Polish Workers: Frequently Asked Questions
Are Polish workers and tradesmen qualified to British standards?
The Polish and English education systems are similar. Polish certificates, titles and diplomas are in most cases equivalent to their British counterparts. As Poland is a member of the European Union, the procedure of accepting professional qualifications gained in Poland by respected British institutions is simplified. When, by dint of a particular task, formal qualification, or certification is not obligatory by law (the regulated professions), it is the employer who decides whether to accept Polish qualifications or not.
What type of workers' recruitment does Acorn Recruitment specialise in?
What are the kinds of professions?
We recruit for all professional groups. The numbers for individual professions are a result of the number of our Clients' orders. The biggest demand is for qualified building workers. We also recruit IT, construction and other engineers / technicians, architects, doctors, care assistants, packers, receptionists and many others.
Will the workers speak English?
The Client should specify the required level of English at the beginning of the recruitment process. Generally, the younger generation have a much higher level of English. White collar workers, doctors and other highly qualified professionals present a good level of English language competence.
In some professions, good knowledge of English is very rare, but it does not exclude the high quality of work and professionalism. In most cases, the best solution is to organise teams, where workers with a poor knowledge of English are accompanied by a worker who has good English skills. This does not increase the cost to the employer. Acorn Recruitment can organise such teams and the Client can be sure that communication will not be a problem.
Such an English speaking person would not only work as a translator but would generally be the foremen of the group and would also work in his own profession (if applicable) or as a general labourer.
However, in many cases, the basic level of language competence and ability to read engineering drawings is sufficient. In order to ensure good understanding of the Health and Safety Induction, Acorn Recruitment provides Health and Safety in the workers own language.
Can you train candidates before they arrive at work?
Yes, if time permits, we offer training for candidates, including intensive English courses, also specialist English courses and training for specialist qualifications. Also, it is possible to organise a custom course ordered by a customer.
What if the workers are not suitable?
Acorn Recruitment makes the best possible effort to provide workers that exactly match the Client's criteria. However, if the workers are not suitable:
- and they were supplied for permanent employment (recruitment service) - the Client should terminate the employment and claim a refund from Acorn Recruitment. During the first two weeks, the refund is 100%. After this two week period, a refund schedule applies.
- and they are temporary workers supplied under contract of service, the Client should inform Acorn Recruitment immediately to take steps to replace the worker. The Client may ask the worker to leave the workplace and will only be charged for the work performed.
We may ask you to explain the nature of unsuitability as this will help us to avoid the situation from repeating in the future and determine what steps we should take in relation to the worker.
How long will the workers come to the UK for?
Most people are looking for a permanent or medium-term position. However shorter contracts are also possible. We recommend a minimum of 6 months. However, if you are looking for someone for a shorter period, we will take it into consideration.
How soon will workers be able to start working for me?
The procedure, from the moment you place an order until you physically meet your employees, in normal circumstances, takes no longer than two to three weeks for ordinary workers. For skilled workers the search may be longer.
If you are looking for someone sooner - please tell us and we will try to organise the workers for you as soon as possible.
How can I be sure that the workers will stay and work for me as long as I want them to?
As an employee they can terminate the assignment, according to current labour legislation by providing a suitable notice period. However, fairly treated employees will almost certainly stay and work till the end of the contract. Acorn usually bring workers to the UK on a minimum one year contract.
What about accommodation?
Acorn never supplies workers to the UK if there is no accommodation organised. If the Employer provides accommodation, then it makes the process faster and easier and the remuneration expectations are lower. Acorn will always inspect third party accommodation as it has obligations to it's employees and operates on a general principle of no more than two to a room. If the Client is unable to provide accommodation, Acorn Recruitment will, at the very least, try to find temporary accommodation for the workers.
Will the workers bring their own tools?
It is not common in Poland and Eastern Europe for workers to have their own tools. Tools will usually be provided by the employer. We recommend that you should not expect tools, although it is not a general condition. In some professions (e.g. specialised welders), one's own tools are a standard and Polish workers will have them. The case of personal tools is often limited by the practicalities of transporting them to the UK and technical matters such as different voltages, plugs etc,
How much should I pay the workers?
You should pay market rates, the same as you would pay any other person of similar experience and skill, doing the same job. Unequal pay, as well as any discrimination on the ground of race, nationality or ethnic origin is unlawful and workers paid below market rates quickly start looking for better paid jobs. If placed by Acorn with the employer, the employer pays Acorn weekly in arrears, preferable by BACS, although other arrangements are possible.
How much will it cost me?
Our policy is to use fair rates. Acorn Recruitment remuneration is determined by a few factors, including required language skills. The rate reflects the cost of recruitment and in the case of general labour, it is relatively low. For skilled and semi-skilled workers, higher rates apply. The remuneration of workers generally reflects their skills and qualifications and therefore the Terms and Conditions show the Acorn Recruitment rates in relation to the employee's remuneration.
