Temp Agencies in the UK: Everything You Need to Know -

Temp agencies are also known as temporary work agencies. Temporary work is everywhere in the UK. Walk into almost any warehouse, office building, call center, or hospital, and you’ll find a mix of permanent staff and temp workers. Some temps are filling short-term gaps. Others have been “temporary” for years, working through agencies that keep them at arm’s length from actual employment.

For workers, temp agencies offer a way into the job market—sometimes the only way if you’re new to the UK, between jobs, or trying to break into competitive industries. The promise is flexibility: work when you want, try different roles, and get your foot in the door. The reality is often more complicated: inconsistent hours, last-minute cancellations, lower pay than permanent staff doing identical work, and little job security.

For employers, temp agencies solve staffing problems fast. Need 20 warehouse workers for the Christmas rush? Call an agency. Someone quit suddenly, and you need maternity cover? Agency. Don’t want to commit to permanent headcount but need bodies to get work done? Agency.

What Temp Agencies Actually Do

Temp agencies sit between workers and employers, acting as the middleman that makes temporary employment possible at scale.

Here’s how it works. You register with an agency—submit your CV, prove you’re eligible to work in the UK, and maybe do some basic skills tests. The agency adds you to its database of available workers. When client companies need temporary staff, they contact the agency. The agency calls workers from their database, offers shifts or assignments, and coordinates who goes where.

You work at the client company’s location, doing whatever work they need, but technically, you’re employed by the agency. The agency invoices the client company at a higher rate than they pay you—that margin covers their costs and profit. You get paid by the agency, usually weekly.

Temp work appears across nearly every sector: warehouses and distribution centers, offices and call centers, hospitals and care homes, construction sites, retail shops, hotels and restaurants, schools and universities. If there’s an industry with fluctuating labor needs, temp agencies are serving it.

Some agencies are massive national or international corporations—Adecco, Manpower, Randstad—with hundreds of offices and sophisticated systems. Others are small local operations run by a handful of people from a cramped office above a shop. Both can provide work, but the experience varies enormously.

How Temping Actually Works

Let’s walk through what being a temp worker actually looks like, because the process has quirks that aren’t obvious until you’re in it.

Registration takes time and paperwork.

You’ll submit your CV, fill out an application, and provide proof of identity and right to work in the UK (passport, visa, etc.). For some roles, you’ll need background checks—DBS checks for care work, construction site safety cards, food hygiene certificates, and forklift licenses. Some agencies do skills assessments—typing tests for office work, warehouse safety inductions, and customer service role-plays.

The registration process can take days or weeks, depending on the agency and role. Then you wait. And wait. Being registered doesn’t guarantee work. You’re just in their database, competing with everyone else registered.

Getting shifts is unpredictable.

When the agency has work available, it contacts people from its database. How do they choose who to call? It’s part availability, part reliability history, part randomness. If you’ve worked for them before and were reliable, you get priority. If you’re new, you might wait weeks for your first call.

The calls come with little notice. “Can you start tomorrow at 6 AM?” “We need someone tonight for a 12-hour shift.” “Are you available this weekend?” If you say no too often, they stop calling. But if you say yes, you’re rearranging your life constantly with minimal warning.

Assignments vary wildly.

You might get single-day gigs—work one shift, never hear from that client again. You might get week-long assignments. Also, you might end up at the same place for months, essentially doing a permanent job but on a temporary contract.

Some assignments are straightforward—data entry, warehouse picking, answering phones. Others are grueling—12-hour shifts in cold warehouses, physically demanding care work, and dealing with angry customers in retail during sales. The agency often doesn’t fully explain what you’re walking into until you’re there.

Pay happens weekly in most cases.

You submit timesheets (paper or digital) confirming your hours worked. The client company approves them. The agency processes payroll and pays you, usually by bank transfer. This weekly payment is one of temp work’s genuine advantages—you don’t wait a month for money.

But pay rates are typically lower than permanent staff doing the same work. The agency takes a cut, and clients don’t want to pay temps what they pay permanent employees, even though legally they should after 12 weeks (we’ll get to that).

Communication is often terrible.

You might wait days for the agency to return calls. Promised shifts get canceled last minute. Pay disputes take weeks to resolve. You feel like a number in a database rather than a person, because fundamentally, that’s what you are to them.

Your Rights as a Temp Worker—Theory vs. Reality

UK law provides temp workers with protections. On paper, these look decent. In practice, enforcement is weak, and many workers don’t know their rights or don’t feel empowered to demand them.

Day-one rights

This includes minimum wage, paid holiday, rest breaks, protection from discrimination, and access to shared facilities like canteens at the workplace. These are non-negotiable from your first day.

