Recruitment Agency Fees, Reinvented for Engineering Teams
Tired of paying 15–20% of a first-year salary every time you hire? Bernoullis replaces unpredictable recruitment agency fees with transparent options: Recruitment as a Service from a fixed monthly investment, or traditional placement when you only need one hire.
Recruitment Agency Fees Without the Surprises
Our subscription replaces unpredictable recruitment agency fees with one fixed monthly cost. Each plan covers up to 5 placements a month, so you can grow your engineering team without large one-off bills, and every plan includes a 60-day replacement guarantee.
Lower Cost per Hire
Removes the usual 15–20% success fee, saving thousands of pounds per placement.
Predictable Budgets
Swaps large, unexpected fees for a steady monthly cost that is easy to plan around.
Room to Grow
Capacity for up to 5 engineering hires a month for one fixed monthly price.
Replacement Guarantee
Includes a 60-day candidate replacement guarantee on every plan.
Flexible Commitments
Choose a 3, 6 or 12-month plan to match your project and product timelines.
No Success Fees
Your monthly subscription covers sourcing, screening and placement – there is no extra fee when a candidate accepts an offer.
Recruitment Subscription Plans
Pick a 3, 6 or 12-month recruitment subscription. Each plan covers up to five engineering hires a month, with a 60-day candidate replacement guarantee on every plan. Longer terms also unlock hire rollover, included technical assessments and a dedicated account manager – and the monthly price drops from £3,250 to £1,750, so your cost per hire keeps falling.
Recruitment as a Service for Engineering Teams
Scale your technical team with predictable monthly pricing. Zero success fees on subscription plans, with a 60-day replacement guarantee.
Subscription
Up to 5 hires per month
- ✓ 60-day candidate guarantee
- ✓ Up to 2 rollover hires/quarter
- ✓ Included technical assessments
Recruitment Agency Fees vs Fixed Fee vs Subscription
There is no single right way to pay for recruitment. Here is how the three most common engineering recruitment costs compare, so you can choose the model that suits your hiring plan. Many of our clients use more than one: a subscription for regular hiring and a single placement for an occasional specialist role.
Traditional percentage fee
The classic model: you pay a percentage of the new hire’s first-year salary, typically 15–20% or more, only when someone starts.
- Pay only on a successful placement
- Cost rises with every salary increase
- Best for occasional, one-off hires
Fixed fee recruitment
A single, agreed fee per placement that does not change with the salary. Easy to budget and often far cheaper for senior roles.
- One clear price per hire
- No link to salary or bonus
- Ideal for a small number of known roles
Recruitment as a Service
A fixed monthly subscription covering up to five hires a month, with no success fees and a 60-day replacement guarantee on every plan.
- Predictable monthly operating cost
- Up to 5 hires per month
- Best for growing teams that hire regularly
How Recruitment Agency Fees Work in the UK
Most UK recruitment agency fees are charged on a contingency basis. The agency is paid only when a candidate it introduced accepts an offer, and the fee is a percentage of that person’s first-year basic salary. For specialist engineering roles, percentages at the higher end of the range are common because the talent pool is small and the search takes longer.
The problem is that the fee grows with the salary. A senior electrical or process engineer on a strong package can cost well over £10,000 to recruit through a traditional agency – and if you are hiring several engineers a year, those invoices add up quickly.
Fixed fee recruitment and Recruitment as a Service were created to solve that. A fixed fee gives you one agreed price per hire, while a recruitment subscription spreads the cost over a predictable monthly payment that covers multiple hires.
Whichever model you choose, ask any recruiter exactly what is included. Check how long the replacement guarantee lasts, whether technical assessments cost extra, how candidates are screened, and whether contractor margins are added on top of day rates. Clear answers to those questions are the best way to compare recruitment agency fees fairly.
What is included in every plan?
- Technical briefing and site visit
- Active search of passive engineers
- Technical screening and shortlisting
- Interview coordination and offer support
- Replacement guarantee on every hire
What Could You Save on Engineering Recruitment Costs?
An illustrative example using a £55,000 salary and our published subscription prices. Your own numbers will vary – use the calculator below for a personalised estimate.
3 hires on a 20% agency fee
3 × (£55,000 × 20%) = £33,000 in recruitment agency fees for three engineers.
3 hires on a 3-month subscription
3 months × £3,250 = £9,750, with capacity for up to five hires every month.
Potential saving
Around £23,250 saved on just three hires – before you use the rest of your monthly capacity.
What Drives Engineering Recruitment Costs?
Recruitment agency fees are only part of the picture. These are the factors that decide what an engineering hire really costs your business – and where a fixed fee or recruitment subscription makes the biggest difference.
