Employment agencies and businesses
Travel and accommodation for work-seekers
Accommodation
When a job involves working away from home and the employment contract is directly with you, you cannot arrange a placement before taking all reasonable steps to make sure:
- there’s suitable accommodation ready for them before they start work
- the work-seeker has all the details of the accommodation including any costs and travel arrangements
Under 18s
Workers under the age of 18 have to get written agreement from a parent or guardian before they can take a job working away from home.
Travel to and from work
In some cases you’ll need to pay for or arrange travel from work. These are when:
- the work-seeker is not the hirer’s employee or is under 18
- free travel or payment is arranged for the journey to work
- the work then finishes or does not ever start
If this happens you must either:
- arrange free return travel
- pay the return fare
- arrange with the hirer to provide free return travel or to pay the fare
These arrangements must be given to the work-seeker in writing.
If a hirer does not meet the agreement it’s your responsibility to pay for the travel.
Travel loans
If you make a loan to a work-seeker to meet travel or other expenses you cannot make them pay back more than the original loan.
Au pairs
You cannot arrange work for au pairs if they’re asked to repay you or the hirer for the fare between the au pair’s home and place of work.
Au pairs are allowed to pay for their fare, but this cost must not come out of their pay.