VWA Search Temp Booklet

A very warm welcome from the temp team!

We are delighted to be working with you and have designed this handbook to introduce you to the team and to provide you with all the information you’ll need whilst working for VWA Search.

The Perm Team:Manjinder Kang, Amanda Brooks, Cecelia Barber, Joanna Millward, Rosa von Fürstenberg and Hannah King.

The Temp Team:Simon Crow, Francesca Massetti and Nicholas Coleridge-Watts.

We are always happy to hear from you and to help you in any way we can. In the unlikely event that none of us are at the desk, then anyone on the permanent desk can help.

WHAT VWASEARCH DOES FOR YOU

As part of the VWA temp team, you can expect to:

  • Receive a professional, friendly, honest and caring service.
  • Have a professional interview to discuss your aspirations and motivation, so that you can get the most suitable temp bookings.
  • Have the opportunity to work with our clients, which include some of the most prestigious companies in London.
  • Earn a competitive rate of pay.
  • Benefit from holiday pay the day you start working.
  • Be paid the week after you work.
  • Receive regular contact from us during bookings.

VWA Search WORKS WITH MANY DIFFERENT CLIENTS

Our clients are based throughout the West End and the City, including:

  • Exclusive financial boutiques
  • Global investment banks
  • The world’s leading executive search firms
  • Management consultancies
  • Architects
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Design and branding agencies
  • Exclusive fashion houses
  • Famous household brand names

TIPS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR FIRST DAY

  • Find out about as much as you can about the client from the VWA Search temp desk, the client’s website and get directions to the client’s offices.
  • Familiarise yourself with the layout of the offices, location of the photocopiers, fax machines, fire exits and of course the loos!
  • Ask to be introduced to the people you will be working with and familiarise yourself with the names of key contacts with whom you may be in touch.
  • Adapt to the working style of the client. Each will have a different style of working – find out what they expect the finished product to look like as well as your deadline!
  • Ensure you find out who is responsible for signing your timesheet.

WHAT WE EXPECT YOU TO DO FOR VWA SEARCH

As part of our professional team of temps, we ask that you:

  • Are a good ambassador for the VWA SEARCH team on every assignment.
  • Deliver a friendly, professional, temporary service of the highest standards.
  • Dress in a business-like manner that is appropriate to the client.
  • Arrive punctually every day or call VWA SEARCH to notify us that you are delayed so we can contact the client.
  • Provide a flexible attitude to duties asked of you.
  • Adopt the client’s style of answering the phones, taking messages, writing correspondence etc.
  • Ask permission to make any personal calls, and do not receive personal calls.
  • Do not use your mobile phone or look at personal e-mails/social media whilst in the building.
  • Do not use any of the client’s facilities for personal work including the Internet.
  • Have your timesheet signed and delivered to us byMonday9.30am. Scan and e-mail to
  • Keep us informed if you are ill, are going away on holiday, have found another job, changed address or changed bank details

WE ARE DEDICATED TO YOUR TEMPING SUCCESS – PLEASE CALL US IF WE CAN HELP!

A GUIDE TO YOUR PAY

PAYROLL

Payroll is calculated every Monday for assignments completed the previous week. Your pay will be made by BACS directly into your account usually by Thursday the week after the week you have worked. Bank holidays may delay this slightly but you will be advised if this is going to happen.

BANK DETAILS

It is vital we have your bank details to pay you. When you start temping with VWA SEARCH for the first time, or your bank details change, please complete the Bank Details form and return it to us by 6.30pm on the Friday of the week you have worked.

TIMESHEETS

A clear scanned copy of your timesheet, which must be authorised with a signature by the client should be e mailed to: by 9.30am on the Mondayafter the week you have worked. Payroll is processed the following Monday morning and late timesheets will not be accepted and there will be a delay in your payment.

Calculating Hours - hours should be rounded to the nearest 15 minutes e.g. 5.35pm rounds down to 5.30pm. Lunch and other breaks will not be paid for.

OVERTIME

Overtime is paid at your basic rate unless a client has a specific overtime rate. We will advise you of the individual client’s overtime policy when briefing you on an assignment.

