We work with hundreds of different recruitment agencies all over the UK. You have complete flexibility to register with as many as you like and to accept any assignments that take your fancy – that’s the beauty of contracting with Key Portfolio! The information on this page explains what we expect from you.
Choosing a recruitment agency
It’s your responsibility to choose the recruitment agencies you’d like to register with. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend searching the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s (REC) member directory to find agencies covering your local area. Please let us know if you need any further support to source assignments.
Many of our employees, particularly day-to-day supply teachers, register with more than one agency to increase their chances of finding regular work.
Your responsibilities
We have an obligation to facilitate a smooth and transparent working relationship between us, you, your agency and your workplace. We expect you to support with this in the following ways:
- Provide your agency with full and accurate details relating to your skills and experience, including an up-to-date CV and evidence of any qualifications or certificates.
- Provide your agency with any information they reasonably require in order to determine your suitability for an assignment. This could include details of your medical history, a Disclosure and Barring Service check and suitable references.
- Co-operate with any reasonable request that your agency makes, such as attending interviews or completing paperwork.
- Co-operate with any reasonable instructions given to you by your agency or workplace. Observe any rules or regulations that are in place at your workplace, especially where these relate to safeguarding, health and safety, IT security, security clearances and data protection.
- Accept or reject assignments promptly. If you decide at any point that an assignment isn’t suitable for you, tell your agency without delay.
- Only accept assignments that you are suitably qualified for and when you meet all of the stipulations that your agency or workplace has made. In particular, please ensure that you possess the necessary knowledge, expertise, skills, qualifications and any authorisations required by law or a professional body.
- Carry out your assignments professionally and efficiently.
- Undertake all tasks that are reasonably asked of you by your agency or workplace.
- Work the hours that are specified by your agency or workplace and do not unreasonably fail to complete your assignment duties during this time. It’s expected that you will work the hours that are necessary to perform your duties, where reasonable.
- Do not engage in any conduct that is detrimental to the interests of us, your agency or workplace. Do not engage in anything that could bring them into disrepute or result in a loss of custom/business.
- It’s likely that you will be exposed to confidential information during the course of your assignments. Do not divulge this to any third parties.
- Follow your agency’s process for completing and submitting timesheets.
- Understand that you are working as our employee and not as an employee of your recruitment agency or workplace.
- If you have any questions or concerns, for example you do not feel you have all the equipment necessary to perform your duties, you must raise it with your agency or us.
- Comply with all policies and procedures in your employee handbook.
If you have any questions or concerns, or you ever feel unable to comply with one of the requirements above for any reason, contact us and we will be ready to support. We’re happy for you to manage your own relationships with your agencies and workplaces but recognise our responsibility to get involved when you need us to.
Agencies we don’t work with yet
Sometimes you might want to register with a recruitment agency that we don’t work with yet. That’s okay! Just tell them that Key Portfolio is your preferred umbrella company, and then let us know who they are.
We’ll get in touch with them to make all the arrangements, which involves putting terms and conditions in place between our businesses and agreeing a payroll cycle. It’s likely that we’ll need to pass their compliance checks first and we will carry out our own due diligence checks to ensure they are a reputable business. This is all pretty routine stuff for umbrella companies and recruitment agencies, so we’ll get through it as quickly as possible.