How to Hire Offshore Developers in 2023

Are you looking to hire developers to build functional products from innovative ideas?

You’ve got options — you could form an in-office development team, hire local software developers, or source freelance talent online. However, tech talent shortages and higher hiring costs don’t make those options very appealing.

Hiring offshore developers is your best option if you’re looking to balance cost and scale at speed without compromising quality. Offshoring lets you access a wider pool of talents while reducing the cost of hiring a software engineer. Additionally, skilled offshore developers make it effortless for you to execute ideas faster.

That being said, you can’t build an offshore development team without a playbook to guide the way.

Why is hiring offshore developers beneficial for your business?

Hiring offshore developers helps your business save money, access diverse talent across the globe and boost productivity.

It’s common for offshore developers to still be full-time employees, just based at an offshore facility or remotely. As a result, you don't have to maintain or expand a full-time office in your location to house your new in-house team. This flexibility of a lean organizational structure allows you to deliver projects more quickly.

Many companies prefer working with offshore developers over building a location-based hiring team. Here’s why:

- Overhead cost savings

In-office and in-house teams require you to pay for insurance, payroll, office rent and recruitment fees. When these overhead costs grow, you’re left with fewer funds to invest in other areas of the business. Plus, offshore software developers in countries other than the US and Western Europe often cost less because of lower living costs.

- Greater productivity

Training isn’t necessary when you hire experienced offshore software developers. These professionals have the technical expertise to show you results from day one.

- Easy access to a large talent pool

It isn’t easy to find good talent, especially with tech giants retaining the best with attractive perks and packages. IT outsourcing makes it easy to find talented, professional developers from a wider selection of locations—including Asian and Eastern European countries.

- Improved flexibility and scalability

Businesses often need to change tech stack, depending on the project scope and stage. These changes may need an in-house software development team to pick up new skills. Or, you may even end up hiring new developers.

Offshore development professionals can quickly join your team to fill any necessary gaps, no relocation required.

What is the cost of hiring offshore developers?

An average offshore developer charges between $20 and $100 per hour, depending on their skill, location and project. On the contrary, the hourly software development rate can go up to $250+ in the United States.

How to hire offshore developers?

Deciding to hire offshore developers can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. Hiring offshore developers becomes easy when you have a checklist to guide you at every step.

Follow these simple steps to get started:

List down must-have skills

You’re well aware of the skills your offshore team should have, but take the time to jot down these skills to set the benchmark. For example, you may consider factors such as experience, interpersonal skills, communication and knowledge of tech stacks or frameworks.

Consider refining the initial list so you have a list of must-have skills that’ll help you find the right offshore developers. You can then include any nice-to-haves you may be interested in.

Determine business goals and project objectives

The next step is to lay out the problems you want to solve with the product you’re building. You should be able to explain these problems in detail so your offshore developers know what you need. Also, break down the product goals into smaller, measurable milestones with approximate deadlines.

This helps inform prospective hires about the work that’s expected of them and improves your chances of finding a good fit.

Plan your budget

Make sure you plan your budget before signing any paperwork. Discuss how much money you'll need to spend on building the desired solution with your tech recruitment partner.

It’ll be great if you can define the initial capital. If not, keep thinking of areas where you can save money. Last but not least, find investors to whom you can show your working product for validation and fundraising.

Find the best tech recruitment companies

Now that you’ve developed a job description, it’s time to research different software companies and vendors that can help you source and hire offshore developers.

Always look at their online reputation, testimonials and reviews as you compare them. Also, look at the finer details. For example, are they okay with non-disclosure agreements? What’s their approach to getting you the best talent?

Remotebase is one such top tech recruitment company that makes it easier for you to outsource talent acquisition. Not only do Remotebase actively source, vet and interview candidates so that they’re ready when you need them, but they also handle key HR tasks, like performance monitoring and payroll.

Conduct technical tests and score offshore developers

Conduct a code writing test or technical skill test once you have a list of potential offshore developers. Their ability to code in real time will tell you a lot about their problem-solving skills. You can even challenge them with real business cases to see how they handle issues specific to your company.

