Three ways to hire, determined by the situation
Direct hire, employer of record or contractor engagement in 170+ countries. The platform recommends the right model based on the jurisdiction and the working arrangement. You choose.
Direct hire
You already have an entity where your candidate lives. We handle sourcing, screening and compliant contracts; you run payroll through your existing systems.
- ✓No per-worker fee — you're the employer
- ✓Use your existing legal entity
- ✓Full-time or fixed-term contracts
- ✓AI-assisted sourcing and screening included
- ✓Compliant contract generation for the jurisdiction
Best when: You have a local entity and want full control of the employment relationship. Best for companies with established offices in the target country.
See pricingEmployer of record
No entity where your hire lives? Corpshore (or a vetted partner) is the legal employer. The person works for you day-to-day, but we handle the employment contract, payroll, tax, social contributions, and statutory benefits.
- ✓$399/employee/mo (own entity)
- ✓Partner entity: partner cost + $99/mo
- ✓Active entities in 85+ countries
- ✓Locally compliant employment contracts
- ✓Statutory benefits, termination, severance handled
Best when: You want to hire in a country where you don't have a legal entity, and the role needs genuine employment status — statutory benefits, labour law protections, and a real employment contract.
How EOR worksContractor of record
Engage independent contractors compliantly. Corpshore manages the contractor relationship: classification compliance, contracts, invoicing, and payment. The contractor receives 100% of the agreed rate.
- ✓$39/worker/mo, flat
- ✓Worker classification follows local law
- ✓Weekly payouts, every Friday
- ✓IP assignment and confidentiality clauses included
- ✓Ongoing misclassification monitoring
Best when: The work is genuinely project-based, the person sets their own hours and methods, and contractor classification is legally defensible in their jurisdiction.
How contractor of record worksSide by side
Comparing the three models
| Direct hire | EOR | Contractor (CoR) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal employer | You | Corpshore (or vetted partner) | Nobody — it's a contractor relationship |
| Entity required? | Yes, in the worker's country | No | No |
| Worker classification | Employee | Employee | Independent contractor |
| Statutory benefits | You provide | We administer | Not applicable (contractor) |
| Termination compliance | Your responsibility | We handle notice, severance, procedure | Contract termination terms apply |
| Payroll | You run it | We run it | Weekly settlement through the platform |
| Time to start | Entity setup time + hire | Days (no entity needed) | Days (no entity needed) |
| Per-engagement cost | None | From $399/mo | $39/mo |
| Conversion to direct hire | Already direct | Buyout: 20% → 10% → 0% | Buyout: 20% → 10% → 0% |
Decision guide
How to choose the right model
The compliance engine recommends a model based on these factors. You can also work through them yourself.
Do you have a legal entity in the worker's country?
Yes
Direct hire is the simplest path. You're the employer, you run payroll, and there's no per-engagement fee.
No
You need EOR (for employees) or CoR (for genuine contractors). The choice depends on the working relationship.
Does the role require genuine employment status?
Yes
Use EOR. The person gets a real employment contract, statutory benefits, labour law protections, and social contributions — all required by local law for employees.
No
If the person genuinely sets their own hours, methods, and location, and the engagement is project-based, CoR may be appropriate. The platform applies the local classification test to confirm.
How long will the engagement last?
Yes
Longer engagements (6+ months) are more likely to need employment status. Many jurisdictions reclassify long-running contractor relationships as employment automatically.
No
Short-term, project-based work with a defined scope is more naturally suited to contractor classification.
Hiring model questions
Can the platform tell me which hiring model to use?+
Yes. Based on the jurisdiction, the working arrangement, and whether you have a local entity, the compliance engine recommends the correct model. You choose — but the recommendation accounts for local law, and if contractor classification doesn't hold up in that jurisdiction, the platform will flag it before a contract is issued.
What if I want to convert a contractor to an employee later?+
Conversion is available on a sliding scale: 20% of the engagement's value in the first 12 months, 10% between 12 and 24 months, and 0% after 24 months. The compliance engine handles the transition: new contract generation, tax withholding changes, benefit enrolment, and any mandatory notices.
What happens if a country reclassifies a contractor as an employee?+
The compliance engine monitors for reclassification risk during the engagement. If local law changes or the working relationship evolves in a way that makes contractor status indefensible, you're flagged before regulators find it. We can help transition to EOR if needed.
Do I need a separate contract with Corpshore for each hiring model?+
No. A single platform agreement covers all three models. You choose the hiring model per engagement, and the compliance engine generates the correct downstream contracts. One platform, one relationship, one invoice.
Can I use different models in different countries at the same time?+
Yes — that's the normal case. You might direct-hire in the US (where you have an entity), EOR in Germany (where you don't), and engage contractors in the Philippines (for project work). The platform manages all three simultaneously.
Not sure which path fits?
Start free on the Free tier: 1 active posting, 3 intro requests a month. The compliance engine recommends the right hiring model for each engagement.
Post your first role