UK Recruitment Glossary
Settlement Agreement
In recruiter context
Formerly called a 'compromise agreement', renamed in 2013. UK law requires you to take independent legal advice before signing — and the employer typically pays £500-£1,500 toward the legal fee. Settlement agreements are common in redundancies, sensitive exits, and grievance resolutions. The first £30,000 of an ex-gratia termination payment is tax-free (PILON and accrued benefits are taxed normally). The candidate-side mistake to avoid: assuming the first offer is final. Specialist employment solicitors recover their fee on the negotiation alone — there's typically 10-25% headroom on the ex-gratia portion if you push.
Related terms
Long-Service Award
Recognition payments or gifts given to employees who reach service milestones — typically every 5 or…
Counter-Offer
When you resign and your current employer offers a raise, promotion, or new title to make you stay.
Networking
Building professional contacts who can refer you, advise you, or hire you in the future.
CV (Curriculum Vitae)
The UK and most of Europe call it a CV; the US mostly calls it a resume.