The introduction fees are individually negotiated but are in the range of 20% of the first years antiscipated remuneration. This is usually split 50/50 with our agents in Poland.
Acorn Recruitment makes the best possible effort to provide a premium quality service. We look for people with high levels of qualifications, professionalism and motivation to work. In case of specific recruitments, we may ask the Client to agree an additional advertising budget to support the recruitment campaign.
The Introduction Fee is calculated on the basis of 12 months remuneration.
What if I need my workers for a shorter or a longer period?
We recommend our placement of the candidate with you as our employee.
What if I decide to take a temporary worker for a permanent position?
A Client who uses our employment business services can decide to employ a temporary worker at any time by direct negotiation with Acorn but never with our employee. In this case, the Client should inform us and:
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pay the introduction fee as for the standard recruitment service amd employ the temporary worker; in general, the transfer fee is equal to the standard introduction fee but after a longer period of assignment and good cooperation between the client and Acorn Recruitment some discount may be possible; the client should contact Acorn Recruitment for a quotation.
or
- use the employment business service for the next 13 weeks; after that the Client can employ the temporary worker without an introduction fee.
Do you operate under CIS (Construction Industry Scheme)?
Yes, Acorn Recruitment can register for CIS. However, agency workers cannot work under CIS and must be treated as employees. Therefore, if we work on an employment business basis and the workers are formally Acorn Recruitment employees, they must work under PAYE and Class 1 NIC must be paid.
Have the workers got CSCS cards?
Most of the workers come to the UK directly from Poland. Most often they do not have the CSCS cards. However, if it is required, we arrange the Heath & Safety test for the workers and submit a CSCS application. The test is carried out in the UK in the Polish language, so even employees who possess a basic level of English, pass it without any difficulty. Before taking the test, candidates receive from us specially prepared training literature in Polish.
If the CSCS cards are obligatory, please, report it to us in advance. It is necessary to reserve dates of the Heath & Safety tests in Polish a few weeks in advance. It does not include the time of delivery of the card. Our consultants will provide you with detailed information.
This is likely to cause a 4 to 6 week lag in the recruitment process.
Will the workers need a work permit? Are there any legal issues?
Since the 1st of May 2004, work permits are not required for workers from Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia and Slovenia (A8 countries).
All workers from the A8 countries (except those who work as self-employed) need to register with the Home Office. All the people are informed of their legal responsibilities.
On the 1st of January 2007 Bulgaria and Romania (A2) acceded to the EU. Bulgarian and Romanian workers have the right of free movement within the United Kingdom, Ireland and other EU countries.
However, the access to the UK labour market is restricted by a worker authorisation scheme during a five year transitional period. Until the 31st of December 2011, skilled workers from the A2 countries are able to work in the UK only if they get the required authorisation, or if they are studying in the UK, or are self employed. Low-skilled workers from Romania and Bulgaria will be restricted to existing quota schemes to fill vacancies in the agricultural and food processing sectors.
Acorn Recruitment gives assistance at completing required formalities.
Information about legal issues related to employing Romanian and Polish workers and other foreign staff are available on the Home Office website www.workingintheuk.gov.uk.
What is the recruitment procedure?
The procedure is very simple.
Go to Employer Registration page In this form, you should write down very specifically who you need, what qualification and skills they should possess, and what are the general conditions of the contract, etc.
If you have job descriptions, please email these as scanned attachments. We will then contact you by email or telephone ( please state your preference). Once we fully understand your requirements we prepare our quotation for our service based on the completed form. After the client's approval we start the recruitment process.
We immediately send this form to our agents in Poland where our agents will search for suitable candidates.
Before we send you any CVs, the Terms and Conditions must be signed. There are no obligations arising by signing the Terms and Conditions, except the obligation to use our mediation service if you decide to hire people presented to you.
All candidates are obliged to attend a face to face interview in Poland before acceptance by our agents.We send you CVs of all the candidates we believe are suitable for the job and meet all of your requirements. All the CVs are in our standardised format.
All candidates are also interviewed by phone from the UK to check for accuracy of information and to guage their language ability before presentatiuon to you.
Any candidate you show an interest in will have their qualifications verified and all their references checked. A criminal records check can be arranged on your request.
After you have chosen the people you want to hire, we then agree the price and sign a contract.
In case of bigger orders with many staff required, especially in the case of new Clients with no history of cooperation, it is advisable to split the order and deliver the workers in turn. It allows the completion of the order to run more smoothly and gives us the ability to adapt to the Client's needs and expectations.
Can I meet my potential employees before they start working for me?
If English language is an issue then we recommend that you interview the candidates by telephone as this is the most cost effective method. We are more than happy to organise telephone interviews for you.
If you wish to meet your potential employees, we can organise interviews for you in Poland and other countries – depending on the workers’ origins. We are ready to arrange interviews with any number of candidates.
Travel and accommodation arrangements would be at the Client's expense. Please contact Acorn for more details.
If the information above is not enough, please do not hesitate to contact us. Full contact information is on our Contacts page.