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But here’s reality: some agencies violate these constantly. Unpaid breaks. Holiday pay “rolled up” into hourly rates in ways that shortchange you. Pressure to work through breaks because the client needs bodies on the floor. Discrimination complaints go nowhere because you’re just a temp and easily replaceable.

The 12-week rule

This is supposed to provide equal treatment. After 12 continuous weeks in the same role with the same hirer, you must receive the same basic pay and working conditions as comparable permanent employees. This includes pay rate, overtime rates, annual leave, and working time.

Sounds good, right? Here’s why it often fails:

Agencies and clients structure work to avoid triggering the rule. They’ll end your assignment at 11 weeks, give you one week elsewhere, then bring you back. Technically not continuous. Legally compliant. Effectively dodging equal pay.

Even when you hit 12 weeks, agencies claim there’s no comparable permanent employee, or that you’re getting equal treatment already (you’re not), or they just ignore the rule, betting you won’t complain. Enforcement requires you to file a claim with an employment tribunal—a daunting process most temp workers won’t pursue because they need the work and can’t afford to burn bridges.

Holiday pay is where things get messy.

You’re entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year. Agencies handle this two ways: accrual (you build up holiday entitlement and take paid time off) or rolled-up (they pay you a percentage extra each hour instead of giving you paid time off).

Rolled-up holiday pay is controversial because it removes your ability to actually take paid time off. You’re getting the money, but you can’t afford not to work because stopping shifts means no income. It’s technically legal in some circumstances, but it defeats the purpose of holiday entitlement.

Ask agencies explicitly: how do you handle holiday pay? Get it in writing. Track what you’re owed.

The Umbrella Company Problem

Some agencies don’t employ you directly. Instead, they require you to work through an “umbrella company”—a third-party company that becomes your legal employer while you work assignments arranged by the agency.

This adds a layer of complexity and costs. The umbrella company processes your payroll, deducts taxes, National Insurance, and—here’s the catch—charges you a fee for their “services.” That fee comes out of your wages, often £15-£30 per week.

So the client pays the agency, the agency pays the umbrella company (minus their margin), and the umbrella company pays you (minus their fee and all deductions). Two middlemen take cuts before you see money for your work.

Umbrella companies also complicate holiday pay calculations, tax calculations, and employment rights. Some operate legitimately and provide actual value through administrative support. Others are exploitative, maximizing their fees while minimizing transparency.

Before agreeing to work through an umbrella company, ask:

Why can’t the agency employ me directly?
What exactly is the umbrella company fee, and what does it cover?
How much will I actually take home after all deductions?
Can I see a detailed pay breakdown?

If the agency refuses to explain clearly or the math doesn’t add up, walk away.

The Reality of “Flexibility”

Agencies market temp work as flexible work when you want, take time off when you need it, try different roles. That sounds appealing, especially if you’re a student, parent with childcare responsibilities, or someone who values schedule control.

The reality is different. Flexibility mostly benefits the employer and agency, not the worker.

You’re not flexible—you’re available. Agencies want workers who can start with minimal notice, work whatever shifts come up, and stay available in case work appears. You’re supposed to be flexible for them. But when you need flexibility—can’t work certain days, need a week off, have other commitments—suddenly you’re “unreliable” and stop getting calls.

Income is unpredictable. One week you work 40 hours. Next week you get 12 hours. The week after that, nothing. You can’t budget. You can’t plan. You’re constantly unsure how much money you’ll have next week.

This isn’t freedom. It’s precarity. The gig economy rebranded insecurity as flexibility, and temp work has always operated this way.

You have no sick pay. Miss work because you’re ill and you simply don’t get paid. No sick days. No support. You either work or you don’t earn. This creates pressure to work while sick, which is bad for you and everyone around you.

Trying different roles sounds good until you realize you’re never building depth. You’re a generalist doing entry-level work everywhere, developing minimal expertise, making you replaceable and stuck in low-paying assignments.

For some people at certain life stages, this actually works. Students who need part-time work around classes. People between permanent jobs who need income for a few months. Workers who genuinely prefer variety over routine. But it’s not the universal benefit agencies advertise.

Pros and Cons—The Honest Assessment

Let’s be realistic about what temp work offers and what it costs you.

The genuine advantages:

You can start earning quickly. Registration takes days or a week, then you’re working. That speed matters if you need income immediately.

Entry into competitive sectors is real. Some industries—logistics, warehousing, call centers, office administration—are easier to access through temping than direct hiring. Companies use temps constantly and occasionally convert them to permanent employees.

Weekly pay helps with cash flow. You’re not waiting until month-end.

Temp-to-perm opportunities exist. You get to trial a company before committing permanently, and they get to evaluate you without the risk of a bad permanent hire. When it works, both parties benefit.

