No, agencies cannot charge an up-front fee before finding work for you. Until April 2004 this was legal in the entertainment and modelling businesses, but it was already unlawful under the 1973 Employment Agencies Act for an agency to charge a fee to workers seeking placements in other industries and occupations.
The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prevent agencies from requiring work-seekers to pay for additional services (such as CV writing, training, or the provision of personal protective equipment) as a condition of using the work-finding services of the agency.
