Professional Consultants

BG Careers

Services offered: outplacements, career coaching

Locations covered: London (particularly the City)

Used by: CMS Cameron McKenna (for non-lawyers), Freshfields

Approximate cost for outplacement: £3,000 to £6,000 for three months

Who they work for: investment banks, fund managers, insurance companies, management consultancies, law firms

Numbers in team: seven in team including occupational psychologist

Qualifications: all given specialist training

PCM

Services offered: outplacements, career management and coaching, teambuilding, conflict resolution

Locations covered: London

Used by: CMSCameron McKenna (for lawyers), Freshfields, Clifford Chance, Eversheds, Linklaters (careers counselling for partners), DLA

Approximate cost for outplacement: £4,000 for three months

Who they work for: law firms, Bank of England

Numbers in team: three in permanent team and two associates (usually retired partners)

Qualifications: all members of the International Association of Career Management Professionals

Sanders & Sidney

Services offered: outplacements, career transition

Locations covered: nationwide (25 offices in the UK and Ireland)

Used by: Clifford Chance, Linklaters (for non-lawyers)

Approximate cost for outplacement: £4,500 for three months

Who they work for: FTSE 100 firms

Numbers in team: 250 consultants

Qualifications: specialist training is given by the company, and some members of staff are trained counsellors

TDA Consulting

Services offered: outplacements, career transition

Locations covered: nationwide

Used by: Clifford Chance

Approximate cost for outplacement: £6,000 for four to six months

Who they work for: The Times top 100 firms, professional organisations

Numbers in team: 20 people in team plus 50 associate counsellors spread nationally

Qualifications: 20 people within the core team are trained counsellors with diplomas in career counselling, or else they are currently training for the diploma