Choosing the right learning and development contract staffing company can determine whether your training project succeeds or becomes another hiring headache. While many staffing agencies claim to recruit instructional designers, facilitators, eLearning developers, and learning consultants, not every firm specializes in corporate learning and development. Before selecting a staffing partner, ask these key questions to evaluate their expertise, vetting process, consultant quality, and ability to support your long-term learning initiatives.
How Much Does This Company Know
About Learning and Development?
When choosing a staffing company, it’s essential to gauge how deeply they understand learning and development. Some staffing firms place contractors in any field that is requested, spread their efforts across multiple industries. They treat L&D like just another sector. Others simply cast a wide net, watching client systems and sending the job postings to a long list of consultants without fully vetting their qualifications. These companies often lack the in-depth knowledge required to identify top talent in the L&D space.
To ensure you’re working with a true L&D specialist, ask specific questions about the learning and development expertise of the company. Don’t hesitate to dig deeper—look up the background of the representative on LinkedIn. It’s not uncommon for someone to claim L&D experience just because they’ve sold to the industry, without having the hands-on knowledge needed to make informed staffing decisions.
General Staffing Agency vs. Specialized L&D Staffing Company
|
General Staffing Agency
|
Specialized L&D Staffing Company
|
|---|---|
Recruiters, sales, or account managers may not understand instructional design roles |
Practitioner-led relationship managers understand L&D |
Sends large batches of resumes |
Curated consultant recommendations |
Resume keyword matching |
Portfolio and experience review |
Often transactional |
Consultative partnership |
Limited project guidance |
Helps define the right role before recruiting |
TrainingPros Note: At TrainingPros, we go beyond surface-level experience. Our relationship managers have a wealth of expertise in corporate learning and development, and many have been either clients or consultants with TrainingPros in the past.
Who Does the Vetting of Consultants?
The process of vetting consultants can differ significantly between staffing companies. Many general staffing firms, especially those without a focus on learning and development, rely heavily on corporate hiring managers to do the majority of the vetting themselves. Some L&D staffing companies may only ensure that a consultant is available and that their resume contains the right keywords, leaving it to the hiring manager to assess the consultant’s actual expertise. In some cases, staffing companies outsource the vetting process to overseas recruiters in an attempt to cut costs, which can lead to gaps in quality and understanding of your project’s needs.
TrainingPros Note: At TrainingPros, our industry experienced relationship managers will not only make sure the consultant is available and qualified according to their resume, but they will also review their portfolio and ask them in-depth questions to ensure they have the experience required and are a good cultural fit.
How Many Resumes Will You Receive for Each Opening?
Have you ever been presented with a list of 20 or more resumes to review? It’s a ridiculous task for an L&D leader to go through resumes. Many staffing companies will send you every resume possible for an opening, requiring you to spend hours reviewing resumes. Ask the company how many resumes you can expect for each open position.
TrainingPros Note: Unless you request more, your TrainingPros industry-experienced relationship manager (RM) will send you one or two resumes for each open position. Hours of vetting by the RM will go into each selection. The goal here is to save you hours of work screening resumes and candidates.
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Who Will You Be Working with
Once You've Signed the Contract?
You’ve had a great conversation with a knowledgeable company representative who seems to really understand your organization’s needs and culture. But will this be the person managing your account? In many cases, after the initial discussion, you’re handed off to different team members—one for the candidate search, another for invoicing, and yet another for ongoing support. This common practice can be frustrating, as it forces you to repeatedly explain your requirements to multiple people, leading to potential miscommunication and delays.
TrainingPros Note: Your relationship manager is your primary point of contact from the initial conversation about working together through invoicing. Your relationship manager is the person who is vetting and selecting the candidates for you, as well as ensuring that the consultant meets all of your expectations.
What Is the Internal Turnover Rate
at the Staffing Company?
A company’s internal turnover rate can be a telling sign of its stability and culture. High turnover within the staffing company may suggest underlying issues, such as poor management or a lack of support for their employees. In addition, this means that you will have to get a new account manager up to speed often when your representative leaves the company. Continuity of service becomes an issue.
TrainingPros Note: As of the date of this article, the average tenure of our relationship managers is 8 years. The average years for our team of recruiters on our team is 14 years. The average years of work tenure of our customer success team is 14 years. TrainingPros has won several awards for being a great place to work. This means that while we can’t guarantee it, it’s likely that your relationship manager will be with you for many years.
What Is the Company’s Success Rate
for Finding the Right Consultant?
One of the most important factors to consider is the company’s track record. What percentage of placements are considered successful by their clients? What percentage of consultants finish the project they are contracted for? The staffing industry at large has a staggering 451% failure rate in these terms. In other words, 4.5 out of 5 consultants don’t finish the project they were hired for.
TrainingPros Note: While specialized companies have a higher than standard success rate, we are proud of our 96% success rate on our selected consultants. We credit this to our in-depth vetting process coupled with our customized onboarding program for consultants and clients.
