Competence checked, not just certificatesRecruitment & manpower
Certified inspection personnel, verified against the scheme
Inspection, QA/QC and asset integrity people supplied on contract, secondment or permanent terms. Because we train to these certifications ourselves, we can test whether a candidate understands them — not just whether they hold one.
What we do
EIM supplies certified inspection and integrity personnel to operators, EPC contractors and inspection companies across the Gulf and India — on contract, on secondment, or permanently placed.
Technical recruitment in this sector has a specific failure mode: a CV lists API 510, the certificate scans clean, and three weeks into a turnaround it becomes obvious the person can read a thickness reading but cannot judge what it means. By then you are carrying the cost and the schedule.
We approach it from the other direction. We train engineers to these certifications and write the exam preparation material for them, so we know what each scheme actually examines and where candidates typically have gaps. A technical screen from us is a conversation about damage mechanisms and code application, not a check that a document exists.
The practical consequence is that we will tell you when a candidate holds the certificate but is not ready for the role you are describing. That costs us placements. It costs you considerably less than the alternative.
Where the requirement turns out to be a capability gap in your existing team rather than a headcount gap, in-house training is usually the cheaper answer and we will say so. And where you need the work done rather than the people supplied, that is inspection services.
Roles we supply
Where our candidates come from
All within inspection, integrity and quality. We do not staff outside that, which is why we can screen it properly.
Inspection & QA/QC
API 510, 570 and 653 inspectors, CSWIP 3.1 and 3.2 welding inspectors, AMPP coating inspectors, and general QA/QC personnel for shutdown and project phases.
Welding & coating inspection
We supply CSWIP welding inspectors and AMPP coating inspectors for projects, yards and shutdowns, ensuring they actually hold the certification you are paying for.
Corrosion & integrity engineering
Corrosion engineers, integrity engineers, RBI analysts and cathodic protection specialists for programme and study work.
Engagement models
Three ways to take someone on
| Model | Typically used when | How it works commercially |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Turnaround, shutdown or project peak with a defined end date | We hold the contract and the payroll; you direct the work. Charged at an agreed day or monthly rate for the duration. |
| Secondment | A gap of several months to a year, or cover for a vacancy being recruited | The individual works under your supervision and procedures while remaining engaged through us. Converts to permanent on agreed terms if it suits both sides. |
| Permanent | A standing role in your organisation | We source, screen and shortlist; you interview, select and employ directly. Fee on placement, with a replacement period agreed up front. |
Which model applies is usually decided by how long the need lasts and by your own contracting rules. Tell us the duration and we will tell you which is cleanest — including when a short contract is genuinely better value for you than a permanent hire.
How we verify
What a certificate does and doesn't tell you
Four checks, in this order. The third is the one most agencies skip.
Certificate authenticity
Verified against the issuing body's register rather than from a scan supplied by the candidate. Forged and expired certificates both circulate in this market.
Currency and scope
Confirming the certification is in date, and that its scope matches the role. A current API 570 does not qualify someone to sign off tank inspection.
Technical screen
A structured conversation with one of our practising engineers about damage mechanisms, code application and judgement calls. This is where a certificate held but not understood becomes obvious.
Experience and references
Equipment types, plant environments and shutdown exposure checked against what the role actually needs, with references taken on the technical work rather than on attendance.
How it works
From requirement to mobilisation
Requirement
Role, certification, equipment types, location, duration and start date. If the requirement as written will not attract the person you actually need, we will say so before searching.
Shortlist
Screened candidates with verified certificates, technical screen notes and honest commentary on where each is strong and where they are not. Usually three to five rather than twenty.
Your selection
You interview and choose. We do not push a preferred candidate, and we will tell you if we think the one you favour is the wrong fit for the scope.
Mobilisation
Documentation, medicals and site access requirements coordinated with your mobilisation team, whose rules ultimately govern. Lead time depends on the country and the operator.
Coverage
Where we place people
Gulf
UAE · Saudi Arabia · Qatar · Oman · Kuwait · Bahrain
Placements across refining, petrochemical, terminal and upstream operators, and with the EPC and inspection contractors serving them.
India
Mumbai · Bengaluru · Jamnagar · Vadodara · Visakhapatnam · Chennai
Domestic placements, and a substantial candidate pool for Gulf roles — a large share of certified inspection personnel in the region are recruited from India.
Elsewhere
On request
We place into other markets where the role justifies it. Visa and site access rules vary considerably, so tell us the location early rather than late.
For candidates
If you're an engineer, not an employer
We do not charge candidates, and we do not place people into roles their certification does not cover.
Certification exam preparation
The certifications that open these roles, with question banks and study notes built to each official body of knowledge.
Browse all certifications →Get taughtLive instructor-led courses
Scheduled open batches taught by practising inspectors, for engineers funding their own certification.
See upcoming courses →RegisterSend us your CV
Certified and looking for contract or permanent work in the Gulf or India? Send your CV and current certificates through the contact form.
Get in touch →FAQs
Questions hiring managers ask
We check against the issuing body's register rather than accepting a scan from the candidate, and we confirm the certification is in date and that its scope matches the role.
Beyond the paperwork, every candidate goes through a technical screen with one of our practising engineers. Certificates prove someone passed an exam on a particular day; the screen establishes whether they can apply it. Those are not the same thing and the gap between them is where most bad placements come from.
Duration usually decides it. A defined peak such as a turnaround suits a contract; a gap of several months to a year suits a secondment; a standing role in the organisation suits permanent placement.
Your own contracting and headcount rules often decide it instead, which is fine — tell us the constraint and we will work within it rather than arguing for the model that suits us.
A shortlist typically takes days rather than weeks for the role types we cover. Mobilisation is the longer pole, and it is driven by factors outside our control: visa processing, medicals, and the operator’s own site access and approval requirements, which differ markedly between countries.
Tell us the required start date with the requirement and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable before you plan around it.
We coordinate the documentation, medicals and access paperwork with your mobilisation team, but the operator’s own rules and sponsorship arrangements ultimately govern what is possible and how long it takes. In several Gulf markets access is controlled entirely by the end client.
We will tell you at the requirement stage which parts sit with us and which sit with you, so nothing falls between the two.
We agree a replacement period up front, in writing, before any placement. The specific terms depend on the engagement model and the duration.
We would rather it never came up, which is why the technical screen exists and why we will tell you when we think a candidate is wrong for a scope even where you are keen on them.
Both, within inspection and integrity. Turnaround surges of several inspectors at once are routine, as are single senior placements such as a corrosion engineer or an integrity lead.
What we are not is a general volume manpower supplier. If the requirement is primarily about headcount at the lowest rate across trades we do not cover, a general contractor will serve you better and we will say so rather than take the enquiry.
Send the role, the certification and the start date
We will come back with a shortlist, the technical screen notes behind it, and an honest view on whether your start date is achievable.