Help[ Help-- Is this temp agency screwing me. (job offers, employees, interviews)

[captnemo]

A temp agency sent me on a temp to perm job interview. The company will hire you perm at a salary of up to $60,000, but for the first 4 months I have to work temp and be paid by the temp agency. The temp agency said they will try to get me $25-$30 per hour.

I got the job, but the temp agency now tells me that they will only pay me only $17 per hour as a temp for 4 months and then company will then hire me permanent at a salary of $60,000. The temp agency gave me the excuse
that paying me $17 per hour enables the company to hire me perm at $60,000 a year salary.

Am I getting screwed by this temp agency or even the company. Can I beleive or trust this temp agency or company. What happened to the $25-30 per hour. The Temp agency sait that they would put it in writing That I would be hired after 4 months at $60,000. What guarantee do I have that the company changes it mind the last minute and does not hire me,

[graceC]

Regarding whether the temp agency is playing lowball by paying you less, maybe, maybe not. Your post mentioned that the agency didn't exactly promised you $25-$30 per hour, they instead promised to try to get you that much. So the agency may be telling the truth. Some companies do bring in temp-to-hire candidate at a lower rate initially before the conversion to permanent employment. But, there are also agencies who will lowball you in order to recoup as much money as they can for the contract period because the client doesn't want to pay finder's fee to the agency.

I'm generally not so eager with temp-to-perm employment and hate it when companies play this game. This is because even if the agency puts it in writing, there's still no guarantee that the company will hire you by the end of your 4th month. A lof of things can happen between now and month 4:
- The company may have a bad financial result by month 4 and put a hiring freeze all across the board
- The department may lose its budget to bring in a new permanent hire
- Your direct manager may get fired or move to another company and another manager who doesn't get along with you may take his place, and decides not to hire you because he can't stand you
- The company decides it's cheaper to keep you on as a temp instead
- etc, etc, etc...

Heck, I've seen a few job offers withdrawn from candidates because the company suddenly couldn't bring a new hire on-board for one reason or another.

I suggest you try one more time to talk to the agency to raise your contract pay rate to an agreeable number. It that fails, I suggest you take this job and continue looking at the same time just in case.

[Brooklyn_QueenBee]

Gracenc said it in a nutshell. They never promised you the salary, only suggested that they will try to get it. Employees pay agency a fee for each temp based on title. Let's just say for your assignment, the salary the company paid to the Agency was $40.00 per hour. The company will never increase your salary--this is where the Agency play with figures. If they had to give you $25-30 per hour, this comes out of the $40 that company pays them. Most Agencies will like to give you as little as possible and keep profits to themselves.

[GinnyDesta]

Isn't there a subprime driven Depression looming? I'd be taking any job that's on offer ... $17 may be a fortune in another six months!

[FarNorthDallas]

Yeah, I'd be concerned, too.

I have had a temp to perm job and I didn't even get the chance to negotiate my perm salary when they switched me over from temp to perm. I just got what I was told I would get as a temp. It was set in stone, take it or leave it.

[Diamond08]

Temp agencies say they will "TRY" to get you more for your hourly...and they probably due...but the issue is that temp agency get 75% of what you make!!! So they make you think they are doing you a favor at getting $30 an hour, but they will take $13 an hour to them selves! They consider you as a temp THEIR inventory so when you go to full time perm, at $60k...they charge your employer 30% of that! Becasue the employer is taking away from their inventory. Granted temp agencies pay your workers comp and payroll taxes...but 75% of your pay goes into theri pocket is ridiculous!!!!! They may have found you the job...but you are the one doing all the work on the emp0loyer even having the desire to hire you full time.

I'm going through this right now with one of the most "reputabale" temp agencies...and my employer wnats to bring me on, and they are disgusted with how much of a cut this agency gets....

[Diamond08]

Also its not take it or leave it....you have the choice to counter what they offer you. The agency makes it sound like you are countering the offer with the eimployer, but you are actually countering it with the temp agency most of the time. You always have a choice in your salary....its just harder to have control over it when there is a 3rd party....

[pookface]

Twice they have sent me out on temporary position interviews, stating that the payrate is between $xxx and $xxx, and twice when I accepted the temporary position, the payrate had dropped dramatically. Is my temp agency possibly screwing me??

[ron del]

Grace has it right. Verbal agreements are just general outlines, written agreements in business are not always binding. In some states they can just downsize the position, rename it and hire another person.