Recruiting the first UK employees
The first UK hire sets the pattern for everything after it. UK salary expectations, notice periods and contract norms differ from most other markets, and a senior hire carries one to three months' notice on both sides.
A first UK hire: package to signed contract
A first UK hire sets the pattern for every one after it, with no UK precedent inside the group to copy. Notice periods are long, there is no at-will employment, and a package that works at home does not necessarily land here.
What you get
- UK salary benchmarking for the role
- Package built to UK expectations
- Offer letter and contract
- Right-to-work check recorded
- Onboarding and payroll set up
- Probation and notice terms advised
What we do
The role benchmarked
What it pays in the UK, in the region you are hiring, rather than a conversion of the equivalent salary at home.
A package built for here
Pension above the minimum where the market expects it, holiday above the statutory floor, and the benefits that matter in the UK rather than the ones that matter at home.
A recruiter introduced
We are not an agency. Where the role needs searching for we bring in a UK recruiter who knows the sector and manage the brief.
Offer and contract
A UK offer letter and a compliant written statement of terms, ready before the first day rather than within two months.
Right to work checked
Recorded before they start. The penalty for getting this wrong falls on the company and is severe.
Onboarding
Payroll, pension enrolment, expenses access and the policies they must be given.
Hiring in the UK is not difficult. It is different, and the differences are concentrated in the first hire, when there is no UK precedent inside the group to copy.
What is different from most other markets
- Notice periods are long. One to three months is normal for a senior UK hire, in both directions. Budget for a start date accordingly and expect your preferred candidate to be unavailable for a quarter.
- There is no at-will employment. Ending employment needs a fair reason and a fair process, so the first hire is a longer commitment than it may be at home.
- The package is not just salary. A workplace pension is compulsory. Twenty-five days of holiday plus bank holidays is a common expectation rather than the statutory minimum. Private medical cover is a normal ask at senior levels.
- Counter-offers are common and UK candidates often accept them. A process that drags gives that time to happen.
What we do
- Benchmark the role. What it pays in the UK, in the region you are hiring, rather than a conversion of the equivalent salary at home. This is where the widest gaps sit, in both directions.
- Build the package. Salary, pension above the minimum where the market expects it, holiday, and the benefits that matter in the UK rather than the ones that matter where the group is. The employment cost calculator gives you the total.
- Introduce a recruiter where you need one. We are not a recruitment agency. Where the role needs searching for, we introduce a UK recruiter who knows the sector and manage the brief, rather than leaving you to find one from another country.
- Offer and contract. A UK offer letter and a compliant written statement of terms, ready before the first day rather than within two months.
- Right to work. Checked and recorded before they start. The penalty for employing someone without permission falls on the company and is severe.
- Onboarding. Payroll set up, pension enrolment, expenses access, and the policies they have to be given.
If the candidate needs a visa
The company needs a sponsor licence before it can employ someone who does not already have the right to work in the UK. It is around eight weeks, plus the immigration skills charge for each sponsored worker. Immigration advice is regulated and we do not give it, so we introduce an adviser and make sure the payroll and company records support the sponsor duties. Start it before you shortlist, not after you offer.
What we need from you
- The role, the seniority and where in the UK it sits
- What the equivalent role pays elsewhere in the group
- What benefits the group offers, so we can say which travel
- When you need them to start
Common questions
Are you a recruitment agency?
No. We benchmark the role, build the package, produce the contract and handle everything from offer onwards. Where the role needs searching for we introduce a UK recruiter and manage the brief.
What should we pay?
What the role pays in the UK, which is often not a conversion of the equivalent at home in either direction. We benchmark before you set the budget rather than after a candidate declines.
How much notice will our hire have to give?
One to three months is normal for a senior UK role. It is the most common reason a UK start date slips before you plan around it.
Can we hire a contractor instead?
Sometimes, and it needs care. UK rules on employment status and off-payroll working mean a contractor who works like an employee can be treated as one, with the tax falling on the engager. Worth getting right at the start.
Related services
Payroll, pensions and employing staff in the UK
QuotedPAYE every payday and the workplace pension
Registration, payslips, reporting to HMRC on every payday, statutory pay, the workplace pension and the annual reporting on share awards from the parent. Priced per head.
Employee benefits, expenses and P11D reporting
QuotedReporting anything given to UK staff beyond salary
Which benefits are taxable, which are exempt, payrolling where it makes sense, the annual return, and a settlement agreement with HMRC for the small items no one wants on an employee's tax record.
Share options and share awards for UK employees
QuotedParent share awards through UK payroll and the July return
The plan registered with HMRC, the annual return filed by 6 July, the payroll treatment right when awards vest, and advice on whether a UK tax-advantaged plan is available.
Get a fixed quote
Tell us where the parent company is and what the UK operation has to do.
