Retained, contingency, research only
Executive search fees: what a senior appointment costs
One point is settled by statute rather than convention: an agency may not charge a work-seeker a fee for finding them work, save for narrow exceptions, so a search fee is a cost borne by the hiring employer. Everything after that is negotiable. Retained search is conventionally billed as a percentage of first-year total compensation in staged instalments; contingency is billed only on placement. Tell us about the mandate and search firms will put proposals to you directly.
The process
- Set out the mandate: level, function, indicative package and whether it is confidential. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to executive search firms working at that level in your sector and region, and to no one else.
- They contact you directly with their proposed structure, fee basis and terms. Compare, appoint, or decline.
Executive Search Fees is an independent site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. We are not an executive search firm and we are not affiliated with any search firm, professional body or regulator named here. We pass the details you submit to relevant executive search firms, who contact you directly; we may receive a fee from those firms, and you pay nothing. Fee percentages described on this site are market convention as understood in 2026, clearly labelled as such, and are not published averages or standards. Nothing here is legal or employment law advice.
Executive search fee models compared, 2026
Last updated
Search firms sell four broadly different things under one heading, and the fee basis is the clearest signal of which one you are being sold. This table sets out how each is billed, what the client is buying, and where it tends to fit. The percentages shown are market convention rather than rules: they are negotiated on every mandate and no body sets them.
This is a fee structure comparison, not a price list. The billing conventions described are those commonly used in the UK executive search market in 2026 and are labelled as convention, not as standards: no regulator, professional body or statute sets search fee levels, and every figure here is negotiable on a mandate by mandate basis. The statutory position, that a work-seeker may not be charged a fee for work-finding services save for narrow exceptions, is taken from the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, checked on 14 August 2026. Obtain written proposals for your own mandate through the form above.
| Fee model | How it is billed | What the client is buying | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retained search | A percentage of first-year total compensation, invoiced in staged instalments, conventionally three: on engagement, at shortlist or a fixed interval, and on start or acceptance. Market convention is around a third of the first-year package, but this is convention only and is negotiated. | Exclusivity, a defined research process, mapped market coverage, assessment and referencing, and the firm's time whether or not a hire results | Board and C-suite appointments, confidential replacements, scarce or specialised markets, and any hire where the market must be mapped rather than advertised |
| Contingency | A single percentage of first-year salary or package, invoiced only if a candidate the firm introduced is appointed. Market convention sits in the mid-twenties to mid-thirties percent, again convention rather than rule, and often lower on volume arrangements. | Introductions from the firm's existing network, with no commitment of process and no guarantee the market is covered | Roles with a deep, visible candidate pool where speed matters more than coverage, and where the client is content to run several firms in parallel |
| Container or hybrid | A modest upfront engagement fee that is credited against a larger completion fee payable on appointment. Splits vary widely and are the most negotiable of any model. | A middle position: enough commitment from the client to secure real research effort, with most of the fee still tied to a result | Senior hires below board level, first-time users of search, and clients who want committed process without a full retainer |
| Research or market mapping only | A fixed project fee or day rate, with no fee contingent on any appointment. | A map of who exists, where they sit, what they earn and who is approachable, delivered as a document rather than a shortlist | Succession planning, market entry, benchmarking a package before recruiting, or building a longlist an internal team will then approach |
| Interim executive placement | A day rate margin on the interim's charge rate, running for the duration of the assignment, rather than a one-off percentage. | Fast access to an experienced executive for a defined period, with the supplier carrying the contracting and payment relationship | Gaps created by a sudden departure, turnaround and transformation work, and cover while a permanent search runs |
- Executive search fees in the UK are borne by the hiring employer: under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 an agency may not charge a work-seeker a fee for finding them work, save for narrow exceptions set out in the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (checked August 2026).
- Retained search is conventionally billed as a percentage of first-year total compensation in staged instalments, and contingency is billed only on placement. No statute, regulator or professional body sets the level of either: both are negotiated on each mandate.
- The exceptions permitting a fee to be charged to a work-seeker are limited to occupations listed in Schedule 3 of the 2003 Regulations, which covers certain entertainment and modelling work, and does not extend to executive appointments.
Cite this page
“Executive search fee models compared, 2026”, Executive Search Fees, https://executivesearchfees.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). This is a fee structure comparison, not a price list. The billing conventions described are those commonly used in the UK executive search market in 2026 and are labelled as convention, not as standards: no regulator, professional body or statute sets search fee levels, and every figure here is negotiable on a mandate by mandate basis. The statutory position, that a work-seeker may not be charged a fee for work-finding services save for narrow exceptions, is taken from the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, checked on 14 August 2026. Obtain written proposals for your own mandate through the form above.
The detail
Each one cites where its numbers come from.
- Executive search fee structure: how the invoice is actually built
What goes into an executive search fee: the percentage base, staged instalments, expenses, guarantee periods and the definitions that decide the final number.
- Retained vs contingency search: which fee model fits the mandate
Retained search buys exclusivity and a mapped process billed in instalments. Contingency buys introductions billed on placement. How to choose between them.
- Average executive search fees: why no reliable UK figure exists
There is no published average UK executive search fee, and no body sets one. What convention says, why quoted averages mislead, and how to benchmark a mandate.
- Executive search agreement: the terms worth negotiating
Beyond the percentage: fee base, instalments, guarantee and rebate, off-limits, exclusivity, expenses and termination. The clauses that decide what you get.
Frequently asked
How much do executive search firms charge in the UK?
There is no published average and no body sets a rate. Market convention is that retained search is billed at around a third of the successful candidate's first-year total compensation in staged instalments, and contingency in the mid-twenties to mid-thirties percent of first-year package on appointment. Both are conventions rather than rules, and both are negotiated on every mandate.
Who pays executive search fees, the employer or the candidate?
The hiring employer. Under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 an agency may not charge a work-seeker a fee for finding them work, and the exceptions in the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 are limited to occupations listed in Schedule 3, covering certain entertainment and modelling work. Executive appointments are not within those exceptions.
Is an executive search fee calculated on salary or total package?
It depends on what the agreement says, and this is the term most worth negotiating. Some firms calculate on base salary, some on salary plus guaranteed bonus, some on full first-year total compensation including target bonus, car allowance and pension. The same percentage applied to different bases produces materially different invoices.
When are executive search fees payable?
Retained fees are conventionally invoiced in three instalments: on engagement, at an agreed midpoint such as shortlist presentation, and on the candidate's acceptance or start. Contingency fees fall due only on appointment. Container arrangements take a smaller engagement fee and credit it against a larger completion fee.
What guarantee do executive search firms give?
Most offer either a free replacement search or a sliding scale rebate if the appointment ends within a defined period. Nothing mandates it and terms vary. The points that decide its value are the length, whether it runs from acceptance or start date, whether resignation is covered as well as dismissal, and what the exclusions say.
Can executive search fees be negotiated?
Yes. No regulator or professional body sets fee levels, so the percentage, the base it applies to, the instalment structure, expenses treatment, guarantee terms and off-limits scope are all matters of agreement. Clients placing more than one mandate, or willing to define the fee base tightly, have the most room.
Is this introduction service free to use?
Yes, free to you and with no obligation to appoint anyone. We pass your details only to executive search firms working at the level and in the sector you describe, who contact you directly. We may receive a fee from those firms, which is how the service is funded.