International Hiring Guide

Meet our EOR, Remote

CS&S uses an "employer of record" to handle employment and benefits. For US-based employees we work with TriNet, and for international employees (and contractors on a case-by-case basis) we work with Remote. CS&S operations must coordinate with Remote in order to support all international hiring, onboarding, benefits, payroll and compliance requirements.

When international employees are hired through Remote, a company in the employee's country of residence acts as the employer. Unlike the co-employment relationship our US employees have with TriNet, Remote employees are fully employed by a company in their country of residence. Remote runs all of the companies that employ folks outside the US and can help verify employment as needed.

Please note that Remote does not offer EOR services in every country. To find out if we will be able to hire in your candidate's location, consult the Remote Country Explorer tool. Countries under US technology exports restrictions (Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria) are not eligible for EOR or contractor services.

While job postings can be advertised as “Global Remote,” to encourage international applicants, the timeline and budget considerations for a non-US hire differ significantly from our standard US hiring processes.

Onboarding minimums

Compliance and work eligibility requirements impact the duration of onboarding periods and vary widely from country to country. Remote enforces country-specific onboarding period minimums that account for each country’s onboarding process requirements. These onboarding minimums have important implications for the start date of all international hires. Remote provides a guide to the different onboarding minimums in each country, but keep in mind that these periods are not a guarantee, as it is possible your new hire’s start date could be delayed by complications on the employee’s end (i.e. failing to provide required documents). For this reason, we do not recommend a non-US hire if the start date of the position is time-sensitive.

• When sending an offer letter for a Remote hire, we recommend adding 5 business days to the stated minimum onboarding period in the potential hire’s country, to account for potential unforeseen delays.

• In the event that the start date must be further delayed after the offer letter has been signed, please forward an email sent to the new employee from their supervisor, clarifying the updated start date, to fsp at codeforsociety.org. This will satisfy our documentation requirements in lieu of a revised offer letter.

• While Remote manages and corresponds directly with international hires during the onboarding process, CS&S can request status updates from Remote to keep hiring teams in the loop regarding timeline.

• Onboarding via Remote includes: right-to-work checks, review and signing of the Remote employee agreement, which details the employee’s benefits eligibility, as well as Remote’s employment policies.

  • The Remote employee agreement can be requested in advance by providing operations with the potential hire’s location, salary, benefits selection (see “Equitable benefits offerings,” below) and position description.

Budgeting for currency fluctuations

When hiring outside the US, there are several budget considerations to keep in mind. To request a Remote cost estimate, including the management, payroll and standard benefits fees for your potential hire, submit their location and salary to fsp at codeforsociety.org and we will get back to you within 1-2 business days.

• Non-US salaries are set in the employee’s local currency, and are therefore subject to conversion fluctuations for your monthly billing in USD

  • Offer letters to non-US hires must specify a salary in their local currency

• To account for currency fluctuations, we recommend that you set the salary at the low end of the local currency’s conversion rate history (assume the value of the foreign currency could raise to its highest rate in the last two years), and state in the offer letter that the employee is eligible for bonus pay, upon review, not to exceed the desired US salary amount.

  • In this scenario, your project will have access to data showing your target (USD) versus actual payroll expenses, such that you may determine bonus payments accordingly.

  • Bonus payments must be made in the employee’s local currency.

• Premium benefits will not be represented in the cost estimate, only the default of standard benefits

Equitable benefits offerings

Remote offers 3 benefits tiers, all of which are charged in USD:

• No additional benefits: If you have this option, it means that your employee is located in a country where Remote Core Benefits (the Standard option) are not required. This selection necessarily includes the legally mandated, statutory employee benefits in their country, which will always be required, no matter which benefits option you select.

  • The quality of national health insurance programs varies significantly from country to country, and relative to the quality of our private insurance offerings in the US.

  • Remote’s employee agreement does not include all of the legally mandated benefits, in consideration of the fact that local jurisdictions sometimes shift their policies, which would render the agreement to be in error.

    • A detailed list of the legally mandated benefits offerings for your employee’s location is available upon request to fsp at codeforsociety.org

• Standard (additional $113/mo, maximum) Global benefits, medical only
  • The Standard tier of Remote’s Core Benefits program is mandatory in most countries, and designed with equity in mind such that all Remote employees would have access to the same quality of benefits, regardless of location.

    • In countries where Standard benefits are not required, the legally mandated benefits are already on par with the Standard tier.

  • Remote’s Core Benefits are offered through a variety of providers, and costs will vary accordingly, with the maximum cost being $113 per month.

  • Standard benefits give employees global access to health coverage, meaning they are covered when traveling outside of their country of residence.

  • The standard tier does not include dental and vision coverage, which may or may not be available through legally mandated public offerings.

  • Standard benefits include the following coverage:

• Premium (additional $143/mo) Global benefits, including medical, dental and vision

  • The Premium tier is optional in every country, and will not be represented in the cost estimate.

  • Remote’s Core Benefits are offered through a variety of providers, and costs will vary accordingly, with the maximum cost being $143 per month.

  • Premium benefits give employees global access to health coverage.

  • Premium benefits include the following coverage (next page):

• You can decide to change an employee's benefits offering up to 30 days after they have been onboarded, but after 30 days you cannot make benefits changes until the following year.

Paid time off

While some countries now enable an unlimited PTO option, other international employees must be given a set number of days of PTO, detailed in their Remote employee agreement. Even those employees with unlimited PTO are entitled to a minimum number of days. This number is subject to mandates in their local jurisdiction.

• In addition to any internal procedures the project may have for requesting time off, Remote employees must submit their time off requests in the Remote platform in accordance with local employment mandates.

  • Time off request notifications are forwarded via email to project leaders for approval, and then processed in the Remote platform by CS&S operations.

  • While there are no Remote administrative requirements for project leaders, there is an option to provide project leaders with manager user access, such that they will receive and approve their Remote employee’s PTO requests, and have access to their employment information. You can request Remote manager access by emailing fsp at codeforsociety.org

• To align with US employees’ unlimited time off policy, Remote employees can exceed the PTO limit stated in their Remote contract, in which case additional dates would not be reported in the Remote platform.

• On January 1 each year, Remote employees’ time off counters are automatically reset to the number of days stated in their employment contract.

  • In some countries, unused PTO may need to be paid to the employee annually. The kind of time off that must be paid varies widely from country to country, and in some countries, such as the United Kingdom, it is not paid out at all. Inquire with fsp at codeforsociety.org to confirm the requirements in your team member’s country.

• In the event of employee termination, unused PTO for that year may need to be paid to the employee. Requirements vary from country to country. Inquire with fsp at codeforsociety.org to find out what you can expect for your team member.

Termination periods

Unlike the at-will employment relationship we have in the US, employees in other countries are protected by labor laws with termination clauses, stipulating a minimum notice period that must be given, as well as restrictions around cause of termination.

• Details on the requirements in your potential new hire’s country can be provided upon request to fsp at codeforsociety.org

• In some countries, you have the option to hire with a probation period, within which termination is lower risk. Length of probation periods, as well as the option to extend a probation period, varies.

• In some countries, you have the option to hire for a fixed term or indefinite position. If you know that the position will end with the close of a grant period, and their country offers fixed term employment, it is recommended that you select a term limit that corresponds with the grant period. You will also have an option to renew their employment at the close of their fixed term.

• If the funding for your international hire’s position is depleting, and you anticipate termination, notify fsp at codeforsociety.org a minimum of 2 months prior to the estimated termination date, and we will connect with Remote’s legal team to determine the best process given local jurisdiction protections.