NEW STARTER FORMS AND P45’s

New Starter Form – This must be filled out and emailed to

Please note that if you tick Box B you should send us your P45 from your most recent employer as soon as possible or you may pay more tax than necessary.

P45 – if you have been in paid employment in the current tax year, before you started temping with us, we need a P45 from you. A P45 provides information on the amount you have earned in the current tax year. If you do not work through us for four consecutive weeks, we will issue you with a P45.

P60 – This is a statement issued at the end of a tax year. It states your earnings and tax paid during that tax year. You will only receive a P60 is you are still working for us on 5th April.

Working with more than one agency:

You have two options:

  1. You complete an assignment with one agency, request a P45 and start the next assignment with the other agency you give them the P45 and they then are your main employer.
  2. Elect a ‘main employer’ (which we suggest to be the agency providing you with the most work) and for all other agencies, complete a New Starter Form and tick box C declaring that ‘you have another job’. Your status is unclear we will have to tax all your earnings at basic rate until HMRC advises us of a new tax coding.

TAX CODES

Your payslip indicates the tax code used to calculate your tax deductions. HMRC regulations dictate which codes VWA SEARCH must use:

  • 1100L Week 1 Non-cumulative – also known as ‘emergency tax.’ VWA SEARCH is obliged to assign this tax code until we receive either a P45 or New Starter Form from you. This tax code does not consider any previous pay or tax. Once we receive your correct code, adjustments to any over or under paid tax will automatically be made.
  • 1100L Cumulative – tax is calculated taking into account any previous pay and tax. Depending on the amount earned, tax is calculated to include any tax-free allowances. With this code you can earn tax free pay of up to £11,000 cumulatively per year, before tax becomes payable. This tax-free allowance is available in weekly or monthly amounts. After this the next £1,960 that you earn is currently taxed at 10% and the remainder is taxed at 20%. Again the 10% band is divided up into equal weekly or monthly amounts.
  • BR – Stands for Basic Rate. There is no tax-free pay amount to be enjoyed and your tax is calculated at the current basic rate of 20% of your total gross pay.

National Insurance– If you work in the UK you must have a NI number. Anyone who earns more than £112 a week, and is aged 16 or over, but is under state pension age, is obliged to pay National Insurance (NI). Currently NI is calculated at 12% of your gross pay above the first £112 that you earn in a week. NI at 2% is also payable on earnings above the Upper Earnings Limit (£815).

If you don’t have a NI number – you can obtain one from your local Department of Social Security on presentation of your passport. A temporary number will be given until your permanent number is issued. This can take up to 6 weeks.

HMRC Tax Year runs from 6th April to 5th April

Our tax office is located at:

HMIT Centre 1, Queensway House, East Kilbride, ScotlandG79 1AA

Tel: 08450 703 703

PAYE reference number: 961/2213738

The tax office is open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturday. Please remember to quote your National Insurance number on all correspondence.

HOLIDAY PAY

Holiday Year – runs from 1 January to 31 December.

Holiday Pay –This is added on to your weekly pay and is calculated at 12.07% of your basic pay and will be added to your pay each time you are paid by VWA SEARCH. VWA SEARCH encourages you to save up your holiday pay and take a planned holiday. We are committed to the well being of our temps and believe that a work life balance is essential.

Limited Companies – Unfortunately, we are unable to pass on the benefit of paid holiday to temps working through a limited company.

OUR WORKPLACE PENSION SCHEME – NEST

To help people save more for their retirement, all employers are now required by law to provide a workplace pension scheme for certain staff and pay money into it. This is also known as Auto Enrolment.

We must enrol any of our staff who meet all of the following criteria:

  • You earn over £192 per week (or £833 per month)
  • You are aged 22 or over and
  • You are under state pension age

When you complete your first assignment with VWA SEARCH, you will be notified about having the option to join the pension scheme. If you decide to join, each week you will put money into the pension directly from your pay and the government will also contribute through tax relief. If you earn over £112 a week (or £486 a month), the minimum amount you will put into the scheme each pay period will be 1% of your earnings.

