Seven questions to ask before you appoint an international recruitment partner

How do you verify a trade? A certificate is a claim. A practical test, designed with your site supervisor, is evidence. Ask to see the test.

What does the candidate pay? If the answer is vague, assume the worst. Fees charged to candidates are a compliance risk for you and a retention risk on site: people who paid to get a job leave it the moment something better appears.

Who owns my mandate? One named lead, or a chain of departments? Hand-offs are where requirements get lost.

What is tracked per candidate? Verification, assessment, medical, documentation and readiness should exist as a live per-person status you can see weekly, not a summary you are told.

How do you describe visa and licensing work? The honest answer contains the words ‘coordinate’, ‘facilitate’ and ‘authorised providers’, because outcomes depend on external approvals. Be wary of guarantees.

What happens in the first ninety days? A partner who disappears on arrival is a supplier, not a partner. Ask about follow-up cadence and how supervisor feedback reaches them.

What have you turned down? A firm that has never declined a mandate has never had to choose between a fee and a professional’s welfare. The ones worth working with can tell you when they did.