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The Hire Performance Academy

Performance Marketing Talent
Isn't Just Found. It's Built.

Hiring starts with better training. Every candidate passes a skills assessment, trains live with best-in-class marketing experts, and is placed on our global payroll. Performance marketing talent, ready to execute from day one.

5.0 rated by Agencies and Talent· No Upfront Cost · Shortlisted in 48 hours
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TRUSTED BY BRANDS & AGENCIES WORLDWIDE

Influx
P|G
Wilderness
Unbiased Marketing
Verkeer
Robert Walters
MES MyEdSpace
Independent Contractors

Top 3% of Contractors

The top consultants have passed our platform-specific skills tests, which is verified by our independent assessors.

In-House Employees

Recently Placed Employees

Hire a FTE for the right stage of your agency growth, hire with confidence with platform-specific skills tests.

Paid Search Skills Gap Data

What a skills test actually reveals

From 350+ onboarded PPC specialists, the average candidate scores 3.7/5. Top performers average 4.1/5.

Skill Breakdown

Keyword Strategy

+17%gap between top 3% and the rest
The difference shows up in negative keyword depth and match type strategy, not just keyword research. Top 3% build for intent, not volume.
Skill Breakdown

A/B Testing

+28%gap between top 3% and the rest
Most candidates use basic ad rotation and call it testing. Top 3% use the Experiments tool, isolate variables, and set statistical significance thresholds..
Start a search for your PPC role
Scores by category
All candidates
Top 3%
Bid Strategy
All candidates
3.7
Top 3%
4.7
A/B Testing
All candidates
3.0
Top 3%
3.9
Keyword Strategy
All candidates
3.9
Top 3%
4.6
Ad Copy
All candidates
3.7
Top 3%
3.8
Campaign Build
All candidates
4.3
Top 3%
4.2
Reporting
All candidates
3.7
Top 3%
3.7
Based on 350+ onboarded specialists, 2024–2026 i
350+
Candidates onboarded
Google Ads Search & Shopping
20%
Certified
pass our skills assessments
Top 3%
High performer
add real value
3.7Avg. candidate
4.1Top 3%
out of 5.0 across all categories
Assessments scored by independent PPC assessors across campaign builds, keyword strategy, ad copy, bid management, reporting, and A/B testing, not automated tools.
Onboarding Process

From Brief to Brilliant Hire

Go from first conversation to interview-ready shortlist in under a week. No sifting, no guesswork.

01

10 mins

Define Your Ideal Hire

Share the ad platform, role type (full-time or contract), budget, and industry focus. The sharper your brief, the stronger your shortlist.

02

30 mins

Align with an Advisor

A ClickTrain talent advisor refines your brief and activates your listing. We layer in skills-testing benchmarks so you attract proven specialists, not just applicants.

03

48 hours

Review Ready-to-Interview Talent

Receive a curated shortlist of specialists matched on budget and verified skills. Every candidate has passed identity, right-to-work, and hands-on skills checks. No sifting required.

04

Your Team, Fully Backed

Receive profiles via Slack and chat with candidates on-platform. Interview on your preferred video call provider. You only pay when you hire. Post-hire, add managed payroll, compliance, or live campaign monitoring as you scale.

£35k
Average Salary Matched Median salary of full-time placements made through ClickTrain
350+
Verified Specialists Specialists who have completed platform-specific skills assessments
80%
Vacancy Fill Rate Percentage of briefs that resulted in a confirmed hire within 30 days
48h
Average Time to Shortlist Average time from brief submission to curated shortlist delivery
Based on ClickTrain placement data, 2024–2025
Why ClickTrain

Performance Agencies & Talent
One Platform

A reverse job marketplace where agencies apply to performance marketers. Not the other way around.

Performance Agencies

Hiring struggling to find the qualified freelance or skilled agency specialists? Access ClickTrain's curated network of talent.

  • Access to top 3% skill-tested consultants
  • Access to top 10% open-to-work employees
  • Skill-tested on platform-specific
  • Flexible hiring: direct, contract, or employer or record
  • Dedicated talent manager

Talent

Join a community of skill-tested specialists on the #1 Performance Marketing marketplace, get discovered, shortlisted, and hired by leading brands and agencies.

  • Free registration and profile setup
  • Skills certifications that boost your ranking
  • Get matched with brands and agencies
  • Set your own rates and availability
  • Open feedback to improve at every level

Transparent, Performance-Based Pricing

No upfront fees

Post your brief for free.

Pay only when you hire

Commission only on successful placements.

Flexible engagement models

Direct hire, contract, or Employer of Record. Choose what fits your team.

See full pricing
Testimonials

Trusted by Talent and Agencies

5.0

"We struggled for a long time to find experienced and good staff for the agency. The core issue seemed to have always been the vetting process - that they actually have the skills they claimed to have. ClickTrain eliminated this issue for us. Yes, it definitely feels 'more expensive' than hiring yourself, but the opportunity costs I wasted trying to hire myself probably are much higher by far. The process was smooth, Tyler and Andrew were very professional and friendly, and they were very patient with my needs because I did pivot on my specs and a few candidates. Apologies for that by the way! :-) When we hire again, I'll definitely be using ClickTrain!"

