Licensed employment agency EA 5649
Skilled trades and drivers, tested before you see a CV.
Welders, fitters, mechanics, drivers and the rest of the trades. Local first. Overseas when local can't deliver, with the permit and sponsorship handled. One fee when they start, and every hire followed live in your own Sama portal.
- Trade tested on camera or in person
- Your own live portal
- A named account manager
- One fee, nothing up front
Tell us what you need
Role, numbers and start date is plenty. A member of our team will get back to you within one working day.
Looking for work? This form is for employers. Register here instead, it is free.
We work directly with employers. We do not take on other recruitment agencies, labour suppliers or sub-agents.
Register for work
Your trade, where you are and how to reach you. Under a minute, and you never pay us anything, at any stage.
Hiring staff? This form is for people looking for work. Use the employer form instead.
Rather browse first? See live jobs.
7,161candidates available right now
685already in the UK, Ireland or Canada
22trades covered, local and overseas
1fee per hire, due once you make the offer. Nothing before.
Browse available candidates Placed with
Our own workshopJohannesburg tyre bay
How it works
Brief us. We test. You watch it happen.
Four steps, one weekly update, and nothing charged until someone starts.
Send the brief
Role, numbers, salary and start date. We tell you the same day which route fits, local or overseas, and the real timeline for it.
Same dayWe test on the tools
Real trucks, trailers and plate in our own workshops. Scored by an assessor and filmed, so you interview people who can already do the job.
Video and score sheet in your portalYou follow every hire live
Shortlist, interview, offer, permit, start date. One screen, updated as it happens, with your own account manager on the end of it.
Your Sama portalThey start
Flights, accommodation, bank account and PPSN sorted for overseas hires. We check in after week one, and the fee falls due only now.
One fee per person
Every candidate is trade tested
Welders. Fitters. Drivers. Mechanics. Tested on the tools, filmed.
Most of what we place is welders. Then fitters, mechanics, drivers, panel beaters, sprayers and the rest of the trades. All tested in our own workshops, on real trucks, trailers and plate, scored by a qualified assessor and filmed. The video and the score sheet land in your portal, so you interview people who can already do the job. If they can't do it on the day, they don't travel.
What happens on the day, step by stepTrade test videoMIG welding, scored on the day
Trade test videoTrailer axle assembly
Inspection pit, Johannesburg
On site with a client
Tyre bay, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
HGV workshop with inspection pit, tyre bay and trailer fabrication. Welders, fitters, mechanics and drivers.
Manila
Processed through our licensed Philippine partner. Trades and drivers tested before travel.
Dubai
Candidates already working in the Gulf. Often the fastest route.
Ireland and the UK
Local candidates tested at the employer or a partner workshop.
Two ways to fill a role
Local first. Overseas when local can't.
Tell us the role and we tell you the same day which route fits, and the real timeline for it.
Ireland and the UKAbout 2 weeks
Local hiring
Brief to start date. Candidates already here, screened and trade tested before you interview them, with a 30-day replacement guarantee.
685 already in Ireland or the UK right nowLocal hiringTrade tested abroadPermit handled
International deployment
When local can't deliver. Tested in our own workshops, then the permit, visa and sponsorship paperwork done for you, flights and accommodation arranged, timeline in writing.
6,476 tested abroad and ready to travelOverseas hiringYour Sama portal
Every candidate, every stage, live
No more chasing for updates. See exactly where each hire stands, from shortlist to first day, with everything we hold on them in one place.
- Live trackingShortlisted, tested, interviewed, offered, permit in, started. Updated as it happens.
- Trade test videos and scoresWatch the test and read the score sheet before you book an interview.
- One-tap decisionsMeet them, make an offer, or pass, in one tap.
- Documents, invoices and your teamCVs, agreements and invoices in one place, with logins for everyone on your side.
Already set up? Sign in. Looking for work? Create a candidate account, it is free.
Recent placements
Who we have placed, and what
Trades and drivers, local and overseas, across Ireland and the UK. References available on request.