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You meet lots of people and see different work environments. This can be valuable if you’re figuring out what you want to do or building a network.

The significant disadvantages:

Zero job security. Assignments end without warning. You show up ready to work and get sent home because the client doesn’t need you anymore. You plan your budget around expected hours and get nothing.

Income volatility creates financial stress. Some weeks are good. Others are terrible. You can’t qualify for decent rental housing because landlords want stable income. You struggle to budget or save.

You’re treated as disposable. Agencies have hundreds of workers registered. Clients view temps as interchangeable bodies. You’re not valued. You’re not developed. In fact, you are just labor.

Benefits are minimal. No pension contributions. No training and development. Also, there is no career progression. No employee perks. You’re getting baseline legal minimums and nothing more.

The pay gap is real. Permanent staff doing your exact job earn more, get bonuses you don’t see, and have job security you lack. You watch this happen daily, and it’s demoralizing.

Communication is often abysmal. Calls go unreturned. Promised work doesn’t materialize. Pay disputes drag on. You spend unpaid time chasing the agency about basics they should handle automatically.

How to Choose Decent Temp Agencies (And Avoid Terrible Ones)

Not all temp agencies operate the same way. Some are professional operations that treat workers reasonably. Others are chaotic, exploitative, or incompetent. Choosing well matters.

Specialization helps.

Agencies that focus on specific sectors—industrial, hospitality, healthcare, office work—generally understand those industries better and have stronger client relationships. This means more consistent work for you.

Generic agencies that dabble in everything rarely excel at anything. Their client relationships are shallower, their understanding of roles is weaker, and you’re competing with more workers for fewer quality placements.

Reputation signals quality.

Google the agency’s name plus “reviews.” Check what workers actually say about them. Consistent complaints about unpaid wages, terrible communication, or dodgy practices are red flags.

Ask around locally. Other temp workers can tell you which agencies actually provide consistent work and which waste your time. Facebook groups or Reddit communities for your city often have honest discussions about local agencies.

The right questions during registration:

How often do you place workers in my field? (If they’re vague or say “all the time” without specifics, be skeptical.)

What’s the typical pay rate for roles I’m qualified for? (If they won’t give you a number, that’s a warning sign.)

How are shifts allocated—first-come first first-served, seniority, random? (Understanding this helps you know what to expect.)

Do you use umbrella companies or employ directly? (Direct employment is cleaner if you can get it.)

When do I get paid and how? (Weekly by bank transfer is standard. Anything else raises questions.)

What happens if a shift gets canceled last minute? (Some agencies guarantee minimum pay if you show up and get sent home. Most don’t.)

Read the contract before signing.

Yes, it’s boring. Yes, it’s full of legal language. Read it anyway. Understand:

How you’re paid
How is calculated
Notice periods (how much notice they must give you for shifts, and how much notice you must give to cancel)
Whether there are any guaranteed hours (usually there aren’t)
What happens if clients don’t pay the agency (does your pay depend on that?)

If anything is unclear, ask. If they won’t clarify, that tells you about their transparency.

Red flags to watch for:

Agencies that charge workers fees (with very few exceptions, like modeling, this is illegal in the UK)

Umbrella company arrangements, they can’t explain clearly

Vague about pay rates or “it depends” without giving ranges

Terrible online reviews consistently mention the same problems

Pressure to sign up immediately without time to review contracts

Can’t provide examples of actual placements they’ve made recently.

The Major Temp Agencies in the UK

Here’s a realistic guide to the biggest and most commonly encountered temp agencies, grouped by what they actually focus on.

National multi-sector agencies:

Adecco is one of the world’s largest staffing companies with offices throughout the UK. They cover industrial, office, and professional roles. Size means resources and client relationships, but also means you’re a number in a massive database. They’re competent but impersonal.

Manpower is similarly huge, strong in logistics, manufacturing, and call centers. They’re established enough that major employers use them regularly, meaning somewhat steady work if you’re in their good books.

Hays focuses more on skilled professionals and office placements—finance, IT, and admin. They’re better for white-collar temp work than warehouse roles.

Reed has a strong presence in the public sector and office support. They’re large, established, and generally run professionally, though individual branches vary.

Randstad is global with a UK presence across multiple sectors. They’re particularly strong in industrial work, care, and education support roles.

Industrial, warehouse, and logistics agencies:

Staffline is massive in warehouse and distribution, with contracts at major supermarket distribution centers. If you want warehouse work, they’re hard to avoid. The work is grueling but usually abundant.

Pertemps specializes in transport, warehousing, and driving roles. They’re one of the go-to agencies for logistics work.

GI Group covers manufacturing, warehousing, and industrial sectors with a decent reputation among workers.

