Pilot to Perm™ - a smarter hiring model
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Most hiring decisions look right during the process.
Strong CV. Good interviews. The right answers.
But it’s only once someone is in the role that you really know:
And by then, you’ve already committed.
That’s exactly what Pilot to Perm™ is designed to solve.
A structured way to bring someone into your team, see how they actually perform, and only make a permanent decision once you know it’s right.
Step 1 – Get the role right
We take time to properly define what success looks like in the role, not just the job spec.
Step 2 – Bring the right person in
We source and introduce someone aligned to the role, and place them into your team on a pilot basis.
Step 3 – Stay close while it matters
We don’t step away once they start.
We stay close to the role, the onboarding, and expectations to make sure it’s actually working in practice.
Step 4 – Commit with confidence
Once you’ve seen how they perform in your environment, you decide whether to move forward permanently.
Make your permanent decision based on real performance.
From scaling startups to established organisations, we help businesses reduce hiring risk, maintain momentum, and secure the talent they need to grow.
Our Pilot to Perm™ model is designed for organisations that can’t afford to get hiring wrong. Instead of relying on interviews and assumptions, you see how someone performs in your business before making a permanent decision.
This gives you full visibility of performance, cultural fit, and impact, so when you do make an offer, it’s based on evidence, not instinct.
Whether you’re entering a new market, building out a function, or hiring under pressure, we help you move quickly without compromising on quality.
We partnered with Yellow Bricks to strengthen our Customer Success function and improve client engagement across our accounts.
They quickly deployed a team of high-calibre specialists through a Pilot-to-Perm model, allowing us to assess impact in real time. Within weeks, they were optimising account data, working closely with customers, and turning at-risk accounts into stable, high-performing relationships.
The results spoke for themselves and the team became award winning, every consultant transitioned into a permanent role within three months. It was a seamless, low-risk way to build a high-impact team.
We partnered with Yellow Bricks to build out our Technical Customer Service team with individuals who could confidently support both engineers and commercial clients.
They delivered candidates through a Pilot-to-Perm model, giving us the flexibility to assess performance before making long-term decisions. Each hire quickly embedded into the team, handling complex queries and improving customer response.
Twelve hires were made, all of whom transitioned into permanent roles within 6–9 months, providing a flexible, low-risk way to scale our support function without compromising on quality.
We partnered with Yellow Bricks as we expanded into the UK and needed to hire SDRs quickly, despite not yet having a legal entity in place.
Their Pilot-to-Perm model allowed us to onboard talent immediately through their payroll, giving us the flexibility to start building our team and offering across Europe without delay. Each hire integrated quickly and began contributing from day one, supporting early pipeline growth.
All hires transitioned to permanent employees within six weeks, enabling us to establish our UK presence at pace and build a strong commercial foundation from the outset.
Pilot to Perm is a hiring model that allows you to assess a candidate in your business before committing to a permanent contract. It reduces risk by letting you evaluate real performance, not just interview potential.
Unlike traditional temp-to-perm, Pilot to Perm is structured with clear timelines, expectations, and outcomes. It is designed to ensure both performance and long-term fit before making a permanent hire.
Most Pilot to Perm engagements last between 4–8 weeks, although this can be tailored depending on the role, business needs, and hiring timelines.
It is particularly effective for commercial hires at all levels, and roles where performance can be quickly measured, but it can be adapted for a wide range of positions.
Around 85% of Pilot to Perm engagements convert into successful permanent hires.
Because the role is tested in a real working environment, both the organisation and the individual can make a fully informed decision before committing long-term.
It significantly reduces the risk of mis-hires and early attrition.
Pilot to Perm is particularly effective when the role is business-critical, there’s been a recent mis-hire or the team is scaling or evolving.
Confidence in hiring decisions is low. It provides clarity where traditional hiring methods fall short.
Yes. Once the pilot period is complete and both sides are aligned, the candidate transitions into a permanent role within your organisation.
Yes. Our model allows you to hire and onboard talent in the UK without needing to set up a local entity first. We manage employment, payroll, and compliance, so you can focus on building your team and entering the market quickly.
During the pilot phase, individuals are employed and paid via Yellow Bricks’ PAYE payroll. This means we are responsible for employment contracts, tax, National Insurance, and compliance.
This structure ensures the engagement sits outside of IR35, removing the complexity and risk often associated with contractor hiring.
They operate day-to-day within your business, allowing you to assess performance, capability, and fit in a real working environment, without taking on immediate employment responsibility.
At the end of the pilot period, you have the option to hire the individual directly into your organisation as a permanent employee.
No, during the Pilot, you only pay for the time worked.
Once you’re confident it’s the right hire, a success fee is applied.
It’s designed to reduce risk and ensure you only commit when it’s working.
Not quite, it’s more effective than that.
Traditional probation still relies on a decision made upfront, based on interviews and assumptions.
Pilot to Perm flips that model.
The role is proven in practice before a permanent offer is made, meaning the eventual probation period becomes a formality rather than a risk.
It gives both sides confidence before anything long-term is signed.
We operate across the UK, with strong coverage in major towns and cities.
Through a network of experienced specialist recruiters, we combine local market knowledge with national reach, ensuring we can support your hiring wherever it’s needed.
