Agency/recruiters or direct?

[hargi]

Looking for some advice, I normally have long term jobs and have only moved when I have seen an advert in a paper normally and applied direct to the company.

It looks like it it time for me to move on. I have been looking at job sites reed and cwjobs etc and have seen jobs on there, through a little bit of research I have found the proper company and the job listing on their own site.
Im assuming its bettter to apply directly to the company then through a 3rd party?
Am I correct?

 

[hargi]

Yeah I assume that when i see a job on reed.co.uk and it says something like "Premier are acting as an employment agency" that they are acting as a recruiter and I would be employed by the proper company not by premier.