For example, if you want to hire mobile app developers, you can test candidates on back-end skills or user experience design.

If you’re running short of time, partner with a platform like Remotebase. We source and vet candidates ahead of time in order to immediately match you with your ideal candidate. Plus, you can check candidates’ skills on their profiles to check they’ve got everything you need.

Once you have the results, you can score them based on how well they meet your expectations. In the end, you should have a list of offshore developers who can help you build the MVP.

When hiring offshore developers, be mindful of the countries where they are. Understanding their time zones and culture, and analyzing the best price-quality ratio will help you hire offshore software developers.

Need more help with the hiring process? Check out this complete guide on how to hire remote developers.

Main things to consider before hiring offshore developers

Your business benefits to a great extent when you hire offshore developers. But you should keep a few things in mind when hiring them.

Time zone differences

Your offshore software development team or employee can be located a great distance from your in-person team, such as in Eastern Europe, South-East Asia or Latin America.

For example, if you’re in New York and your offshore developers are in Ukraine, you’ll experience 7 hours of difference. An EOD deadline of 7 PM New York time means 2 AM in Ukraine. That’s why it’s wise to consider deadlines suitable for both you and the team.

Depending on the location of your offshore software development, this difference can be lesser or greater. That’s why it’s important to choose offshore teams wisely and use the right workflow management tools.

Lack of synchronous communication

It takes a lot to manage remote software engineering teams while tackling different time zones, updating stakeholders, and maintaining company culture. The inability to meet the offshore software development team in real time may create a barrier between them and you.

If you’re just starting a business, you may not be able to visit the offshore team location. However, you can get on regular video calls and build a rapport with them.

Finding the right offshore development partner

Hiring the right offshore development team is no easy job, especially considering the fact thatyou run the risk of hiring an offshore developer who doesn’t meet your needs. You may spend a lot of time on the developer vetting process and still end up hiring the wrong offshore development employee for your business.

Find a trusted agency that has a solid process and experience in helping businesses build offshore development teams. Remotebase’s fully-vetted remote developers are all hired with a two-week free trial, giving you the chance to work together free of charge to find out if they’re a good fit.

Cultural difference

Finally, be aware of low- and high-context cultures as you hire offshore development services. Low context culture centers around logic, task orientation, and flexibility. On the contrary, high context culture is intuitive, relies on trust, and often shows reluctance to change.

Consider hiring an offshore software development team with a culture closer to yours for ease of communication. You might even want to consider a culture-fit test ahead of hiring; something Remotebase does whenever new developers join the books.

Where can I hire offshore developers?

You can consider different talent sources while building an offshore team, such as freelance portals, talent marketplaces, and social channels such as LinkedIn. However, these platforms place a lot of the sourcing, vetting, interviewing and hiring responsibilities on your shoulders.

For an easier, more efficient recruitment process, try hiring with Remotebase. The tech recruitment agency actively sources and vets remote developers and engineers to ensure that when you get in touch, they’ve already found the talent you’re looking for.

This speeds up the recruitment process by 90% and removes a lot of the effort and confusion related to hiring the right offshore developer or team for your business.

Are you ready to hire the top 1% of remote developers?

Hire offshore development talent on Remotebase to get vetted remote developers who match your work model, timezone and company culture.

Hiring offshore developers: FAQs

Which country is the best for hiring offshore development teams?

The best country for hiring offshore development teams depends on your location and time zone, as it’s recommended that you have a time zone overlap of 3+ hours. There are talented offshore developers across the globe ready to help your business.

When to hire offshore developers?

You should hire offshore development teams to:

• Improve productivity
• Scale business operations
• Shorten product’s time-to-market
• Execute ad-hoc software development projects
• Minimize development costs while building an MVP
• Bring in developers with a core skill set in software development projects

How long does it take to hire an offshore developer?

You can hire an offshore developer in less than 24 hours with tech recruitment agencies such as Remotebase.

The three-step process is incredibly simple. Once you upload your requirements, the team gets in touch with you to discuss further. Then, you can finalize your dedicated development team in a matter of days.

Hire today on Remotebase.