Temporary Agency Work

charlie792

Ok this probably sounds really stupid but Ive no idea 'how' it works, do they pay me or the company Im working for? How is it paid, daily/weekly/monthly?

Ive never even been registered with an agency like this before but out of the blue this afternoon had a phonecall from an agency saying they had my CV and had a temp job of interest for me starting tomorrow. The job is fab - pretty much sounds like what I did as my full time job in the past and they seem pretty sure the job is likely to go perm within the month (fingers crossed). Theyve sent me over some forms, including a timesheet, p46, starter form etc but Ive no idea what I do with them - I assume just take them with me for the job tomorrow?

They said I just need to turn up to start work at 9am but it all feels a little alien to me, Ive not had an interview or anything :rotfl:

Owain_Moneysaver

The agency pays you, usually a week in arrears, and if you don't get your timesheet signed and in on time you will miss the pay run.

They will also need a passport/birth certificate and NI number to prove you're allowed to work in the UK.

suicidebob

charlie792 wrote: »

Ok this probably sounds really stupid but Ive no idea 'how' it works, do they pay me or the company Im working for? How is it paid, daily/weekly/monthly?

Ive never even been registered with an agency like this before but out of the blue this afternoon had a phonecall from an agency saying they had my CV and had a temp job of interest for me starting tomorrow. The job is fab - pretty much sounds like what I did as my full time job in the past and they seem pretty sure the job is likely to go perm within the month (fingers crossed). Theyve sent me over some forms, including a timesheet, p46, starter form etc but Ive no idea what I do with them - I assume just take them with me for the job tomorrow?

They said I just need to turn up to start work at 9am but it all feels a little alien to me, Ive not had an interview or anything :rotfl:

All paperwork goes back to the agency as they're your employer.

Hootie19

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

The agency pays you, usually a week in arrears, and if you don't get your timesheet signed and in on time you will miss the pay run.

I also found, though, that if I'd forgotten to put my timesheet in on time, the agency would ring me, and remind me.

I thought this was really kind of them, until I realised that if I hadn't put my timesheet in, then *they* couldn't invoice their client.

Naive, or what!

Hammyman

As long as you recognise that agencies are purely 100% self serving in their interests, nothing they do is for your benefit even if they make it sound like it is and will drop you in a heartbeat if anything goes wrong then working for agencies can be quite a rewarding experience. I liked the flexibility it gave me. It was like being self employed without the worry of getting paid by the clients. I could choose to an extent who I worked for and when I worked and if I needed time off for whatever reason, I just said I was not available on a certain day/week without needing to fabricate excuses.

Jerryjerryjerry

Hammyman wrote: »

As long as you recognise that agencies are purely 100% self serving in their interests, nothing they do is for your benefit even if they make it sound like it is and will drop you in a heartbeat if anything goes wrong then working for agencies can be quite a rewarding experience. I liked the flexibility it gave me. It was like being self employed without the worry of getting paid by the clients. I could choose to an extent who I worked for and when I worked and if I needed time off for whatever reason, I just said I was not available on a certain day/week without needing to fabricate excuses.

Excellent post! couldn't agree more.

LittleVoice

charlie792 wrote: »

Ok this probably sounds really stupid but Ive no idea 'how' it works, do they pay me or the company Im working for? How is it paid, daily/weekly/monthly?

Ive never even been registered with an agency like this before but out of the blue this afternoon had a phonecall from an agency saying they had my CV and had a temp job of interest for me starting tomorrow. The job is fab - pretty much sounds like what I did as my full time job in the past and they seem pretty sure the job is likely to go perm within the month (fingers crossed). Theyve sent me over some forms, including a timesheet, p46, starter form etc but Ive no idea what I do with them - I assume just take them with me for the job tomorrow?

They said I just need to turn up to start work at 9am but it all feels a little alien to me, Ive not had an interview or anything :rotfl:

How did they get your CV? Do you have skills that very few people have?

charlie792

LittleVoice wrote: »

How did they get your CV? Do you have skills that very few people have?

Applied for a job through reed.co.uk - guess they got my CV through that....

I think it was just because Ive done pretty much the same job in the past so didn't really need much training etc

LittleVoice

charlie792 wrote: »

Applied for a job through reed.co.uk - guess they got my CV through that....

I think it was just because Ive done pretty much the same job in the past so didn't really need much training etc

I was surprised that they offered a position to start the next day without even meeting you and without the checks that you had the right to work in the UK etc. It sounded like a scam situation.

However, on Monday you said the position was to start the next day. Did you go in on Tuesday and start the assignment? Is it going well? (I wonder if the hirer knew you hadn't been checked out.)

Owain_Moneysaver

Hootie19 wrote: »

I also found, though, that if I'd forgotten to put my timesheet in on time, the agency would ring me, and remind me.

I thought this was really kind of them, until I realised that if I hadn't put my timesheet in, then *they* couldn't invoice their client.

Naive, or what!

You may find them less pro-active about reminding you to claim your holiday pay before it gets written off at the end of the holiday year.

They might not tell you when the holiday year ends, either.

charlie792

LittleVoice wrote: »

I was surprised that they offered a position to start the next day without even meeting you and without the checks that you had the right to work in the UK etc. It sounded like a scam situation.

However, on Monday you said the position was to start the next day. Did you go in on Tuesday and start the assignment? Is it going well? (I wonder if the hirer knew you hadn't been checked out.)

Yes started tuesday - To be honest its all a bit of a mess at the moment...the company wern't expecting me - apparently expecting some bloke which I most certainly wasn't. Anyway my department manager then walked out that afternoon (hes apparently off sick but I know otherwise because I heard him having an argument on the phone and he then stormed out of the office), not to be seen again. He is now apparently signed off sick.

So this other bloke is now in and out of the office kind of in charge but has given me no indication if Im going to be kept on or not, despite saying in front of me they were going to employ 2 new staff. So I asked him upfront if I was going to be made perm as I would be happy to accept the role and said he would get back to me by the end of the day. Never heard anything from him but other staff apparently know but arnt allowed to tell me.

Had no contact from the agency nor the employers and have no idea how long this role is meant to be for because nobody seems to want to be giving me any awnsers.

Laid it straight with the agency though that unless Im told one way or another this week then Im going to be leaving because Ive been offered a (albeit carp) job elsewhere