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How Easily Can This Company Scale for a Large Project?
If you’re planning a large-scale L&D initiative, it’s essential to know if the staffing company can scale to meet your needs. Smaller companies may not have the capital required to payroll a large team of facilitators, instructional designers, or classroom producers. In addition, smaller regional companies may not have the network of consultants required to scale a team quickly. Ask about their experience with larger projects and how quickly they can source additional consultants if required. Additionally, ask about their ability to handle an increase in payroll of 20 or more consultants at once.
TrainingPros Note: TrainingPros has been in business for 29+ years as this article is being written. We have successfully scaled for many very large training rollouts, eLearning initiatives, and instructional design projects through our network of 15,000+ consultants. We can easily handle the expense and recruitment of a large team for a big training project.
How Quickly Do the Consultants Get Paid?
Believe it or not, there are some smaller companies that don’t pay the consultant until the client pays. There are also companies that have a 30-day pay period, requiring the consultants to wait 30 days after the work is performed before they are paid. Consultants overwhelmingly prefer staffing companies that pay them right away.
TrainingPros Note: TrainingPros has a 2-week pay period. We pay the consultants before we send the invoice to the client. Our consultants are paid via direct deposit.
How Much L&D Experience Do the Recruiters Have?
When selecting a staffing company, the level of experience of their recruiters can make a world of difference. Ask how many years they’ve been recruiting in the L&D field and how well they understand the nuances of instructional design, training delivery, or eLearning development. Ask questions about how they continuously learn about the changes and new trends in L&D. A seasoned recruiter who speaks your language will have a far better grasp of your project needs and can find consultants who are a great fit.
TrainingPros note: As of the writing of this article, our specialized learning and development recruiting team has an average of 12 years of experience recruiting for L&D. They meet frequently with our relationship managers to understand the newest trends in skills our clients are seeking. While they leave the final vetting to the relationship managers, they are highly specialized in finding the best L&D consultants for our talent pool.
Does the Company Outsource Work
Overseas to Save Money?
Anyone that has worked in L&D for a long period of time has had to face the prospect of outsourcing some part of the L&D function overseas. This is an attractive prospect to upper management because the wages are much lower in many countries. Many companies find after a year or so that this arrangement doesn’t work well.
Many companies outsource either recruiters, instructional designers, or eLearning resources overseas to reduce costs and make a larger profit. If this is in line with your company strategy you will have success with this company. However, we have found that this strategy is not only contradictory to most large corporate strategies, but it is often also never mentioned by the staffing company.
TrainingPros Note: Our recruiters are based right here in the USA. In addition, we only seek consultants overseas when our client specifically requests a consultant in another country, and we pay them the same wage we would pay a US consultant. We never sub-contract our work to consultants in countries with lower wages to save money.
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Common Mistakes When Choosing
a Learning & Development Staffing Company
Selecting a staffing partner is about more than finding someone who can send resumes quickly. The wrong choice can lead to poor consultant matches, project delays, and additional hiring costs. Avoid these common mistakes when evaluating learning and development staffing companies.
- Choosing based only on hourly rates. The lowest rate isn’t always the best value. An experienced consultant who delivers quality work efficiently often provides a better return on investment than a less expensive consultant who requires more oversight or rework.
- Assuming every staffing firm understands learning and development. Many staffing agencies recruit across dozens of industries. Look for a partner that specializes in corporate learning and development and understands the unique skills required for instructional designers, facilitators, eLearning developers, learning strategists, and other L&D professionals.
- Accepting dozens of resumes instead of curated recommendations. Reviewing large stacks of resumes shifts the recruiting burden back to your team. A specialized staffing partner should carefully vet consultants and present only a small number of highly qualified candidates who closely match your needs.
- Not asking how consultants are vetted. Before engaging a staffing company, understand how consultants are evaluated. Do they conduct interviews? Review portfolios? Verify relevant experience? Check references? A thorough vetting process increases the likelihood of a successful placement.
- Overlooking the recruiter’s learning and development expertise. Recruiters who understand the L&D profession are better equipped to recognize the differences between similar roles, ask meaningful questions, and identify consultants with the right combination of technical and business experience.
- Ignoring long-term client relationships and consultant retention. A staffing company with repeat clients and long-standing consultant relationships often demonstrates a commitment to quality, communication, and successful project outcomes.
- Prioritizing speed over fit. While filling an urgent need is important, placing the wrong consultant can be far more costly than waiting a few extra days for the right one. The best staffing partners balance responsiveness with careful matching.
- Forgetting to ask what happens after the consultant starts. Ongoing communication is an important part of a successful engagement. Ask how the staffing company supports both the client and the consultant, handles concerns, and helps ensure the project stays on track.
