Outsourcing staff means building part of your team with professionals who work from another country, either as freelancers, as your own direct hires, or as a dedicated team managed by an outsourcing partner. Businesses in the UK, US, Canada and Australia use it for customer support, sales, admin, design and software development.
This guide covers why businesses outsource, the three ways to build an offshore team, what drives the cost, and the four questions every business asks before they start.
Why businesses outsource staff
- Cost. Salaries and office costs in many offshore locations are lower than in the UK, US, Canada or Australia, so a business can afford dedicated, full-time people for work it could not justify hiring locally.
- Talent. Hiring internationally opens up a far larger pool of skilled, English-speaking professionals than your local market alone.
- Coverage. An offshore team can work your business hours, or extend them, so customers and colleagues get answers when they need them. See our guide to offshore teams and time zones.
- Focus. Moving routine, process-driven work to a dedicated team frees your local staff for the work only they can do.
Three ways to build an offshore team
| Freelancers | Direct hire | Managed team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds the person | You | You or a recruiter | Your outsourcing partner |
| Who employs them | Nobody: self-employed | You, through a local entity or employer of record | Your outsourcing partner |
| Where they work | Their own home set-up | Wherever you arrange | A supervised office |
| Dedicated to you | Often shared with other clients | Yes | Yes |
| Day-to-day supervision | Self-managed | Your managers | An on-site manager |
| Best for | Short, well-defined projects | Businesses with a legal presence where the team works | Ongoing roles without the overhead |
Freelancers are quick to start but hard to rely on for ongoing work. Direct hiring gives you full control, but you need a way to employ people legally in another country, plus office space, equipment and someone to manage them. A managed team gives you dedicated people while the partner handles employment, office, equipment and supervision. We compare the first and last in detail in freelancers vs a dedicated team.
The four concerns, answered
Most businesses considering an offshore team have the same four questions. They are the right questions to ask any partner, so here is how we answer them.
1. Is my data safe?
Your team works from a managed office on company equipment, under confidentiality agreements. Access rules are agreed with you before work starts, and your team can work entirely inside your own systems, so your data stays where it is. Our data security checklist covers the controls to check and the data protection rules that apply in your country.
2. Will communication be easy?
Every professional is interviewed in English before placement, and joins your chat, email and meetings like any other colleague. Communication channels are set up with you before day one, and a Chishty Global manager stays involved for ongoing support.
3. Will they work my hours?
Yes. Teams work UK, US, Canadian or Australian business hours and keep your schedule, not ours. Exact shift times are agreed with you during set-up, and move with your clocks when daylight saving starts or ends.
4. Are they actually skilled?
Candidates are skills-tested and interviewed for your specific role, and you meet the shortlist before anyone starts. If you want to see it working first, our three-month probationary period lets you judge the results before you commit to a long-term contract.
What outsourcing staff costs
The cost of an offshore team depends on four things: the role, the seniority and skills it needs, the hours it works, and the size of the team. A managed team is priced as one monthly fee per person, which covers recruitment, payroll, HR and compliance, office space, equipment, internet and power backup, and supervision.
When you compare it with hiring locally, compare the full cost of a local hire, not just the salary: recruitment fees, employer taxes and benefits, office space, equipment and the management time a new hire takes. Our cost calculator adds up the local side for you.
How to get started
- Write down the work: the tasks, the tools, the hours and how you will measure success.
- Start with one role that has clear, ongoing work, rather than a whole team at once.
- Ask any partner the security questions in our checklist before you share access.
- Meet your shortlisted candidates yourself before anyone starts.
- Agree a review point, such as our three-month probationary period, before a long-term contract.
Ready to talk about your team? See how it works, explore our dedicated teams, or book a call.