This guide is for the individual: the freelance recruiter, the solo consultant running a perm desk from a laptop, the rec-to-rec contractor.
Match cover to your model: perm-only solo desks need £1m PI, cyber and little else – cheap and simple. The graduation triggers to watch: your first temp (EL obligations, vicarious liability), your first driver placement (drivers' negligence), your first fidelity-bond clause. Any of those appears in a contract, switch to the agency playbook before you sign.