Make Money As A Virtual Recruiter In The UK: A 7 Step Guide

Published 26/11/2025 By James

Guides

Make Money Online

Remote working is usually associated with roles such as coding, freelance copywriting and general freelance work. However, recruitment has evolved from the previous methods of office based teams and lots of phone calls to online methods.

It’s now possible for virtual recruiters to have lucrative careers without the physical need for an office. With the right focus, becoming a virtual recruiter could open the doors to a flexible lifestyle and financial security.

This article will explain what a virtual recruiter does, the skills involved, how to get up and running and how you can make money online.

The Role Of A Virtual Recruiter

A virtual recruiter (also known as freelance recruiters or remote recruiters) works alongside businesses to find and hire job candidates. Rather than having face-to-face interviews in an office, everything is carried out through emails, phone calls and video meetings.

The main tasks of a virtual recruiter look like this:

Finding candidates: Source people with the right skills from LinkedIn, job boards or networking.
Candidate screening: Checking CVs, taking part in video and phone interviews.
Managing client expectations: Liaising with businesses to understand what they need from recruits and keeping them in the loop with what you’re doing.
Posting jobs: Writing and advertising job positions that will attract the right applicants.
Negotiate Terms: Help clients and candidates agree on terms of employment such as salary and benefits.

Why Virtual Recruitment Works In The UK

There’s been some big changes in the UK job market since the pandemic in 2020 as employers looked at ways to continue running their businesses. This saw a huge rise in people working from home.

It also highlighted that recruitment can be done online instead of face-to-face in an office. This opened up opportunities for virtual recruiters.

Low start-up costs: No need for a plush office. A laptop, Wi-Fi connection and smartphone are all you need.
High demand: Good recruiters are wanted to fill gaps in skills shortages for construction, healthcare, finance and tech.
Job flexibility: You can set up your own business, join a recruitment agency team or do freelance work.
International reach: Plenty of UK businesses also hire globally which can open up much more opportunities.

Skills Needed To Be A Successful Virtual Recruiter

Years of recruitment experience isn’t necessary to get started as a virtual recruitment. However, there are some skill sthat would be advantageous:

Organisation – You’ll need good time management to juggle all the positions available, the applicants and any deadlines.
Communication – Your role is to sell job positions to candidates and potential employees to employers so clear communication is vital.
People management – Whilst it might not be face-to-face, you’ll still be dealing with a lot of people so you need good people skills and a trustworthy demeanour.
Tech knowledge – be comfortable with recruitment platforms, applicant tracking systems (ATS) and different interview tools.
Resilience – You won’t be able to fill every job position successfully so you’ll need to take rejection on the chin and have a thick skin at times.

7 Steps To Becoming A Virtual Recruiter In The UK

1 – Choose a Business Model

Freelance Recruiter: You’ll work for yourself to find customers and job candidates. You’ll earn fees or commission for successful hires.
Agency Remote Recruiter: This would involve you being a remote employee of an existing agency. This role gives you less flexibility but should include more structure and training.
Create your own Agency: Set up your own limited company, create a brand and market yourself. This requires the most effort but also has the most potential for income.

2 – Decide on a Niche

Rather than being a jack of all trades, why not specialise in particular areas. Some niches that are in demand include:

Finance (analysts, accountants)
Sales and marketing
Healthcare (locums, carers, nurses)
IT and Tech (cybersecurity, developers)
Construction and Engineering

3 – The Business Basics

A Laptop and Phone
A business email and a phone number dedicated to business
Recruitment software – Get an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), Indeed CV search, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite.
Company details – Register as self-employed with HMRC or set up a limited company if you are planning to increase the business size.

4 – Market Your Recruitment Business

You only get one shot at making a first impression so it’s important that potential clients and candidates see you as a go to professional business.

Website: A professional looking website can attract customers. It doesn’t need to be all singing and dancing, a simple website can suffice.
LinkedIn: Set up a good profile and optimise it with details of your niche services.
Network: Sign up to recruitment forums, social media groups and local communities.

5 – Find Clients

Once you’re set up, the next big challenge is to get some clients.

Job Boards: Contact businesses that are advertising jobs.
Freelance Platforms: Advertise your services on Fiverr and Upwork.
Referrals: Utilise networks to get leads. It’s not too dissimilar to refer a friend schemes.
Cold Outreach: Send messages to HR departments, hiring managers etc.
Be Competitive: Keep rates competitive when you start out. Aim for between 10 and 20% of the applicants yearly salary.

6 – Build a Pool of Candidates

Search LinkedIn using Boolean keywords.
Post job adverts on Reed, CV-Library or Indeed.
Keep records of all candidate interactions for future roles.

7 – Placing Candidates

Obviously, income from recruitment is dependent on you being able to place candidates into job vacancies. Once you successfully place any candidates, be sure to invoice your customer for the work done.

Even a couple of placements per month can be financially rewarding.

Here’s some examples of what clients will pay recruiters based on the level of the candidates:

Junior positions: £2,000 to £5,000
Mid-level positions: £5,000 to £10,000
Senior positions: £10,000 to £20,000

How Much Can Virtual Recruiters Earn In The UK?

Earnings can vary vastly in recruitment and can depend on your experience and the type of recruitment business you have.

High value roles such as management and IT will pay better than others.

Freelance side hustle – £1,000 to £3,000 per month
Experienced freelance recruiter – £3,000 to £6,000 per month
Small agency owner – £6,000 to £15,000+ per month

Challenges Of Virtual Recruitment

It’s not all plain sailing in this industry, you’ll face a few challenges along the way. Here’s some examples of those challenges and ways to negate them:

Competition: is fierce in recruitment. Consider entering a specialised niche sector.
Getting clients: Your inbox might not be flooded in the early days. Be patient and remain vigilant in marketing your services.
Candidate problems: Some candidates may let you down with a late change of mind. Manage client expectations and try to keep backup candidates.
Delayed payments: Some clients might not pay very quickly. Ensure your contracts have clear payment terms.

Tips For Virtual Recruitment Success

Create long-term relationships: You will get repeat business from happy customers.
Communicate: Be sure to reply to any queries quickly.
Know your markets inside out: Clients will trust you if you know your niche business.
Invest in tools: It could well be worth you paying for things like premium job boards and LinkedIn Recruiter to boost your business.

Summary

Becoming a virtual recruiter in the UK is relatively easy to get started. The start-up costs are low, the income potential is great and you can work from anywhere in the world.

It might take a little bit of time to get your first placements and build up a client base before momentum takes hold. However, if you’re serious about becoming a virtual recruiter, focus on a niche market to optimise the potential income.

You can choose whether to do virtual recruitment as a side hustle or on a full-time basis. If you’re looking to make a few quid on the side, you should take a look at the Oddsmonkey Side Hustle Hub.

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