You put yourself through a university education, possibly even through a doctorate. Most likely, you did not do this with the proclaimed goal to work for a staffing agency later on. This is why most academics do not learn about this particular employment opportunity, until it is imminent. If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of working for a staffing agency, read this blog post, too.
Unfortunately, some academics make uninformed decisions when signing up with a staffing agency. The reason for this is that they are unaware of three fundamental facts about staffing agencies.
Not all staffing agencies are created equal
There are considerable differences between staffing agencies. The kind of job you do is not the only determinant of your compensation. Even with the same job, there are differences between different staffing agencies. Examples are different base pay, varying amount of payed leave, overtime compensation, or benefits.
This bit of information seems trivial and almost obvious. Yet, academics tend to be ignorant about it due to their focus on mid- or long-term career objectives.
When you are aware of the differences, you can choose what aligns best with your priorities on pay or benefits. If you only remember one thing from this article, remember this: Shop around before you sign the dotted line.
Not all contracts are created equal
Employees of a staffing agency can have different contract models. Fixed term or temporary contracts are very common. This is partly due to the temporary demand of academic staff for projects with a pre-defined end date.
But, this does not mean, that you cannot get a permanent work contract because you work for a staffing agency. Permanent work contracts are usually better, because it is the staffing agency’s task to find a new work assignment after the previous ended.
Academics often do not plan to stay long term with a staffing agency. Thus, they are swayed towards a temporary contract with the promise of easy transition to the client company. When this switch does not happen, they regret not having asked for a permanent contract to start with.
Not all staffing companies are easily recognized
Some companies do not call themselves staffing agency or staffing company but they still are. Those companies might hire almost only academics. They specialize in providing their clients with academic personnel. Those companies might portray themselves as consultancy firm or technical consultancy.
Do not be fooled by the shiny office and fancy name. They have very little to do with actual consultancy firms. They are another kind of staffing agency.
So, all facts highlighted above apply as well. Also, the pros and cons of working for a staffing agency are the same here.