How to choose a locum agency in Australia
Ten things to check before you sign up with any locum agency, and the questions to ask. It takes about ten minutes, and it can save you a bad booking.
The short answer
A good locum agency is registered where it needs to be, tells you the rate before you commit, does the paperwork with you rather than to you, books your travel, and has a recruiter who knows your specialty. Check each point below for any agency you’re considering, including us.
The 10-point checklist
What to check, and how
On the state locum agency register?
NSW Health only books locums through agencies on its Register of Medical Locum Agencies. Check the agency is listed.
Rate up front?
You should see the day or hourly rate before you agree. Ask whether it’s before tax and whether travel is included.
Publishes market rates?
Rates by specialty and grade give you a benchmark to compare offers against.
Free for doctors?
Working with a locum agency should cost you nothing. Ask the agency to confirm it.
Online credentialing?
Can you complete hospital paperwork online, and are documents reused next time?
Travel booked for you?
Does the agency arrange travel and accommodation, and who do you call if a flight changes?
A recruiter for your specialty?
A specialty recruiter knows the hospitals, rosters and rates in your field. Ask who you’d deal with.
What do doctors say?
Check Google reviews: the rating, how many there are and how recent.
Work where you want it?
Ask how many current jobs it has in your specialty and states, metro and rural.
Locum and perm?
If you might go permanent later, an agency that does both can help you try a hospital first.
How Zeep answers the checklist
So you can compare
Every state and territory, metro to remote.
Register. Zeep is on the NSW Health locum agency register.
Rates up front. Every job on our job board shows the rate and dates.
Market rates. We publish day rates by specialty and grade every quarter in Zeep Insights.
Cost. Free for doctors.
Credentialing. Done online in EasySign. Switching is a 16-minute job.
Travel. Our Locum Support team books and coordinates travel and accommodation.
Specialty recruiters. Each specialty has its own recruiter. See your specialty.
Reviews. Rated 4.9★ on Google from 166 reviews, and rated +89 by the doctors we place.
Work available. Over 3,000 open locum jobs. Every state and territory, metro to remote.
Locum and perm. One Zeep partner for both. Permanent roles.
Questions doctors ask about locum agencies
Quick answers
Do doctors pay locum agencies in Australia?
No. Zeep is free for doctors, and most locum agencies are. If an agency asks you to pay, ask why.
Can I work with more than one locum agency?
Yes. Many doctors register with more than one agency. Online credentialing makes it easier; in EasySign, a full pack has been completed in 16 minutes.
How do I check if a locum agency is approved by NSW Health?
NSW Health publishes a Register of Medical Locum Agencies on its website. Check the agency’s name against the list.
What locum rates should I expect?
It depends on specialty, grade and location. From July to September 2026, locum consultants booked through Zeep averaged $2,505 a day and registrars $1,419 a day. See Zeep Insights for rates by specialty.
What questions should I ask a locum agency?
Ask about the rate and whether it’s before tax, whether there’s any cost to you, how credentialing works, who books travel, who your recruiter is, and how many jobs it has in your specialty and states.
Ready to try Zeep?
Register in a few minutes and see the jobs that fit you.
About this guide. Written by Zeep Medical. Rates are averages of locum jobs booked through Zeep from July to September 2026 (Zeep Insights). Reviewed October 2026.
