Cost and fees
How much does it cost to hire someone in the UK?
On the recruiter side, a contingency agency typically charges 15–25% of first-year salary, so £5,000 to £11,250 on a £45,000 hire. A flat-fee managed search is a single figure between roughly £850 and £6,000 regardless of salary, and job advertising alone runs from £99 to £599 per vacancy. Those are the invoiced costs. The larger unbilled cost is your own time: across the 46 vacancies we filled it took a median of 26 candidates worked to produce one hire, and only about 15% of those were worth putting in front of the employer.
The three prices you will be quoted
| Route | What it costs | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency agency | 15–25% of salary | The whole search. You pay only if they fill it |
| Flat-fee managed search | £850 – £6,000 per vacancy | The whole search, at a price agreed up front |
| Job advertising only | £99 – £599 per vacancy | Reach. The screening stays with you |
On a £45,000 hire that is £6,750–£11,250 against £2,495–£3,000 against £399. They are not three prices for the same thing.
The cost nobody invoices
Whichever route you pick, somebody works the applications. Across the 46 roles we filled and publish in full:
| Stage | Candidates |
|---|---|
| Sourced and screened | 1,542 |
| Presented to the client | 235 |
| Client interviews | 143 |
| Hires | 51 |
A median of 26 candidates worked per hire, of whom roughly 15% were worth presenting. Most of those calls happen after 6pm, because the candidate is at work during the day.
That is the number to hold against a cheap advert. If somebody in your business genuinely has those evenings, a £99 advert is excellent value. If nobody does, the applications sit unread for ten days and the strong candidates accept something else — and you buy a second advert six weeks later.
What we charge
Guaranteed Hire is a flat fee by salary band: £1,500 up to £30,000, £2,000 to £44,999, £3,000 to £59,999, £4,000 to £79,999, all +VAT, with a 100% refund if the role is not filled. Advertising is £399, £499 or £599 +VAT for a 28-day multi-board listing.
We are not the cheapest advertising option and we say so on our comparison page.
Sources
Want the fixed price for your role?
Advertise it yourself from £399 +VAT, or hand the whole search to a dedicated recruiter — a flat fee by salary band with a 100% refund if the role is not filled.
See Guaranteed Hire Advertise a job
Or call 0161 327 2895.