Just moved to Essex and thought I would try agency work while I look around for something full time. Saw an advert promising £500-£750 a week and off I went to register. First week and no work on the Monday. Tuesday only a van job but paying class 2 rate. Same for the rest of the week. Second week only 3 shifts. Third week 4 shifts class 1 including a Saturday and a night shift. Pay for this? Took home £265! Been to see two other agencies and neither could offer me the work or pay they advertised. Surely there must be some sort of rules on this? So if anyone knows of a proper job in the Thurrock area without having to deal with these crooks, please let me know!
Try TRG or Prodrive! 
As for honest agencies! 
Been to see TRG today. Told that it would be registration and assesment all in one day. Got there and was told the assesor had gone home. Just seemed like there was a lack of organisation. A phone call wouldn’t have gone amiss!
NO!
dessy:
they all lie, you’ll only listen to what you want to hear! 
It sounds like there mostly drinking from the same cup…but ■■■■■■■ up your back.
TRG were umbrella only when I turned up at one of their seminars (Thurrock) only to find out I had to pay. They even offered me a kickback if I could get any OTHER drivers to sign-up!
FFS - You’d think they’d go out of their way to impress ME before offering alarm-bell ringing stuff like THAT…
Lots of low-paid work, but the premium work gets given to those who’ve already put in 40 hours of low paid work that week.
No good at all for people like me who want to do 1-3 shifts at top hourly rates - and nothing else. 
Considering the number of hoops I had to jump through at the seminar, I was disappointed to say the least that they are more impressed by the willingness of a new recruit to do the above highlighted thing, than have a clean licence and 20+ years experience. 
I wonder how much a TRG driver gets to take home for an average 12 hour shift at Tescos… I’m assuming the umbrella fee is about the £27 mark, so I’m expecting a answer to be a takehome of about £100 for them for those hours, partly made up of tax rebates claimed early via the umbrella.
An invitation to correct me if I’m wrong here…
I’d rather just have a raw £120 with no deductions because it’s below the threshold to pay tax in the first place!
Re: Is there an honest agency ?
No…polictitions and people who work in the financial services industry,are more ‘honest ’ and ,belivable’…but dont let my extreme hatred, of lyin pond-scum agents, affect your judgement
AGENCIES=PARASITES
dan dare:
AGENCIES=PARASITES
Spot on, as for umbrella schemes what a complete fraud if the agencies don’t get a backhander from these schemes I’ll eat my hat.
When I lived in Essex I did some work for CSS in Braintree. They were always professional and seemed busy.
Amanda was the contact there. I’m talking a few years back tho might be worth seeing if they are still about though.
I think “a few years back” nowdays is like taking anything as Gospel because as other posters have put it, you heard it from a mate’s brother’s ex-wife’s former employer back in the '80s who once did an odd shift delivering rumbelows gear for Swifts.
rgt1973:
Just moved to Essex and thought I would try agency work
My advice would be simple… don’t. You’ll regret it.
rgt1973:
Saw an advert promising £500-£750 a week
ahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! hahahaahaaaa
dan dare:
AGENCIES=PARASITES
+1
My favorate line that these parasites spew out is …’ we are that busy…we are having to turn work away’ …never fails to amuse,…even months later when you got no calls
Nope.
It’s disappointing too when you sign up with 9 agencies, and if the main one doesn’t have any work, the others don’t either, because they only have each other’s “hand-me-downs” rather than completely different client bases.
HTF do all of them stay in business from one year to the next?
Earl Street/Pudding Lane in Maidstone are like Picaddilly W1 for travel agents!
I’ve yet to find one that has Nobbies, Nicolls, Castledean, Tuffnels, TNT, DPD, or even UPS on their books.
It’s 4 weeks til Christmas, and I’ve yet to be booked in for any december work, and I’m starting to sweat a bit.
Have to say there is one agency I’ve found to be honest but he’s nowhere near Essex and recruits by word of mouth.
Thanks for all the wise words! Luck may be changing as the one job my first agency have had me on may become full time! Sort of job I didnt think existed! 45hr week, no POA , and £31k-£32k a year! Fingers crossed. Positions only coming vacant because some of the old boys there cant be bothered with DCPC, so maybe it could have its advantages!
Nice one. Hope it does everything it seems to be saying on the tin! 