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Agencies are regulated by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, based in the Department of Trade and Industry. It carries out random checks and deals with complaints and breaches of the Employment Agencies Act 1973. See www.dti.gov.uk/er/agency/regs-pl971.htm

There are no licensing laws for agencies, so anybody can set one up. But how can staff be sure they have chosen a reputable agency? Here are some tips:

● Use word-of-mouth recommendations.
● Look up the agency you are interested in at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which will also tell you about your rights. See www.rec.uk.com

● Ask whether they pay weekly or monthly and on time.
● Know your worth – it is not unheard of for people from the same agency to be paid different rates despite having similar levels of experience.
● Find out whether they offer benefits such as loyalty payments.
● Ask about their training programme. They may offer to pay half or all of your training costs. Remember it is in their interests to make sure you are meeting GSCC requirements. If you are not registered you cannot work, which means you are not making them any money.