A pair of Mormon missionaries from Gravesend have set up a recruitment agency to help find eastern European immigrants jobs in north Kent and south east London.

The brothers, Tom Shillabeer and Joseph Shillabeer, have spent the last two years working as missionaries in Romania and Serbia and they say they want to challenge the "British stereotyping" of people from eastern Europe.

Tom, a former recruitment consultant, returned from his travels in June 2011 and Joseph, who previously worked in the Speedo store in Bluewater in Dartford, decided to set up the company called SkyLark Noble Ltd after noticing the number of unemployed eastern Europeans in the area in March this year.

Tom, 25, of Kent Road, Gravesend, told News Shopper said: "These people really appreciate everything we as a country take for granted - work, education and family - the three things life is based on.

"They are so hard working and they want to work.

"Nowadays you hear about a lot of people employing people from Poland, a lot of British people don't like this, but as a race they are so, so hard working because they have these values instilled into them - they are enthusiastic workers and they bring a real buzz to the workplace."

Joseph, 22, of Darnley Street, Gravesend, added: "When I say, 'think of a Slovenian person,' a lot of people will have a very negative idea in their head but a lot of these people have graduated from university in their own countries.

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"They are very intelligent people who will settle for any job they can find because they want to work - they want to make a living for themselves and support their families."

The pair became fluent in Romanian and Moldavian whilst carrying out their missionary work and say they grasped a deep understanding of what life is like in eastern Europe.

Tom said: "We taught English, we spread the Mormon message - we helped a lot of people.

"We would go into people's home and help them with whatever they needed doing."

The siblings, who are currently waiting on funding from their bank to take the next step with their business say they have had positive feedback from Gravesend business owners about the initiative.

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Tom said: "People have been so enthusiastic about it - it really is a way to liven up a workforce.

"I have a good friend who works for an insurance firm and he was really excited about the prospect.

"We are currently looking for clients who would be looking to employ eastern Europeans."