Best PA Recruitment Agencies in the UK (2026)

A third of UK employers still report hard-to-fill vacancies, according to the CIPD's Labour Market Outlook for spring 2026. Personal assistant (PA) and executive assistant (EA) roles sit right in that squeeze, where the right hire frees up a leader's week, and the wrong one quietly costs it back. The hard part is knowing which agency fits your role, your region, and your way of hiring. This guide compares leading PA recruitment agencies across the UK, grouped by what each does best rather than ranked one to ten. Oriel Partners is featured in this list and is its publisher; we evaluate our own entry on the same criteria as everyone else's.

The UK's best PA recruitment agencies at a glance

These agencies span London, the North West, the Midlands, Scotland, the North East, the South West, and a national job board.

Is it worth using a PA recruitment agency?

A PA recruitment agency is worth using when the role is hard to fill, time-sensitive, or senior enough that a poor hire is expensive to unwind. For a PA or EA, that is usually the case: you hire for trust and fit as much as skills.

A specialist agency adds the following over a direct search:

• Access to candidates who are not job-hunting and never see your advert.

• A shortlist, already screened, referenced, and assessed against your brief.

• An honest read on salary, availability, and a realistic timeline.

• Discretion when a hire is confidential.

• Temporary cover while a permanent search runs.

If your role is junior, plentiful locally, and you have time to sift through applications, a direct hire can work. Above that, an agency usually pays for itself.

How we evaluated these agencies

We scored each agency against six criteria, selecting on genuine PA and business support capability rather than on who pays for placement. Each PA recruitment agency was assessed against the same elements:

1. Specialism: a real focus on PA, EA, and business support, not a general desk.

2. Regional coverage: a verifiable presence in the area it serves, not London alone.

3. Hiring model: permanent, temporary, contract, or direct-hire routes.

4. Track record: years in the market, sector depth, and the seniority of roles placed.

5. Transparency: clear information on how it works and who it serves.

6. Candidate care: evidence of assessment, referencing, and support.

The UK's best PA recruitment agencies compared

Each entry sets out what the agency does well, who it suits, and where it is less of a fit, on the same structure throughout, including our own.

Oriel Partners - Best for: specialist PA and EA hiring with UK-wide reach

We are Oriel Partners, a specialist recruiter for PA, EA, and business support roles, hiring on both a permanent and temporary basis for corporate teams and private offices. Founded by Auria Heanley and Olivia Coughtrie, who bring more than 40 years of combined sector experience, we are based in London and work with clients across the UK.

We pair a thorough process with quick turnaround. We meet every candidate before putting them forward, and we aim to respond to any new brief within one working hour. For private-office and household hiring, we run a dedicated private PA and household recruitment service.

Strengths

• Permanent and temporary placement from receptionist level to C-suite support.

• Member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) since 2019, shortlisted at the Recruiter Awards 2024 for best recruitment agency (under 10 people), best candidate care, and best client service.

• Founder-led process with every candidate assessed face-to-face before shortlisting.

Best for

Employers who want a specialist consultancy rather than a volume desk, in London or anywhere in the UK. On its own figures, Oriel Partners reports that nine in ten permanent hires are still in role a year later, and around half of clients return within twelve months.

Not ideal for

Employers whose priority is the lowest possible fee may find a specialist consultancy more than they need. The same goes for anyone who wants a large pool of CVs to filter through, rather than a short, thoroughly assessed shortlist.

Joss Search - Best for: business support hiring in private equity and alternative investments

Joss Search specialises in hiring business support professionals within private equity, hedge funds, and alternative investments, placing PAs, EAs, Chief of Staff, Operations, and executive support teams across the UK, Europe, and the US. It covers a full range of support roles, including executive assistant, personal assistant, front-of-house, office manager, operations manager, chief of staff, and marketing and investor relations. 

Strengths

• Deep sector focus on finance: private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, wealth and asset management, and management consultancy. 

• Senior support roles, including Chief of Staff and Operations, not just standard EA hires.

• On its own figures, the firm reports having placed over 20,000 business support professionals. 

• Joss Search states that it has been named a Best Company to Work for by The Sunday Times and a Recruitment Company of the Year by the industry body APSCo. 

Best for

Private equity, hedge fund, and alternative-investment firms hiring business support, from EA and PA through to Chief of Staff.

Not ideal for

Employers outside the financial-services world, or those hiring private-household and UHNW domestic staff, will find the focus narrower than they need.