We came to Sama Talent looking for skilled local window fitters and they delivered. Lance and Martin were responsive from day one, understood exactly what we needed, and placed the right people quickly.Carlos McDonagh, Managing Director, Carlos Windows
Liebherr Container CranesWelders and spray painters
Transway TrailersHGV mechanics, trailer fitters and CVRT testers
Maine GroupMechanical fitters, sprayers, joiners, welders and CNC operators
Kevin Burke TyresTyre fitters, HGV drivers, welders and spray painters
Nolan EngineeringWelders
Oxigen EnvironmentalHGV mechanics and drivers
AT&T RentalsHGV mechanics
CherrymoreHGV drivers, fitters, carpenters, bakers and hospitality staff
Carlos WindowsWindow fitters, plasterers and carpenters
Sheridan WindowsWindow fitters
Your company next?Tell us the role. A member of our team will get back to you within one working day.Send us a brief
Fees and guarantees
Nothing up front. One fee per hire, in writing.
Due once you make the offer. Euro for Irish employers, sterling for UK employers. Government charges passed through at cost.
Local hire
€4,000£4,000 in the UKPer person, already in Ireland or the UK. Due 14 days after the offer is accepted.- Trade tested before you see the CV
- 30 day replacement cover
- Volume pricing at 10 or more
Overseas hire
€5,500£5,500 in the UKPer person, permit and sponsorship handled by us. Paid in two halves, the second only when they start.- Tested at our own centres in Johannesburg, Manila or Dubai
- 3 month cover on a video test
- 6 month cover if you tested them in person
Always
€0£0Up front, and nothing ever charged to the candidate.- No retainer, no startup fee
- No percentage of salary
- You employ them directly, no middleman
Sama Talent & Offshore Services Limited, 136 Capel Street, Dublin D01 T2C9. Licensed employment agency EA 5649, Workplace Relations Commission of Ireland. CRO 810220. UK entity Company No. 17175806.
Sectors
Where we fill roles
Live from our database: how many candidates are on the books for each sector right now. Each page shows the roles, the route and the timeline.
Looking for work?
You never pay us. Not to apply, not to be placed, not for a permit.
Employers pay us. If anybody asks you for money for a job through Sama, it is not us.
Free
Registering, the CV builder, the English and skills tests, the drivers' hours course. All free, always.
Register free QuickRegister in two minutes on your phone, then we talk on WhatsApp. No forms to print, no office to visit.
See live jobs EasyYour own Sama page shows where you stand, live. Flights, bank account, PPSN and a place to stay sorted if you are coming from abroad.
Your candidate accountFree tools for employers
The permit answers, from the Department's own lists
Checked against enterprise.gov.ie and GOV.UK as they change, with our live candidate numbers beside each code.
Guides and news
Latest from Sama
23 May 2026Trade Tests Explained
If you have applied for a Sama Talent role in Ireland, the UK, or the United States, somewhere in your application process...Read the guide
23 May 2026No Fees, Ever | How to Spot a Bad Recruitment Agency
If you are a skilled tradesperson, driver, mechanic, or professional thinking about working abroad, this is the most important article on the...Read the guide
23 May 2026The Five Steps to Working in the UK or Ireland
If you are a tradesperson, driver, or skilled professional thinking about a move to Ireland or the UK in 2026, this article...Read the guideCommon questions
Honest answers
Still wondering?
A member of our team will answer within one working day, or ring us Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
+353 1 903 8249
Message us on WhatsApp
What does it cost to get started?
Nothing. No retainer, no monthly fee and no charge to open a search. The fee is €4,000 per local hire in Ireland, £4,000 in the UK, due 14 days after the offer is accepted, and €5,500 per overseas hire in Ireland, £5,500 in the UK, with the permit and sponsorship handled. Government charges are passed through at cost, and it is in writing before you commit to anything.
How quickly can you fill a role?
Local roles take about two weeks. Overseas hires depend on government processing times, which change, so we give you the current timeline for your role in writing.
Do you handle the visas and permits?
Yes, the whole way. Labour Market Needs Test where one is required, the employment permit or Certificate of Sponsorship, the visa filing, then flights, PPSN or National Insurance number, bank account and accommodation set up. You sign the paperwork, we carry it.
Who employs the candidate, you or us?
They work for you. Anyone hired through Sama is employed directly by your business. No ongoing fees, no percentage deducted from their salary, and no middleman sitting in the arrangement.
Are you regulated?
Sama Talent & Offshore Services Limited holds Employment Agency Licence EA 5649, issued by the Workplace Relations Commission of Ireland and valid to May 2027. Irish company CRO 810220. UK entity Company No. 17175806. US entity Sama Talent LLC, Delaware.
Need staff?
Tell us the role and the start date. A member of our team will get back to you within one working day, and you get a named account manager from day one.
+353 1 903 8249Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Looking for work?
Registering is free and always will be. We read every application but, due to the high volume of applicants, cannot respond to everyone.