For practices · updated 8 October 2026
What does a recruitment agency in dental care cost?
For permanent recruitment, a recruitment agency usually charges a percentage of the new hire’s gross annual salary. At Denta Staffing, recruitment and selection costs 12,5% to 17,5% of the gross annual income including holiday allowance, depending on the role group, with a minimum fee per role group starting at € 3.000.
Four ways agencies charge.
A percentage of the annual salary
The usual form for permanent recruitment. You pay when someone signs with you. The percentage differs per agency and often per role.
No cure, no pay
You pay nothing without a result. Do ask what happens before that result: does the agency come to visit, and does it speak to the candidates itself?
A subscription or fixed monthly price
You pay per month, even if no one has been found yet. That suits a practice that recruits continuously.
A margin per hour
For interim, locum work and secondment you pay the professional’s rate plus a margin per hour worked, for as long as someone works for you.
What you get at Denta Staffing.
For interim and locum work we charge a margin of at most € 17,50 per hour on top of the contractor’s own rate, depending on duration, hours and role. All amounts exclude VAT.
For recruitment and selection we visit first, approach people personally and usually put forward three candidates; you get the first profiles within a few weeks of the practice visit. We guide the process until the contract is signed. If the new hire leaves during the probation period, we find a replacement once, free of charge: that is how the guarantee works.
When you are better off recruiting yourself.
Honestly: an agency isn’t always necessary. If you already have someone in mind, your team knows someone who fits, or enough good people respond to your vacancy, you are better off recruiting yourself. An agency pays off when a vacancy stays open for a long time, when the people you are looking for aren’t actively applying, or when you want to search discreetly.
Doing it yourself? First read why your job advert isn’t getting responses.
Frequently asked questions.
Why is there a minimum fee?
Because a search has fixed costs, regardless of the salary: the practice visit, the searching and the interviews. With a lower salary or a small part-time job, the percentage doesn’t cover those costs.
What do interim, locum work or secondment cost?
You pay the professional’s rate plus our margin per hour worked. For interim and locum work that margin is at most € 17,50 per hour; for secondment the rate depends on the role and the hours. We work it out for you before you commit to anything.
Shall we begin?
Put your question to us, or first look at who is available right now — that shows you straight away what kind of people we have in our network.