Seniority and salary
Percentage-based recruitment agency fees rise with the salary, so senior, chartered and specialist engineers are the most expensive roles to fill on a contingency basis. A fixed monthly cost removes that link completely.
Time to hire
Every week a role stays open costs you in delayed projects, overtime and lost output. Our vacancy cost calculator shows how quickly that adds up for your own team and salary levels.
Failed hires
A bad hire means paying to recruit twice, plus the disruption to your team. Technical screening by engineers and a replacement guarantee on every plan protect you from that risk.
Hiring volume
If you hire several engineers a year, per-hire fees multiply quickly. A recruitment subscription spreads the cost across up to five hires a month, so your cost per hire falls as you grow.
Want to put numbers on it? Try our free vacancy cost calculator, the contractor vs perm cost evaluator or the recruiter vs subscription ROI calculator. Each takes less than a minute and shows exactly where your engineering recruitment costs are going.
How Much Are Traditional Agency Fees Costing You?
Enter your hiring plans into our calculator to compare standard recruitment agency fees with our fixed monthly subscription. For more detail, try our other free recruitment tools.
Flexible Recruitment Built Around Your Needs
Choose between our disruptively low monthly subscription or standard traditional placement options.
Temporary & Contract Hires
Deploy specialized software contractors for critical project milestones. Zero standard 20% agency margin markups—you only pay the contractor's direct rate. Counts as 1 of your 5 monthly subscription hire slots.
- Contractor-to-Perm flexibility with zero conversion fees.
Traditional Placement
Prefer traditional recruitment without a recurring monthly plan? We offer standard contingency hiring for individual permanent roles.
- Pay only upon successful placement
- Full candidate replacement guarantees
Discuss Rates & Custom Terms
Contractor day rates and traditional placement fees vary by seniority, IR35 status, and tech stack. Contact our talent team to discuss custom pricing for your specific hiring needs.
Your First Online Session and Site Visit Are Free
We believe the best way to find the right engineer is to meet the hiring manager, see the workplace and spend time with the team. That’s why your first online session and site visit cost nothing.
Discover Smart Hiring With a Free Consultation
Talk through your next engineering hire with a specialist – no obligation.
Recruitment Agency Fees: Your Questions Answered
How much are recruitment agency fees in the UK?
Most UK recruitment agency fees are a percentage of the new hire’s first-year salary, commonly 15–20% and sometimes more for specialist or senior engineering roles. With Bernoullis you can choose a traditional placement fee, or Recruitment as a Service from £1,750 a month on an annual plan.
What is Recruitment as a Service?
Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) is a recruitment subscription. You pay a fixed monthly fee instead of a success fee per hire, and we provide ongoing recruitment support – up to five engineering hires a month on our plans.
How much does your recruitment subscription cost?
Our Recruitment as a Service plans are £3,250 a month on a 3-month term, £2,550 a month on a 6-month term and £1,750 a month on a 12-month term. Each plan covers up to five hires a month.
Do you offer fixed fee recruitment?
Yes. If you prefer to pay per hire, we offer traditional placement with a clear fee agreed up front. Contact our team to discuss fixed fee recruitment for your role.
Are there any success fees on the subscription?
No. The monthly subscription replaces success fees completely, so there is no additional placement fee when a candidate accepts your offer.
What happens if a new hire leaves?
Every plan includes a 60-day candidate replacement guarantee, whichever term you choose.
Can I hire contractors through the subscription?
Yes. Temporary and contract hires count as one of your monthly hire slots, and you pay the contractor’s direct rate with no standard agency margin markup.
Which pricing model is right for my business?
If you make one or two hires a year, a traditional or fixed fee is usually simplest. If you hire engineers regularly, a recruitment subscription normally gives the lowest cost per hire. Our agency savings calculator will show you the difference.
Is Recruitment as a Service cheaper than a recruitment agency?
For most teams that hire more than a couple of engineers a year, yes. Traditional recruitment agency fees are charged per hire and grow with salaries, while a recruitment subscription is a fixed monthly cost that covers multiple hires. The more you hire, the bigger the saving.
Can I switch between pricing models?
Yes. Many clients start with a single placement and move to a recruitment subscription once their hiring picks up. Talk to us and we will recommend the most cost-effective option for your plans.
How do I get started with a recruitment subscription?
Book a free consultation and we will talk through your hiring plan, visit your site and recommend the right term. Once you choose a plan, your consultant takes a full technical brief for each role and starts searching straight away.
Can I pause or change my plan?
Your plan length is agreed up front so we can guarantee capacity for your team. If your hiring needs change, speak to your account manager and we will look at the most sensible option together, including rolling unused hires forward on 6 and 12-month plans.
Ready to Cut Your Recruitment Costs?
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