Recruitment Agency In The North East
Permanent, temporary and contract recruitment across Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Durham and the wider North East. Independently owned since 1987, with sector specialists who interview every candidate before you see a CV.
Specialist desks recruiting across The North East
Express Recruitment has supplied staff to employers in the North East for more than three decades. Each desk recruits for one sector and nothing else, covers the whole region, and travels in for client meetings, site visits and assessment days.
Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley are two separate hiring markets with a thirty mile gap between them, and candidates rarely cross it for a small pay rise. We benchmark them separately, and we are honest with you about which roles will need to be filled locally rather than regionally.
We recruit across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and the Tees Valley. Whether it is one permanent appointment in Newcastle, an interim finance team in Durham or office cover in Middlesbrough, the same sector team handles it from brief to start date.
The North East at a glance
Tyne and Wear to Tees Valley
Every county and city in the region covered
DBS checks arranged in house
Clearances tracked by our own compliance team
Same day shortlists
For roles filled from our work ready pool
Written terms up front
Fees and charge rates agreed before we start
Where we recruit in the North East
The towns and areas each location covers. All eight divisions recruit in every location below, worked by a named sector desk rather than a general branch
Newcastle upon Tyne
The city and the north bank of the Tyne, including Gosforth, Wallsend, North Shields, Killingworth, Cramlington and Team Valley.
Sunderland
Sunderland and the Wear towns, plus Washington, Houghton le Spring, Seaham, Peterlee and Boldon.
Gateshead and South Tyneside
The south bank of the Tyne, covering Gateshead, Blaydon, Birtley, Jarrow, Hebburn and South Shields.
Middlesbrough and Redcar
The Tees industrial belt, from Middlesbrough and Billingham to Wilton, Thornaby, Redcar, Guisborough and Skelton.
Durham
Durham and the county towns, including Chester le Street, Consett, Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe and Crook.
Darlington and Stockton
The A66 and A1 corridors, taking in Darlington, Stockton, Yarm, Northallerton and Catterick.
Hartlepool
Hartlepool and the coast either side, plus Seaton Carew, Billingham, Wingate and Peterlee.
Blyth and Cramlington
The Blyth estuary and the towns behind it, including Ashington, Bedlington, Cramlington, Morpeth and Amble.
Hexham and Alnwick
The Tyne valley and the north of the county, from Prudhoe and Corbridge through Hexham and Haltwhistle to Alnwick, Rothbury and Berwick upon Tweed.
Client Testimonial
“Express understood our year end timetable after one meeting. They supplied three temporary finance assistants across six weeks and every one of them could do the job on day one.”
North East salary benchmarks
Indicative ranges from placements we have made across the North East in the last twelve months. Ask us for a full benchmark report for your sector and location.
| Customer Service Adviser | £25k to £27k | £25k to £27k | £12.75 to £13.75 ph |
| Administrator | £25k to £28k | £25k to £27k | £12.75 to £14.25 ph |
| Assistant Accountant | £30k to £36k | £29k to £35k | £15.50 to £18.50 ph |
| Project Engineer | £40k to £50k | £39k to £49k | £20.50 to £25.75 ph |
| Internal Sales Executive | £27k to £33k | £26k to £32k | £13.75 to £17.00 ph |
| HR Advisor | £33k to £40k | £32k to £39k | £17.00 to £20.50 ph |
North East recruitment questions
What employers and candidates in North West ask us most often.
Which parts of the North East do you cover?
All of it. We recruit across Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Durham, Darlington, Stockton, Hartlepool and the surrounding towns, as well as business park and out of town locations that agencies often skip. If a role is remote or hybrid we search the wider region to widen your candidate pool.
Do you have an office in the North East?
Our office and payroll team are in Nottingham, and we recruit for employers in the North East from there. Your vacancy is handled by the consultant who specialises in that sector, and we travel to the North East for client meetings, site visits and assessment days. Enquiries are answered the same working day.
How quickly can you fill a role in the North East?
Do candidates in the North East pay any fees?
Never. It is free for candidates to register, be interviewed and be placed, permanent or temporary. Employers pay a percentage of starting salary for permanent hires, or an agreed hourly charge rate for temporary staff, confirmed in writing before we begin.
What vetting and compliance checks do you carry out in the North East?
Every candidate is interviewed by the consultant on your vacancy. We verify identity and right to work, take up references, and arrange DBS checks, qualifications, licences or tickets where the role requires them. A full audit trail is available on request.
Can you supply staff across multiple sites in the North East?
Yes. Multi site bookings are coordinated by one sector desk so you get a single point of reporting, one consolidated invoice and consistent charge rates, wherever in the North East the sites are.
Do you handle payroll for temporary workers in the North East?
How do I get in touch with the North East team?
Submit your Enquiry
Send in a brief overview of what you're looking for and we will be in touch with you to find out more about your needs.