the search and employment is performed by someone else.
LANGUAGE BARRIERS AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF FOREIGN LABOUR MARKETS
In the case of foreign employers seeking employees in Poland, it is difficult to expect them to have a good knowledge of our labour market. Without knowing the language or popular portals with advertisements, they place themselves in a losing position. The Polish job agency will certainly help to overcome such difficulties and will verify the candidates already in the country, saving them long journeys to the wrong workplace.
For employees
Research shows that Poles are eager to take up employment with a foreign employer, but they want all administrative matters related to employment to take place in Poland. We are distrustful of foreign representatives of companies, and being employed by an agency means also much less paperwork, which is often quite complicated in Poland (and abroad).
Applying for a job through an agency brings many profits. An employee can count on professional service and consultancy, as the recruitment process is dealt with by qualified persons in this field. The agency also tries to ensure that the candidate finds a suitable position for himself – even if he didn’t receive the job for which he was applying. Recruiters want you to find a job – they can often count on extra income, and that’s a good motivation!
In addition, when you choose a job position offered by an intermediary, you will often be able to count on additional facilities, such as:
- organized transfer to the place of destination (for free or for a small fee)
- accommodation (on request – deducted from the salary, or not)
- translation of documents related to employment
- help with registering and making personal numbers
Is the job agency a good solution for you?
If you are not a person who likes risk, you do not know foreign languages or foreign law well – you should definitely look for offers proposed by job agencies. Going abroad is associated with enough stress – is it worth it to add further worries?
How much will the agency earn on you?
A job agency, like any company, has to earn on something. Any doubts related to the source of income of these companies arise from the guesses of people who are not familiar with the topic. The answer is simple! The employer pays extra to your salary. You, while working in a given country, always have a guaranteed minimum rate appropriate to your position (set by the Labour Code or company or industry collective agreements). Also, remember that you can’t be discriminated against employees employed directly by your workplace – you should be paid the same salary!
If you sign a contract and are delegated to work for another company, the agency has a predetermined rate that it will receive for each hour you work. This amount is sometimes even about 20% of your rate. This price covers the service of recruitment employees, employee support abroad, organization of travel and accommodation, and (of course) agency’s earnings.
Is the salary offered by a job agency lower? Usually yes. In establishments where job agencies are used, automatically less money is left for remuneration. Often, however, these are not big differences, and yet our comfort also has a price – employment by the job agency will probably be associated with lower earnings, but also with greater security at work abroad and easier tax settlement at the end of the year. It is worth remembering that work through an intermediary at one employer may last only for a period of 18 months, often after that time the employee can decide whether he returns to the country or whether he wants to work directly in the plant in which he held the position.
Remember! An employment agency has no right to collect money from you, except:
- real transport costs
- medical examination costs
- translation of documents
Does your agency work legally?
Employment agencies are subject to thorough verification by state and control institutions. Those that offer legal services in Poland are required to have a certificate of entry to the National Register of Employment Agencies. A list of registered agencies is available to all interested parties. If you want to check the reliability of your future Polish job agency, just use the KRAZ search engine.
We recommend choosing proven and certified companies that have been operating on the market for a long time. An important source of information can also be the opinions of people, who have already had the opportunity to cooperate with a given broker. On our website, companies, which we have personally checked, have stars with their name. They are reliable employers!