Office and administrative agencies:

Office Angels focuses on reception, secretarial, and admin support. They’re reasonably professional and understand office environments.

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Brook Street (now part of Adecco Group) is strong in government and public sector office work, which can be more stable than private sector temp roles.

Robert Half specializes in finance, accounting, and professional office support. They typically handle better-paid roles than general agencies.

Hospitality and events agencies:

Blue Arrow has a strong presence in hospitality, catering, and transport. They’re established and understand these sectors well.

Corecruitment focuses on hospitality, hotels, restaurants, and events. If you’re in this sector, they’re worth registering with.

Berkeley Scott handles catering and hospitality events. Work is sporadic but can be well-paid for certain events.

Healthcare and social care agencies:

Nurseplus provides healthcare assistants and support workers to hospitals and care homes. Healthcare temping is its own world with better pay but demanding conditions.

Newcross Healthcare is similar, offering nursing and care roles with somewhat more structure than general agencies.

Construction and trades:

Fawkes & Reece handles skilled trades and construction labor. If you’ve got trade qualifications, they’re a major player.

McGinley Support Services focuses on rail, construction, and civil engineering—specialized work that pays better but requires specific skills.

This isn’t exhaustive—there are hundreds of temp agencies in the UK. But these are established names you’ll encounter repeatedly if you’re temping.

What Actually Makes Temp Agencies Successful

Getting work consistently requires understanding how agencies operate and what they value.

Availability matters most. Keep your phone on. Respond to texts and calls quickly. Agencies call down their list until someone says yes. If you’re the person who answers immediately and can start tomorrow, you get the work.

Reliability builds your reputation. Show up on time. Do the work competently. Don’t cause problems. Don’t call in sick unless genuinely necessary. Clients report back to agencies about workers. Good reports mean more offers. Bad reports mean you stop getting calls.

Build relationships with agency consultants. They remember workers who are easy to deal with. Be polite, professional, and reasonable. When they need to fill a good assignment quickly, they call people they trust.

Register with multiple agencies. Don’t rely on one agency. Have three or four that you’re active with in your sector. This increases your chances of consistent work and gives you options when one agency is slow.

Keep your paperwork current. ID documents, right-to-work documentation, DBS checks, certificates—keep these updated. Administrative delays prevent you from working.

Track everything. Keep records of hours worked, pay received, and holiday entitlement. Agencies make mistakes (sometimes deliberately). You can’t challenge errors if you don’t have documentation.

Learn to say yes strategically. You can’t say yes to every shift, or you’ll burn out. You can’t say no to every inconvenient shift or you’ll stop getting calls. Find the balance—accept enough to stay on their radar, decline when genuinely necessary.

When Temp Work Actually Makes Sense

Temping isn’t for everyone, and it isn’t forever for most people. But it serves specific purposes well.

Students can work around class schedules, increase hours during breaks, and reduce hours during exams. The flexibility genuinely helps here.

New arrivals to the UK can access work quickly without needing established networks or references. Temp work provides UK experience that helps with future permanent applications.

People between jobs can earn income while job searching. It fills financial gaps without requiring long-term commitment.

Career changers can test different industries through short assignments before committing to retraining or permanent positions.

Workers needing flexible schedules for genuine reasons—caring responsibilities, health issues, other commitments—can find arrangements that work, though finding the right agency and roles takes effort.

Temp work can be a bridge to permanent employment. You get your foot in the door, prove yourself, and convert to permanent staff. This happens regularly, especially in office, healthcare, and logistics roles.

But viewing temping as a long-term career strategy is problematic. You’re not building deep expertise. Also, you are not advancing. You’re not increasing earnings meaningfully. If you’re still temping after a year or two, you should actively be working toward permanent employment unless your life circumstances genuinely require the flexibility.

Final Thoughts on Temp Agencies

Temp agencies are part of the UK labor market infrastructure. They provide access to work, especially for people who’d struggle to access it otherwise. They solve real problems for both workers and employers.

But they also perpetuate precarious employment, suppressed wages, and exploitative practices. The system is designed to benefit agencies and employers while keeping workers disposable and replaceable.

You can navigate this successfully by understanding how it works, choosing agencies carefully, knowing your rights, and using temp work strategically rather than getting stuck in it indefinitely.

Register with reputable agencies in your sector. Respond quickly when work is offered. Be reliable and professional. Track your hours and pay carefully. Build relationships with consultants. Register with multiple agencies to increase your chances of consistent work.

Use temp work to get experience, access employers, and earn income while working toward something more stable. Don’t let it become your permanent situation unless you genuinely prefer it, because the system is designed to keep you temporary—and temporary means vulnerable.