Disillusioned with recruitment agencies.

It was with much interest I read Raewyn Fararg's Letter, Poor service from recruitment agencies, (Kai Tiald Nursing New Zealand, March 2006, p3) on the difficulties she had experienced with recruitment agencies.

After 30 years of nursing and with time to "spread our wings", my husband, a radiographer, and I tossed in our jobs, packed up the house and headed for the United Kingdom (UK) on our "older OE" in June last year.

Many months of planning had got us to that point--opening UK bank accounts, getting registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, getting UK ancestry visas (valid for four years) and communicating with three UK recruitment agencies--so we were positive of getting employment immediately.

Three of the agencies, which I had contacted from their advertisements in Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zeeland, were in constant touch by e-mail and phone and were excited by our arrival. The staff constantly reiterated the "shortage of nurses in the UK" and "how NZ nurses were always in demand".

We arrived in London on a Friday and I contacted an agency for an appointment on the following Monday. I duly visited the agency to get signed up and issued with my ID badge. Although the agency would take me on immediately, as I had a New Zealand Police clearance, it still required a UK clearance at a cost of 33 [pounds sterling]. We subsequently found out that each agency required a UK Police check, each costing 33 [pounds sterling].

Full of excitement and ready to start work, it was disappointing to be told "however there is a recruitment freeze on and therefore bureau/ agency work is slow. There'll probably be no jobs before September."

While waiting to be contacted we travelled to Oxford, at a cost of 100 [pounds sterling], a three-hour train journey and three-hour interview, only to be told the same thing. I was also surprised to be asked if I would want accommodation for the two of us, especially when they knew my husband was travelling with me, as the private/ live-in jobs only provide accommodation for one person. The agency was hopeful a job was coming up in September!

After reassessing the situation, we moved to Edinburgh. A friend who was a physiotherapist at a large public hospital there was keen for us to move there. She also stressed the shortage of experienced nurses in Edinburgh. But on arrival in Edinburgh, we had the same experience. We also found out that it takes six weeks to process an application and that is just to get to the point of having an interview.

After weighing things up we headed home, feeling quite disappointed and quite disillusioned at the lack of support from the recruitment agencies we had contact with.

The two agencies we visited were located in old buildings, appeared disorganised and certainly had no receptionist/front person to even meet us. It certainly was a far cry from agencies in New Zealand, which I think are professional and well organised.

Had we been told of the situation, we would have delayed our trip. It would have been useful to have been told the cost of accommodation, eg approximately 750 [pounds sterling] a week for unfurnished accommodation and one month's bond of 750 [pounds sterling] is normal.

Another useful piece of information to have been told was that if employed by the National Health Service, pay day is monthly.

I had impeccable references with me (including one from a local MP), but I realised the agencies would still contact the nominated ones in New Zealand. One of the referees was contacted in November, well after our return to New Zealand.

I can totally support Raewyn Farag in her comments and her feeling that she was let down by the agencies.

Melva Nicholson, RN, Auckland