Contract and interim staff for employers in Devon, Cornwall & Somerset

A project with a deadline, a leader who has left, a role with a set end date. A contractor starts quickly, does the work and leaves when it’s done. As your contract recruitment agency serving Exeter and Plymouth, we find them, check them, talk you through IR35 and look after the contract and payment.

Cathedral Appointments is a recruitment agency based in Exeter, with a presence in Plymouth and Taunton, recruiting for employers across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset since 1988.

Talk to Clodagh Murphy, our Executive Director, on 01392 575692

Our numbers: Exeter 01392 413577, Plymouth 01752 354200, Taunton 01823 813122.

What we do for you

• We find the right contractor. Specialists matched to your brief, so you meet people who have done this work before.
• We check them before they start. Right to work, references, a DBS check where the role needs one, and qualification checks where relevant.
• We talk you through IR35. If you are a medium or large organisation, you decide whether a role falls inside or outside IR35. We explain the process and what your decision means for how the contractor is paid.
• We manage the contract and payment. Contracts and onboarding are ours to handle, not yours. We agree the payment route with you for each assignment, and timesheets and payment run weekly or monthly, as the contract sets out.
• We stay in touch. We support you and the contractor through the assignment, so you can focus on the work.

Contract, interim and fixed-term

Contract. A specialist for a project or a peak of work, for as long as you need them.

Interim. An experienced manager or leader to cover a senior role for a period, such as a vacancy or a change programme.

Fixed-term. A role with a set end date, such as maternity cover or a funded project.

Disciplines we cover

Contract and interim cover is available across our disciplines:

Accountancy & Finance
Business Support
Engineering
Executive & Leadership
HR
IT & Tech
Logistics & Supply Chain
Manufacturing & Production
Marketing & Creative

What to know about contractors

Two sets of rules matter most when you take on a contractor at the moment.

If you are a medium or large organisation, you decide a contractor’s IR35 status. HMRC’s guidance for client organisations says the client is responsible for deciding a contractor’s employment status for tax purposes, and must give a status determination statement setting out the decision and the reasons to the contractor and to the agency, with a way to disagree. If the client is not medium or large, the rules don’t apply to it and the contractor’s own company is responsible. When a contractor’s company is paid through an agency, the party paying it is responsible for deducting tax and National Insurance.

However you need to hire

Permanent. Someone to join your team for the long term. See permanent recruitment.

Temporary. Cover for leave, a busy period or a gap in a team. See temporary support.

Contract, interim and fixed-term. This page: a specialist for a project, a senior cover role or a set end date.

Senior and confidential searches

Interim leaders are often hired quickly and confidentially. Cathedral Appointments recruits at director and board level, and our Executive & Leadership page covers senior appointments across every sector. Talk to Clodagh Murphy on 01392 575692.

Questions we get asked

What is IR35? IR35 is a set of tax rules, also called the off-payroll working rules, that decide whether a contractor working through their own company should be taxed like an employee. If a role is inside IR35, tax and National Insurance are deducted from payment. If it is outside, the contractor’s company is paid directly.

Who decides whether a role is inside IR35? If you are a medium or large organisation, you do. You give the contractor and the agency a status determination statement setting out your decision and the reasons. We can talk you through the process.

How is the contractor paid? It depends on the role and on your IR35 decision. We agree the route with you before the assignment starts: through the contractor’s own limited company, an umbrella company or PAYE. Timesheets and payment run weekly or monthly, as the contract sets out.

What checks do you carry out on contractors? Before a contractor starts, we check their right to work and take up references. Where the role needs it, we also carry out a DBS check, and we check qualifications where they matter for the work.

What does a contractor cost? [We agree the rate with you before the assignment starts, so you know the cost before you commit.]

Did anything change for umbrella companies in April 2026? Yes. From 6 April 2026, agencies, or in their absence end clients, are jointly and severally liable for PAYE that should have been accounted for on payments to workers supplied through umbrella companies. We’ll explain what this means for your assignment.

What’s the difference between a contractor and an interim? A contractor is usually brought in for a specialist piece of work. An interim is an experienced manager or leader who steps into a senior role for a period.

Which areas do you cover? Devon, Cornwall & Somerset, from our office in Exeter, with a presence in Plymouth and Taunton.

Your contact

Clodagh Murphy, Executive Director. Clodagh leads Cathedral Appointments and works with employers across Devon, Cornwall & Somerset on contract and interim appointments at every level. 01392 575692 | clodagh@cathedralappointments.co.uk

Our numbers: Exeter 01392 413577, Plymouth 01752 354200, Taunton 01823 813122.