If you earn over £112 when you ask to join, we will also contribute to the pension scheme on your behalf. If you earn less than £112 a week we are not obliged to contribute to the scheme as well. If you want to join the pension scheme, tell us in writing by sending a letter which has to be signed by you. Or if you send it electronically, please include the phrase, ‘I confirm I personally submitted this notice to join a workplace pension scheme.’

In the future if you earn more than £192 per week (or £833 per month) or turn 22, and you have not joined the scheme, we will automatically enrol you and tell you we have done this.

Once you are enrolled with NEST, there is an option to opt out and receive back any contributions you have made. You will be notified of how to do this by NEST once you are enrolled.

A GUIDE TO THE WORKING TIME REGULATIONS

This is a EU law designed to protect workers from working excessively long periods without a rest break

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) states that:

  • Workers cannot be forced to work for more than 48 hours a week on average.
  • Young Workers may not ordinarily work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week, although there are certain permitted exceptions.
  • Working time includes travelling where it is part of the job, working lunches and job-related training.
  • Working time does not include travelling between home and work, lunch breaks, evening classes or day-release courses.
  • The average weekly working time is normally calculated over 17 weeks. This can be longer in certain situations (26 weeks) and can be extended by agreement (up to 52 weeks).
  • Workers can agree to work longer than the 48-hour limit. An agreement must be in writing and signed by the worker. This is generally referred to as an opt-out. It can be for a specified period or an indefinite period. There is no opt-out available from the Young Workers limits.
  • Workers can cancel the opt-out agreement whenever they want, although they must give their employer at least 7 days’ notice, or longer (up to 3 months) if this has been agreed.

The working time limits do not apply if workers can decide how long they work.

STATUTORY SICK PAY

If a temp worker is treated as an employee for National Insurance contribution purposes, they will also be treated as an employee for Statutory Sick Pay purposes.

You can currently get £88.45 a week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for up to 28 weeks.

To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) you must:

  • Be classed as anemployee with VWA Searchand in a continuous or series of continuous bookings for VWA Search
  • Have been ill for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days)
  • Earn at least £112 (before tax) per week

Exceptions

You won’t qualify if you:

  • Have received the maximum amount ofSSP(28 weeks)
  • Are getting Statutory Maternity Pay

Linked periods of sickness

If you have regular periods of sickness, they may count as ‘linked’. To be linked, the periods must:

  • Qualify forSSPby lasting 4 or more days each
  • Be eight weeks or less apart

You’re no longer eligible forSSPif you have a continuous series of linked periods that lasts more than 3 years. For more information on SSP, please clickhere

Other points to know:

  • You can get SSP for up to 28 weeks in one spell of sickness
  • Spells of at least 4 days in a row with 8 weeks or less between them are counted as one spell.
  • If you have more than one job you may be entitled to SSP from each employer
  • If SSP ends you may be able to claim Incapacity Benefit

If you do not qualify for SSP or your SSP has ended, then VWA SEARCH will complete and give you a SSP1 form so that you are able to claim Incapacity Benefit.

MATERNITY PAY (SMP)

To qualify for SMP you must:

  • Earn on average at least £112 a week
  • Give thecorrect notice – at least 15 weeks before the babies due date
  • Giveproof you’re pregnant – your midwife will provide a form MATB1
  • Have worked for your employercontinuouslyfor at least 26 weeks up to the ‘qualifying week’ - the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth

For more information on SMP, please click here

RECOMMEND A CANDIDATE/CLIENT

Do you know of skilled, high calibre individuals who need a professionalconsultancy to assist them in furthering their career? Or perhaps a client looking for a top addition to their team?

As a candidate already registered with Victoria Wall Associates, we will reward you for any permanent placement we make via a client or candidate you recommend.

Your Reward… £150 Worth of Vouchers (for example John Lewis)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us on 020 7225 1888 or email us on the addresses below, and we will do our best to help.

For any questions regarding payments, timesheets and tax codes, please contact:

You can also check our website for plenty of information regarding temporary placements:

Please keep us up to date on your availability to temp on a weekly basis. Call us on 020 7225 1888, or send an e-mail to:

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