Recruiter FAQs

Why would my candidates want to join Key Portfolio?

It lets them combine the freedom of contracting with the advantages of employment. For most people, it’s a combination of these advantages that appeals. Maybe they feel reassured knowing that we’ll give them sick pay and maternity pay, or they fancy saving some cash on everything from their weekly groceries to their summer holiday with Portfolio Perks. Often they work with more than one agency and find it simpler to have everything under one umbrella. Or they like the take-home pay boost that comes from claiming expenses for CPD or travel. If you want to understand more about these benefits (and more), take a look at the Key Portfolio homepage or contact us. This is a good read too: Umbrella vs. PAYE.

Tools to help guide your conversation:


How do I explain ERNI and margin to my candidate?

It isn’t the most fun topic to bring up the first time you meet a candidate – we get it. And the good news is… you don’t have to mention it at all. Honestly! That’s because we explain how it all works during our sign-up process. We make sure everyone who joins understands that certain employer’s outgoings, holiday pay and our margin are included in the daily or hourly rate that’s been agreed with you. If they have any questions, they can either give us a ring there and then or book a welcome call after joining. We’d be happy to talk them through it. While you’ve got the candidate in branch, all we ask is that you introduce them to the benefits of joining and tell them that we’ll be in touch to explain more (in fact, here’s an idea of  how that chat could go). We take care of the detail. But if you’re interested in knowing more, we recommend learning how take-home pay is calculated.


What do I do if a candidate comes to me with a question, concern or issue? 

Please, please, please – send them our way. It’s what we’re here for, and it makes us sad to think of you having to deal with queries on our behalf. We have a whole team of experts who are dedicated to supporting contractors, so they’ll be in good hands. If a question comes your way, either ask the candidate to get in touch with us, or drop us a quick email and we’ll contact them. If you do feel you need to help, our online support centre is a brilliant resource but you can also contact us yourself and chat through any issues. We can’t stress this bit enough: we’re here to support you too and we love hearing from you.