Spot the latest contract roles the moment they are posted
and contact the hiring manager directly.
Comparison
Where do UK contract roles get advertised? Contract job boards, general job boards, job search engines, the Civil Service jobs site, recruitment agencies and LinkedIn posts each cover a different slice. Here is how they compare for contractors.
| Site | Type | Best for | LinkedIn post roles | Alerts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance Radar | Contract role radar | Contract roles announced in LinkedIn posts, with direct contact | Yes | Yes |
| JobServe | Job board | IT contractors who want a classic job board with a strong contract history. | No | Yes |
| CWJobs | IT job board | IT professionals looking at both permanent and contract roles. | No | Yes |
| Reed | Job board | Broad searches across every kind of UK job. | No | Yes |
| Indeed UK | Job search engine | Broad searches across every kind of job. | No | Yes |
| LinkedIn Jobs | Job listings on LinkedIn | Formal job ads from companies with an active LinkedIn presence. | No | Yes |
| Civil Service Jobs | UK Civil Service jobs site | People who want a Civil Service position as an employee. | No | Yes |
| Recruitment agencies | Recruitment agencies | Contractors who want a recruiter to handle placement and payment. | No | No |
Comparison as of 2026, based on public information.
Freelance Radar finds the contract roles that recruiters, agencies and hiring managers announce in LinkedIn posts, including the many that never become a formal job ad. You see who posted each role and contact them directly.
JobServe is one of the longest running UK job boards, well known among IT contractors, where recruitment agencies post contract and permanent roles.
Best for: IT contractors who want a classic job board with a strong contract history. Read the full comparison
CWJobs is a UK job board specialised in IT and technology roles, where employers and recruitment agencies post permanent and contract jobs.
Best for: IT professionals looking at both permanent and contract roles. Read the full comparison
reed.co.uk is a large UK job board run by Reed, which is also a recruitment agency. Employers and agencies post jobs across every industry, including contract and temporary roles.
Best for: Broad searches across every kind of UK job. Read the full comparison
Indeed is a general job search engine that gathers job ads from employer career sites and job boards across every industry, with a UK edition.
Best for: Broad searches across every kind of job. Read the full comparison
LinkedIn Jobs is the job listings section of LinkedIn, where companies and recruiters publish formal job ads that you can search and apply to.
Best for: Formal job ads from companies with an active LinkedIn presence. Read the full comparison
Civil Service Jobs is the official site where UK government departments and agencies advertise Civil Service vacancies.
Best for: People who want a Civil Service position as an employee. Read the full comparison
Hundreds of UK recruitment agencies, from large generalists to small specialists, place contractors with clients, inside IR35 through an umbrella company or agency PAYE, or outside IR35 through the contractor's own limited company.
Best for: Contractors who want a recruiter to handle placement and payment. Read the full comparison
What is the best site to find contract roles in the UK?
There is no single best site. Contract job boards, general job boards, job search engines, the Civil Service jobs site and recruitment agencies each cover part of the market. Many contract roles are also announced only in LinkedIn posts by recruiters, which is the part Freelance Radar covers.
Where do recruitment agencies post contract roles?
Agencies advertise on job boards and on their own sites, and their recruiters very often announce new contracts in LinkedIn posts, sometimes before or instead of a formal job ad.
How do I find outside IR35 contracts?
Look for roles that state the IR35 status. Freelance Radar keeps the status as written in each post and has a dedicated list of outside IR35 contracts, updated continuously.
