If you're looking for a compliance, AML or financial crime job, you can go through a recruitment agency or apply straight to the employer. Both can work. Applying direct usually gets you in front of the hiring team faster and makes you cheaper to hire, while agencies earn their keep on contract roles and senior searches.
Here's how each route works, so you can pick the right one for the role you want.
How do compliance recruitment agencies work?
An employer asks an agency to fill a role. The agency finds candidates, puts their CVs forward and gets paid a fee if one of them is hired. You don't pay anything. In the UK, agencies can't charge job seekers for finding them work.
The employer pays instead. For a permanent role, the fee is usually 15 to 20 percent of the first year's salary, and it can reach 30 percent for hard-to-fill jobs, according to Agency Central. On a £50,000 compliance manager role, that's £7,500 to £10,000 on top of your salary.
Why applying direct can work in your favour
You cost less to hire. With no fee attached, a direct applicant is the cheaper option for the same skills. When two candidates are close, that can tip it.
You reach the hiring team. Your CV lands with the people making the decision, in the format you wrote it, with no one else summarising you.
You know who you're applying to. Agency ads often hide the employer's name. Applying direct means you can research the firm, its regulator and its recent news before the interview.
You stay in control. You decide which firms see your CV and when.
When is an agency worth using?
Agencies are useful in a few situations:
- Contract and interim work. A lot of short-term AML and KYC remediation work is filled through agencies.
- Senior roles. Head of compliance and MLRO roles are sometimes filled through retained search, where the employer only works with one firm.
- Confidential moves. If you can't be seen job hunting, a recruiter can test the market for you.
- Pay negotiation. A good recruiter knows the going rate and will push for it, because their fee rises with your salary.
How to spot an agency ad
Watch for these signs:
- "Our client" instead of a company name
- The same role posted by several different firms
- Salary listed as "competitive" with no range
- A recruiter named as the contact, not someone at the company
If you can work out who the employer is, check their careers page. The same job is often there, and you can apply direct.
How to find compliance jobs you can apply for direct
- Check employers' own careers pages. Banks, fintechs and law firms post most roles there first.
- Follow firms on LinkedIn. Turn on job alerts for the companies you'd most like to work for.
- Use a board that only lists employers. Every role on Direct Compliance sends your application straight to the employer, with no recruiter in the middle.
- Set up alerts and apply early. Many employers stop reviewing once they have enough good applicants.
If you do use an agency
Ask the recruiter to check with you before they send your CV anywhere, and keep a simple list of where you've been put forward. If two agencies submit you for the same job, or an agency submits you after you've already applied yourself, it can cause a fee dispute. Some employers simply drop the candidate to avoid the hassle.
Ready to apply direct?
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Hiring? Read why job boards outperform recruitment agencies for employers.
FAQs
Do compliance recruitment agencies charge candidates?
No. The employer pays the fee. In the UK, agencies can't charge you for finding you a job.
Is it better to apply direct or through an agency?
For permanent roles you can find on the employer's site, applying direct is usually quicker and makes you cheaper to hire. For contract work and some senior roles, an agency may be the only way in.
Can I apply direct to a job I saw through an agency?
Yes, as long as the agency hasn't already put you forward for it. If they have, don't apply again yourself.
Which compliance roles go through agencies most?
Contract and interim AML, KYC and remediation work, plus some senior roles filled through retained search.
Read next: Compliance Officer Salary UK (2026): Pay by Level and How to Prepare for an AML or Financial Crime Interview.