Hire Tech Graduates UK
— No Agency Fees.
Stop paying £5,000–£10,000 in recruitment agency fees. TechLocal gives you direct access to verified tech students from Teesside University — software developers, data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, UX designers, and more. Browse free. Connect directly. Save thousands on every hire.
TechLocal is a UK tech recruitment platform. Employers in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar, and across Tees Valley can browse verified tech students free and contact them directly. Unlike agencies that charge 15–30% of salary, TechLocal has no placement fees, no subscriptions, and no recruiter middlemen.
Hiring tech talent shouldn't cost you thousands before you've made a single call.
In 2026, the average cost of a single UK hire is £6,125 — and that's before a placement fee. Use a recruitment agency for a tech role and you're typically paying 15–20% of a candidate's first-year salary. For a £35,000 developer, that's between £5,250 and £7,000, paid whether or not the hire works out.
For Tees Valley SMEs, that's a significant budget risk on top of an already complex hiring process.
And yet, Teesside University produces hundreds of talented tech graduates every year — many of whom want to stay in the region, work with local businesses, and build careers here.
The problem isn't the talent. It's the visibility. TechLocal fixes that.
£6,125
Average cost per hire, UK (CIPD)
Source: CIPD 202515–20%
Typical agency fee on tech salary
Market AverageTechLocal vs traditional recruitment — an honest comparison.
TechLocal is an alternative to recruitment agencies for hiring tech graduates and students in Tees Valley. Browsing is free. Traditional recruitment agencies charge 15–20% of first-year salary — typically £5,000–£10,000 per tech hire.
| Feature | TechLocal | Recruitment agency | Job board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browse talent | Free | Not applicable | Paid listing |
| Contact a candidate | Contact us | £5,250–£10,500 per hire | Candidates apply to you |
| Direct communication | Yes — automatic | No | Not applicable |
| Verified students | Teesside University | Self-declared | Self-declared |
| Local focus | Tees Valley only | Varies | National/global |
| Time to first contact | Minutes | Days–weeks | Days–weeks |
| Subscription | None required | Retained fees | Monthly/annual |
Recruitment agency fee estimates based on 15–20% of £35,000 first-year salary. Source: CIPD 2025.
How TechLocal works for employers
Employers register free, browse all verified Teesside University student profiles, and send contact requests directly. No subscription required.
Register free (2 mins)
Create your employer account with your company name and business email. No payment required.
Tip: Verification is manual — usually approved within 24 hours.
Browse talent
Search all verified student profiles. Filter by category, skills, availability, and work type.
You can browse as long as you like, at no cost.
Send a request
Send a contact request with a personalised message directly to the student you want to connect with.
Direct — no middlemen.
Connect directly
When a student accepts, you're connected directly. No recruiter fee, no percentage of salary.
No agency middlemen.
What kind of talent can you find?
TechLocal covers the full range of tech disciplines studied at Teesside University's School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies — plus business, design, and media.
Software Development
Data & AI
Cybersecurity
Digital Marketing
UX & Design
Business & Entrepreneurship
Networking & Infrastructure
Games Development
Film, Media & Content
Accounting & Finance
Common questions from employers.
Do I have to pay to see student profiles?
No. Browsing all student profiles is completely free. You only pay when you want to send a contact request to a specific student.
What happens if a student doesn't respond?
You are charged when you send the initial contact request. While many students reply quickly, a response is not guaranteed.
Are these students actually from Teesside University?
Yes. Students register with their official Teesside University email address and are reviewed by our team before their profile goes live. A "Verified" badge confirms they are enrolled or recently graduated. Teesside University was named University of the Year 2025 by Times Higher Education.
Can I use TechLocal for internships and part-time roles, not just full-time?
Yes. Students set their availability preferences — full-time, part-time, internship, freelance, or contract. You can filter by availability type so you only see students open to the type of engagement you're offering.
What information do I see on a student profile?
You can see: name, photo, university, course, graduation year, skills, project descriptions, bio, availability, and work type preference. You cannot see: email address, phone number, or CV. These are only shared when a student accepts your contact request.
What if I hire the wrong person?
TechLocal facilitates introductions — we're not a recruitment agency and we don't guarantee outcomes. We recommend viewing student profiles, reviewing their projects carefully, and treating the first contact as the start of a conversation rather than a final hiring decision.
Built by Digital Towns Ltd — Tees Valley's digital innovation company.
TechLocal is a product of Digital Towns Ltd, a software development and AI research company headquartered at Launchpad, Teesside University, Middlesbrough. We build platforms that strengthen local digital economies — and TechLocal is the most direct expression of that mission.
We're not a London startup that's expanded north. We're built here. We understand what Tees Valley businesses need from tech talent.
TechLocal vs recruitment agencies: cost comparison
A typical UK recruitment agency charges 15-30% of a candidate's first-year salary as a placement fee. For a junior developer on £35,000, that means £5,250-£10,500 per hire. TechLocal has no placement fees, no subscriptions, and no recruiter middlemen. Employers browse all verified student profiles for free and contact students directly.
Tech recruitment in Tees Valley
TechLocal is the only dedicated tech talent platform for the Tees Valley region. It connects employers directly with verified students from Teesside University — named University of the Year 2025 by Times Higher Education. Students cover 10 skill categories including software development, data science, AI, cybersecurity, UX design, digital marketing, games development, and more. Employers can hire for full-time, part-time, internship, freelance, and contract roles.
Start browsing — it's free.
Register your employer account in two minutes. Browse all verified student profiles at no cost. Connect directly with the talent you want.