I have had a number of nurses write to me with stories of dishonest nursing employment agencies that have taken their money and done nothing for them. This can really shake your faith in people and leave you with a sour taste in your mouth… but do not let these dishonest people rob you of your dream of moving your nursing career abroad! Here are some tips on judging the quality of nursing recruiters that will help you kick start your job hunt. 

Does the nursing employment agency have a website?

Most companies that are involved in recruiting internationally educated nurses have a website. There are a few things you need to look for on the website that will help you judge the quality of the agency and the recruiters working for them.

1. Are they affiliated with any professional recruiting membership organisation? Just like lawyers, teachers and travel agents have membership organisations, so do recruiting services. These membership organisations offer you; the client, protection from illegal fraudulent practices. Check the nursing agency’s website to see if they belong to a membership organisation. If they do not advertise it, you can email them and ask for this information.
2. How long has the nursing agency been operating? Nursing recruiting agencies that have been operating for a while are more likely to operate legally and consider your best interests because they have a reputation to maintain. One of the worst things a business can experience is poor recommendations passed around by word-of-mouth.
3. Is the website professional looking? If a company has not made the effort to put up a professional looking website, this may be a signal that they do not take their business seriously. The internet is an extremely powerful business tool, especially for a business that is working with nurses and nursing employers in different countries.
4. Can you find the agencies ‘terms of use’? It is customary for business on the internet to have a link to the company’s ‘terms of use’, is this easy to find? When you read it, can you understand what it means? Are the costs and responsibilities for using their recruiting service clearly stated?
5. Does the nursing employment agency have offline contacts listed? Online business should have a real life address, and they should show it clearly on their website. It may not be on the front page of the nursing agency’s website, it may be listed on a ‘Contact Us’ page or in fine print at the bottom of each page, or listed on the ‘terms of use’ page. If you can’t find a way to contact a representative of the agency offline, it is probably a good idea to be wary. Listing offline contact information is part of the USA’s anti-spam law and any company aiming to do business online with the USA or its citizens is required to list this information.

While I cannot guarantee that using these tips will secure you a nursing career overseas, I can assure you with confidence that I have used these strategies myself and have always had good luck with them.