JY
Jeremy Young
Founder — Young & Digital
Trustpilot 5 stars
5.0

"ClickTrain's insights are incredibly helpful for managing campaigns, especially with their Account Listenr and Insights tool. It's been a game-changer in identifying at-risk accounts while also ensuring staff accountability. From a partnership perspective, our agency has secured a few accounts from our partnership with ClickTrain in less than 2 months. If you're looking for a reliable platform to enhance ad performance and a trustworthy agency partner, I'd highly recommend ClickTrain."

WK
Will King
Founder — Get Moving
Trustpilot 5 stars
5.0

"The ClickTrain team were seamless in finding matching us with a freelancer, organising interviews and mediating the negotiations between us. This was our first time using a PPC freelancer so we were relatively in the dark about the process but they helped us all the way. Would definitely recommend."

TG
Tom Green
Founder — Verticode
Trustpilot 5 stars
Read more reviews on Trustpilot
FAQS

Got questions? We've got answers.

Can't find what you're looking for? Get in touch and we'll come back to you within one business day.

All talent on ClickTrain goes through a multi-layer verification process, including:
  • Profile screening and experience review.
  • Mandatory KYC and right-to-work checks before any engagement.
  • Skills assessment that defines the talent's grade. Specialists and Heads of Performance prove capability by assessment before placement; Associates are assessed at the 6-month mark.
Pricing is one all-in monthly fee per head — it covers the talent's rate, payroll/EOR & compliance, and their Academy training. There's no upfront or local-hire option. Typical all-in monthly estimates (United Kingdom; lower in South Africa and Argentina):
  • Associate: £1,500–£2,300. Sourced exclusively via the ClickTrain Academy, Foundations curriculum included.
  • Specialist: £2,400–£3,200. Intermediate-assessed talent with Foundations + Advanced training and a 3-month money-back guarantee on our fees.
  • Head of Performance: £3,000+. Advanced/leadership-assessed senior talent with Foundations + Advanced + Leadership training and a 6-month money-back guarantee on our fees.
The exact figure depends on the talent's own rate and hiring region. Free until you hire, cancel anytime, no minimum term.
Talent set their own pricing based on experience and role type:
  • Contractors set hourly or day rates.
  • Full-time professionals set salary expectations.
ClickTrain does not fix talent pricing, we focus on verification, matching, and delivery quality.
Yes. Performance marketers can join for free with a restricted profile. Talent placed at any grade get their grade's Academy training included, and can develop toward the next grade — Specialist or Head of Performance — through the ClickTrain Academy, with re-grading on passing the relevant assessment.
A talent's grade is defined by the highest assessment they pass: intermediate makes them Specialist-grade, advanced/leadership makes them Head of Performance-grade. Higher grades rank higher in matching, get shortlisted faster, and can command stronger rates due to verified capability. Clients get a money-back guarantee on ClickTrain fees — 3 months at Specialist and 6 months at Head of Performance. For clients, this reduces hiring risk and speeds up decisions.
Beyond verification, ClickTrain supports ongoing quality through client feedback loops, talent performance reviews, and partner oversight for full-time and payroll hires. This ensures talent continues to deliver what was agreed.
If a hire isn't the right fit, we support a replacement search. Subscriptions remain active during the search so the seat keeps moving. Our money-back guarantee covers our fees (not talent pay) if the role doesn't work out — 3 months at Specialist and 6 months at Head of Performance. Our priority is successful, long-term matches.
There are two billing modes across all three grades (Associate, Specialist, Head of Performance), both cancel-anytime with no minimum term:
  • Monthly (EOR Hire): ClickTrain runs employment, payroll, tax, local contracts, and HR support. Billed per head, per month.
  • Upfront (Local Hire): a one-off placement fee — you run your own payroll and compliance, ClickTrain places the talent.
You're only billed once you hire.
On Monthly (EOR Hire), every grade includes EOR/payroll, local contracts and compliance, payroll and taxes, and HR support, bundled into the per-head fee. On Upfront (Local Hire) you run your own payroll and compliance, and ClickTrain only places the talent. ClickTrain operates in Tier 1 markets (United Kingdom) and Tier 2 markets (South Africa, Argentina), so you can hire across regions without setting up local entities.
ClickTrain earns its fee on placements across the three grades (Associate, Specialist, Head of Performance) — billed monthly on EOR or as a one-off upfront placement fee — plus paid Academy development access for talent growing toward the next grade. We're only paid once you hire, so incentives stay aligned with successful matches.
Yes. You can move between grades (Associate, Specialist, Head of Performance) as your hiring needs evolve. Talent develop toward the next grade through the ClickTrain Academy and are re-graded when they pass the relevant assessment, so a placement can grow with you over time.
ASUM is ClickTrain's internal scoring system that evaluates agencies based on account activity, accounts per specialist, sentiment, and overall marketplace signals. A higher ASUM can unlock partner benefits such as priority access to top talent and faster shortlisting.
Talent sets their own rates on ClickTrain. Contractors choose their hourly or day rates, while full-time professionals set their salary expectations. ClickTrain does not dictate pricing, instead, we focus on verification, skills testing, and matching so businesses can make informed hiring decisions based on value, not guesswork.

Start building your team today.

Post your first brief in 2 minutes. No upfront cost, shortlisted in 48 hours.