Taking time to evaluate a staffing partner carefully can help you avoid costly hiring mistakes and build a relationship with a trusted resource that supports your learning and development initiatives for years to come.
Signs You've Found the Right
Learning & Development Staffing Partner
Not all staffing companies approach learning and development the same way. The best partners do more than fill open positions, they take the time to understand your business, recommend the right expertise, and remain engaged throughout your project. If you notice the following characteristics, you’re likely working with a strong learning and development staffing partner:
- They ask thoughtful questions before beginning the search. Rather than immediately requesting a job description, they seek to understand your business goals, project scope, timeline, team structure, and desired outcomes.
- They understand the differences between learning roles. They can clearly explain when you need an instructional designer, facilitator, performance consultant, learning strategist, LMS administrator, learning project manager, or another L&D specialist and help you determine which role is the best fit.
- They focus on business outcomes, not just job titles. Instead of simply filling a request, they discuss the challenges you’re trying to solve and recommend consultants whose experience aligns with your objectives.
- They evaluate portfolios and practical experience, not just resumes. Strong staffing partners review work samples, discuss real project experience, and assess whether consultants have successfully delivered similar learning initiatives.
- They explain how consultants are vetted. You should understand how candidates are screened, interviewed, evaluated, and selected before they’re presented to you.
- They remain involved after the consultant starts. The relationship shouldn’t end once a consultant is placed. Great staffing partners check in regularly, help resolve issues quickly, and ensure the engagement continues to meet your expectations.
- They can support projects of any size. Whether you need one instructional designer for a short-term project or an entire team of learning professionals for a large transformation initiative, they have the network and experience to scale with your needs.
- They provide one consistent point of contact. Working with a dedicated account manager who understands your organization makes communication easier, speeds future requests, and helps build a long-term partnership based on trust.
Choosing the right learning and development staffing partner isn’t just about finding talent quickly, it’s about finding a team that understands the learning profession, acts as a trusted advisor, and helps your organization deliver successful learning initiatives with confidence.
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Conclusion
Selecting the right learning and development contract recruiting or staffing company for your L&D projects goes beyond simply filling roles. It’s about partnering with a contract staffing company that understands the intricacies of learning and development and can provide the expertise you need. By asking the critical questions outlined in this guide, you’ll be better prepared to evaluate potential staffing partners. This ensures you choose a company that not only delivers qualified L&D consultants but also aligns with your project goals and long-term success. Whether you’re scaling a large initiative or seeking specialized expertise, working with the right learning and development recruiters and account managers can make all the difference in driving successful outcomes.
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Does your L&D team have more projects than people?
Many organizations in this position turn to contract instructional designers to scale training without overloading internal teams. If you’re exploring options or comparing eLearning development companies, you should learn more about how organizations design and scale these solutions.
TrainingPros is a learning and development company that connects organizations with experienced instructional designers, eLearning developers, and performance consultants. We’ve been named a Top 20 Staffing Company by Training Industry and a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), recognition that reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored learning solutions. To hear ongoing conversations with senior learning leaders, listen to our Learning Leader Spotlight podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
If your learning initiatives require additional support, whether for a single project or a large-scale rollout, our relationship managers can help you find the right expertise quickly and confidently.
When you have more projects than people™, let TrainingPros find the right consultant to start your project with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Learning and Development Staffing Company
How do I choose an L&D staffing company?
Look for a staffing partner that specializes in corporate learning and development, understands L&D roles, thoroughly vets consultants, and provides ongoing support throughout the engagement.
What's the difference between a general staffing agency and an L&D staffing company?
A specialized L&D staffing company understands instructional design, facilitation, eLearning development, learning strategy, LMS administration, and other learning roles. General staffing firms often recruit across many industries and may rely primarily on keyword matching.
Should I work with a staffing company or recruit consultants myself?
Recruiting consultants yourself gives you complete control over the hiring process—but it also means taking responsibility for sourcing candidates, evaluating portfolios, interviewing, checking references, negotiating contracts, and managing the entire recruitment effort. For organizations that hire learning professionals infrequently, distinguishing between similar roles and accurately assessing specialized skills can be challenging.
A learning and development staffing company handles much of that work for you. Specialized firms maintain networks of experienced consultants, understand the nuances of L&D roles, thoroughly vet candidates, and recommend only those who closely match your requirements. Rather than acting as a resume clearinghouse, the right staffing partner helps you make faster, more informed hiring decisions while reducing the risk of a poor fit. The result is less time spent recruiting and more time focused on achieving your learning and business goals.
How quickly can an L&D staffing company find consultants?
Timeframes vary by role and market conditions, but specialized firms with established consultant networks can often identify qualified candidates much faster than organizations recruiting independently.
Can an L&D staffing company build an entire project team?
Yes. Many specialized firms can assemble instructional designers, facilitators, eLearning developers, project managers, LMS administrators, learning strategists, and other specialists for large initiatives.
