In-house Recruitment versus Engage Recruitment – Do the Costs Stack Up?

2nd Oct, 2025

Engage Executive Talent, launched in 2019 by CO3, offers a values-driven executive recruitment service tailored to Northern Ireland’s third sector. While many charities choose to recruit in-house, often citing cost savings, we wanted to see how the numbers actually stack up.

For a typical £50,000 executive role, we estimated the administrative costs of running an in-house recruitment process at £9,090. By comparison, Engage’s full-service fee is £7,500 (excluding VAT). But cost is only part of the story. Engage also offers significant value that reduces risk: a “no appointment, no fee” policy, free repeat searches if needed, and candidate rebate guarantees. Additional benefits include access to sector-specific networks, our proprietary candidate database, paid job ads, compliance assurance, and pre-application screening. These factors position Engage not just as a cost-effective alternative, but as a strategic partner in securing high-quality leadership for the sector.

You can read the full detail in our fact sheet.