Employment Agencies

[Alex]

Except in the case perhaps of very specialized job placement companies you should not pay a fee. All fees should be paid by the employer to agency.

That said, if we're talking temp work (or temp-to-hire) the amount per hour you get paid will be less than the amount per hour the company will pay your agency. If that is what they mean by a fee ("you get $9/hour and they'll pay $12/hour") then that is normal.

Definitely never EVER pay a fee just to get them to look for work for you.