Free guide

Direct Placement vs EOR: which hiring model fits your team?

Two ways to put a Caribbean accountant on your team. Both are legitimate. They optimize for different things. This guide breaks down the cost, compliance, and risk tradeoffs so you can pick the right model the first time.

Hiring strategy EOR Pricing

The two models, in a sentence each

Direct placement: we find the candidate, you hire them onto your own legal entity (or a contracting structure you own). One-time placement fee, no ongoing per-hire cost from us.

Employer of Record: we find the candidate and we employ them under our Caribbean entity on your behalf. You direct the work; we hold the contract, run payroll, and handle compliance. Flat $400 per hire per month.

Inside the PDF
  1. Cost comparison (5-year TCO at 1, 5, and 20 hires)
  2. Compliance and legal risk by model
  3. Time-to-hire and time-to-productivity
  4. What happens if a hire doesn't work out
  5. The hybrid model and when it fits
  6. Decision matrix: pick the right model in 5 questions

Why the choice matters

Picking the wrong model the first time is expensive. Direct placement looks cheaper on the headline cost but assumes you can absorb Caribbean compliance, payroll, and statutory filings inside your existing operations. EOR looks more expensive per month but removes a class of risk entirely and lets a single person on your team manage the relationship.

The quick decision frame

  • Choose direct placement if you already operate a Caribbean entity, you are hiring 20+ people in one country, or you want full direct-employer control and have the in-house capacity to handle local compliance.
  • Choose EOR if you are making your first 1 to 20 hires in a country, you don't want to stand up a local entity, or you want predictable per-head pricing with all the compliance built in.
  • Choose a hybrid if you have a small core direct-employed team and want to flex up with EOR-employed staff for project or scaling needs.

The full PDF runs the 5-year cost math at 1, 5, and 20 hires, lays out the compliance exposure under each model, and gives you a 5-question decision matrix you can run in a single meeting.