Brook Street is the agency with which I have spent the most time, and had the most jobs. Situated on the busy North Street, its' entrance is surprisingly well camouflaged, sandwiched between Prêt a Manger and a fashion emporium. It represents all the reliable old faithfuls of employment agencies - Telegen, ttmc, PTF et al. However, the people who work here are human (tick!) friendly (tick!) and put in a decent effort on your behalf. The space is weird and open plan and you have to sit with your back to the door and do typing speed tests, but no-one really cares about your typing speed - in the end, they're interested in whether you're personable and presentable or not, and whether you turn up on time. They'll also sell you with all their skills. If your CV is rubbish, they have a good enough reputation with employers to get them not to look at it but to judge you on interview alone. If your CV has potential, they'll rewrite it for you, or just type up a few paragraphs of their impression of you as an employment prospect. They'll walk you to your interview and stand up for you in the rare cases where someone's treated you really unfairly. If you do get a job through them, provided you do your bit and get your time sheets in, they'll pay you promptly and by BACS, none of the faffing of the less organised agencies with cheques and what not. All in all, if one must go through the employment-agency process, and it seems to be close on a rite of passage these days, you could do a lot worse. read more