Bell Cornwall Recruitment - Best for: PA and EA hiring in the Midlands

Bell Cornwall Recruitment serves Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, describing itself as a leading regional provider of personal and executive assistants. Alongside PA and EA hiring, it covers HR, finance, legal, and marketing.

Strengths

• PA and EA hiring rooted in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

• Permanent, temporary, contract, and interim placement.

• Coverage spanning HR, finance, legal, and marketing, as well as business support.

Best for

Employers in Birmingham and the West Midlands who want a recruiter with genuine local market knowledge.

Not ideal for

Employers needing coverage beyond the Midlands, or focused purely on senior London or private-household roles.

Eden Scott - Best for: business support hiring in Scotland

Eden Scott is one of Scotland's leading recruitment agencies, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, and coverage extending into the Highlands and Islands. Its business support division places PA, EA, office, and admin roles within a firm that states it covers more than 15 sectors.

Strengths

• A dedicated business support division covering PA, EA, office, and admin roles.

• Coverage across Scotland's cities and into the Highlands and Islands.

• Permanent, temporary, and contract placement, backed by a multi-sector firm.

Best for

Employers hiring PAs and business support staff anywhere in Scotland who want a deep local presence behind the support desk.

Not ideal for

Employers hiring primarily in England, or wanting a single-specialism agency, may prefer a partner focused solely on PA and EA recruitment.

Nigel Wright Group - Best for: PA and EA hiring in the North East and North

Nigel Wright Group is headquartered in Newcastle and describes itself as one of the North's leading executive and personal assistant specialists. It places PA and EA roles within a wider proposition covering secretarial and admin hiring, interim and executive search.

Strengths

• PA and EA hiring anchored in the North East, with reach across the North of England.

• Wider business support, interim and executive search capability under one group.

• Established regional presence built around a Newcastle base.

Best for

Employers in the North East and North of England who want regional roots plus interim and executive-level capability.

Not ideal for

Employers seeking high-volume temporary placements, or a pure PA-and-EA specialist, may find the proposition broader and more permanent-weighted.

SecsintheCity - Best for: direct hiring from a national candidate pool

SecsintheCity is a job board, not an agency, billing itself as the UK's specialist PA and EA job site. Employers post vacancies and search the database directly. Its reach is the draw: the site states it holds a pool of more than 469,000 CVs across PA, EA, secretarial, office, and admin roles.

Strengths

• Direct access to a large, specialist national candidate pool.

• Self-service posting and CV search, with the employer in control.

• UK-wide reach as a specialist job site rather than a region-bound agency.

Best for

Employers who are comfortable running their own shortlisting and want to reach into a large candidate pool at job-board cost.

Not ideal for

Employers who want a consultant to screen, reference, and assess candidates on their behalf. A job board provides the pool, not the managed search.

How do I choose the best PA recruitment agency?

The deciding factor is fit: the best PA recruitment agency is the one whose specialism, region, and hiring model match your specific role. Work through these before you brief anyone:

1. Match the region: choose an agency with a genuine presence where your role sits.

2. Match the model: decide whether you need permanent, temporary, contract, or direct-hire support.

3. Match the seniority: a private-PA or Chief of Staff hire needs a different specialist from a junior reception role.

4. Check the process: ask how candidates are assessed, referenced, and shortlisted.

5. Check the track record: years in the market, sector depth, and placements that stick.

6. Ask about timelines and fees up front.

If you want a specialist view on your specific role, our PA recruitment team is happy to talk it through.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the big five headhunters?

The big five executive search firms in the UK are Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Egon Zehnder, and Russell Reynolds Associates. They focus on board and C-suite search rather than PA and EA hiring, so a specialist business-support agency is the better route for assistant roles.

Who owns Oriel Partners?

Oriel Partners was co-founded and is owned by Auria Heanley and Olivia Coughtrie, who lead the consultancy and bring more than 40 years of combined recruitment experience between them. They run the firm's specialist PA and EA recruitment hands-on; you can read more about the Oriel Partners founders.

How much does a PA recruitment agency charge?

PA recruitment agencies usually charge a contingency fee for permanent placements, billed as a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary and payable only once you hire. Temporary cover is charged at an hourly rate that includes the agency's margin. Rates vary by seniority and search type, so ask for a clear fee structure before you brief.

Find the right PA recruitment partner

The strongest agency for you depends on where your role sits, how senior it is, and whether you need a permanent hire or temporary cover. Match those three first, and the shortlist narrows quickly. If your role calls for a specialist who works UK-wide and can move at pace, that is where Oriel Partners comes in. Brief our PA recruitment team, and we will give you an honest read on the market and a considered shortlist.