The Dovetail & Slate Story
Built without force. Made to last.
A dovetail is a joint that needs no glue. Cut properly, two pieces of wood hold each other for a lifetime - no force, no shortcuts, just craft. Slate is the material that outlasts every weather thrown at it. That's not just our name. It's how we build relationships: strong enough to hold without force, made to last all seasons.
Our Story
Recruitment could be done differently
Where it began
Before Dovetail & Slate, our founder Guy Walker worked for one of recruitment's biggest names, a business that cared only about margin. Candidates were numbers, clients were accounts, placements were transactions to be closed, not lives and services to be changed. Inspired by his mum, a social worker who dedicated her career to public service, Guy set out in 2018 to build a recruitment business the way she worked: with care, with purpose and with the outcome of every placement first. With £15,000 and a spare bedroom, Dovetail & Slate was born, not just to fill positions, but to build a thriving community for candidates, clients and colleagues alike.
Growth fuelled by purpose
From that spare bedroom came our first small office in Bradley Stoke, Bristol. Then came Covid... and we survived it, together, in our infancy. Then came the people: brilliant colleagues who didn't just join the business, they boldened the brand and fast-tracked everything we set out to do. Today, Dovetail & Slate spans London, Bristol, Manchester and Leeds, with a team of over 90 professionals carrying more than 200 years of combined experience, recruiting across the public sector with deep roots in education, putting the right people into the schools, services and institutions that hold communities together. We became one of the UK's fastest-growing specialist recruiters, but never lost the close-knit feel we started with.
A force for good
A defining chapter came as the recognition began to arrive, proof that a successful business can also be a force for good in society. For Guy, it was about "changing the rules of the game": growth and ethics go hand in hand. Our people earned recognition we're fiercely proud of: Investors in People Platinum (held by fewer than 2% of accredited organisations), The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, and The Times Fastest Growing Companies 2025. Each award isn't an accolade to hang on a wall, it's a reminder of why we began.
Today and tomorrow
Our ambition is simple to say and hard to do: to become the UK's largest privately owned public sector recruiter, delivering real value to our colleagues, clients and candidates, with passion in our soul. Our story is still being written, and we'll grow the way we've always grown: without force, built to last, all seasons.
How We're Built
SPIRE
Five pillars shape every decision we make.
Stable
Founded on a legacy of service, relationships that hold without force. No distant shareholders chasing quarterly numbers; a business owned by its purpose and run for the long term. Trust is our bedrock.
Profitable
Profit done right funds the mission. Sustainable, well-earned growth took us from a spare bedroom to four offices and into The Times Fastest Growing Companies 2025 — every ethical pound secures our people's futures.
Innovative
We shy away from nothing. New technology, untapped talent pools, rethought processes — always in service of a better outcome. Fearless innovation is how a small specialist firm outgrew giants.
Renowned
Our reputation is earned, not claimed: Investors in People Platinum, The Times Best Places to Work. We intend to be the most renowned privately owned public sector recruiter in the UK.
Empowering
"Empowering people and changing lives" is what gets us out of bed — our employees to be their best, our clients with outstanding talent, our candidates with life-changing opportunities. Leadership here is shared.
Our Ethos
GROW
If SPIRE is how we're built, GROW is how we behave — every day, on every desk.
Grit
We don't quit. We survived a pandemic in our infancy; we fight for every placement like it matters — because it does.
Respect
For candidates, clients and colleagues alike. No one is a number here. Honesty, integrity and open communication — we don't cut corners, and we don't shy away from tough conversations.
Optimism
We believe in better: better placements, better services, better futures. It's the energy you feel walking into any of our offices.
Wellbeing
Ours, yours, everyone's. A placement only counts as a success if the person thrives in it. When our people thrive, so does our business.
Beyond Our Walls
Our ethos extends beyond our walls. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility, running our offices sustainably, volunteering in our communities and providing free or reduced-cost services where they're needed most, such as supporting prison education to reduce re-offending. We're part of the communities we serve and we act like it.
Our People
Our people are our superpower
The reason for our success and the champions of our future. When our people thrive, everybody wins.
One team
We work across four cities and many public sector specialisms, but we are one close-knit team united by shared values. We don't draw a line between our colleagues, our candidates, our clients and the communities they serve, it's all one team.
When a teacher we place changes a classroom, when a public servant we find strengthens a council, when a colleague grows into a career they love, that's the community we're building, and everyone in it belongs.
Empowered and growing
If we take care of our people, they take care of everything else. Professional growth here is a priority, not a perk: clear progression paths, continuous training, and benefits that support wellbeing from health cover to gym contributions. Senior leaders, Guy included, actively coach and mentor newer team members.
Our Investors in People Platinum accreditation reflects what we've always believed: our people are our biggest asset.
Led by authentic leadership
Guy leads with humility, authenticity and an open door, you're as likely to find him chatting with a new starter in the kitchen as in a boardroom. Decisions are shaped with input from the whole team through regular forums and surveys. Every voice matters, and everyone who contributes to our success shares in it.
Camaraderie and character
Walk into any of our offices and you'll sense the energy. We make time for team lunches, volunteering days and celebrations, and we embrace what makes each person themselves: the educators-turned-recruiters, the avid cyclists, the talented chefs, the weekend competitive dancers.
Happy, engaged recruiters make a positive impact on everyone they meet and it shows in the relationships we build.
Together, we thrive
Our people know their work has meaning. The stories of lives changed, a teacher placed in their dream role, a school finding exactly the leader it needed, all trace back to our people's dedication.
Our people are our superpower, the champions of our future. When our people thrive, everybody wins.
Recruitment done right changes lives
A legacy of service that keeps on serving. When our people thrive, everybody wins — whether you're building a team or taking the next step in your career, we'd love to build something that lasts, with you.