Level 3 Recruitment Consultant Apprenticeship in London

Earn while you learn. Build a career, not just a job.

Principal Education is looking for our next Recruitment Consultant to join our growing team through our Level 3 Recruitment Consultant Apprenticeship. This isn't your typical apprenticeship. You'll be employed full-time from day one, receive a competitive salary, work alongside experienced consultants and complete a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification whilst learning one of the UK's highest earning professions.

About Principal

Principal Education was founded to bring genuine innovation to the education recruitment sector. We've invested heavily in technology, structured processes and operational excellence that allow our consultants to perform at a higher level. Our platform creates a direct connection between schools and education professionals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, resulting in a faster, fairer and more efficient recruitment experience for both our candidates and our schools.

The Apprenticeship

This role combines full-time employment with a nationally recognised Level 3 Recruitment Consultant Apprenticeship (equivalent to A Levels). Over approximately 12-15 months, you'll receive structured training covering:

• Candidate sourcing and interviewing
• Business development
• Client relationship management
• Sales and negotiation
• Recruitment legislation and compliance
• Market analysis
• Professional communication
• Time management
• Organisation
• Commercial awareness

By the end of the programme you'll be operating as a fully‑fledged Recruitment Consultant with a recognised qualification and a clear long‑term career pathway. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all ages.

What You'll Be Doing

From day one you'll work alongside one of our experienced Lead Consultants, learning the role through real experience rather than sitting in a classroom. Your first six months are designed to build the foundations of a successful recruitment career. You'll receive structured coaching, regular feedback and gradually take ownership of your own desk as your confidence grows. Your responsibilities will include:

• Interviewing and registering education professionals
• Supporting candidates through our safeguarding and compliance process
• Speaking with schools to understand their recruitment needs
• Business development and introducing Principal to prospective clients
• Attending school visits and client meetings
• Creating professional candidate profiles and polished CVs
• Matching candidates to vacancies
• Keeping candidates informed throughout their assignments
• Chasing timesheets ready for payroll
• Working closely with your Lead Consultant to learn every aspect of the recruitment industry

Recruitment is simple to explain. We help great people find great jobs. Doing it exceptionally well requires resilience, organisation, communication skills, commercial awareness and determination. One thing we want to be completely transparent about is the amount of time you'll spend on the phone. Our consultants typically make 200+ outbound calls every day and spend several hours speaking to candidates and clients. If you genuinely enjoy speaking to people, building relationships and solving problems, you'll love this career. If the thought of spending most of your day communicating with people sounds exhausting, this probably isn't the role for you. The rewards, however, can be exceptional.

Working Hours

This is a full-time office-based position operating on a rotating shift pattern. You will work either:

• 7:00am - 4:00pm
• 9:00am - 6:00pm

These shifts allow us to provide excellent service to schools throughout the day while giving flexibility across the team.

Salary & Commission

Starting Salary £22,600 - £26,500. Your starting salary will depend on your age, previous experience and any relevant qualifications. During your first six months you'll work alongside a Lead Consultant, learning every aspect of the role while completing your induction and apprenticeship training. Following the successful completion of your six-month probation, you'll become eligible to earn commission in addition to your salary. From that point onwards, your earnings are entirely driven by your performance.

Career Progression

At Principal, promotions are earned through achievement, not time served. Everyone follows the same clearly defined career pathway. As your knowledge, performance and responsibilities increase, so do your earnings.

What Makes Someone Successful?

Recruitment isn't easy. The people who succeed here generally possess:

• Resilience and mental toughness
• Excellent organisation
• Outstanding communication skills
• Confidence speaking to people from all backgrounds
• A competitive mindset
• Self-discipline
• Curiosity
• A willingness to learn
• High personal standards
• Ambition to build a successful career

You don't need recruitment experience. You do need the right attitude.

What It's Like to Work Here

We're ambitious, professional and genuinely enjoy what we do. The office has a real buzz. You'll hear consultants celebrating placements, collaborating with one another and yes, there's usually a DJ set playing quietly in the background. Recent team events have included:

• Michelin-starred lunches
• Rooftop summer parties
• Christmas celebrations
• Team socials
• Networking events
• Performance incentives

We work incredibly hard. We just don't believe work has to be boring.

Location

Our office is based at St Katharine Docks, London, just a short walk from Tower Hill, Tower Gateway, Fenchurch Street, and Tower Bridge.

The Recruitment Process

We're looking for people with the potential to build exceptional careers, not simply fill a vacancy. As a result, our recruitment process is more thorough than most. The first stage is a telephone screening interview. Candidates who impress at this stage will be invited to one of our Assessment Days, taking place during late August. Our Assessment Day is a full-day, competitive selection process designed to assess communication, resilience, problem-solving, teamwork and your potential to succeed in recruitment. Successful candidates will join Principal in mid-September, where they'll begin both their Recruitment Consultant career and their Level 3 Apprenticeship.