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Costs · agency fees

What offshore recruiting agencies actually charge

The standard deal across the industry: a one-time fee of 25–35% of first-year salary, paid only on hire, with a replacement guarantee. Here is every fee we could verify, with the source.

Numbers checked July 2026. Fees marked "listed" come from the company's own pages; "reported" means a credible third-party source.

AgencyFee modelWhat that means in dollarsGuaranteeStatus
Somewhere.com25–35% of first-year salary, one-time, pay on hire≈ $4,500–$6,300 on a $1,500/mo hire6-month replacementListed on their site
Genius25% of first-year salary, one-time; no monthly feesTheir own example: $2,400 on an $800/mo hire6-month free re-searchListed on their site
Paired30% of first-year salary, one-time; no payroll markup≈ $5,400 on a $1,500/mo hire3-month replacementListed on their site
HireLATAMFlat fee: $500 deposit + $3,000 on placement$3,500 total, regardless of salary90-dayListed on their site
NearContingent, quote-based; also offers monthly staffingNo public numbers; third parties report 15–35% of first-year salary~180-day (reported)Reported
WingManaged subscription (they stay in the middle)~$1,099–1,599/mo for a full-time VA (reported)Free replacement, ongoingReported
OceansManaged subscription, premium tierFrom ~$3,000/mo for an executive assistant—Listed on their site
Fee models at major offshore recruiting agencies. 'First-year salary' means the hire's annual pay — on a $1,500/mo hire, 30% ≈ $5,400.

How to read this market

Two genuinely different products hide behind the word "agency." The direct-hire model (Somewhere, Genius, Paired, HireLATAM) is a one-time matchmaking fee: they source and vet, you hire and pay the person directly at their local salary, and the agency exits. The managed model (Wing, Oceans, staffing tiers) keeps the agency in the middle forever — you pay one bundled monthly rate that includes the worker's pay plus the agency's margin, and replacement is continuous rather than a one-window guarantee.

Direct-hire is cheaper over any horizon longer than a few months, but the fee is front-loaded and the person is fully yours to manage. Managed costs roughly 30–60% more per year than paying the same person directly, in exchange for zero payroll, replacement, and management overhead on your side.

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Common questions

What does an offshore recruiting agency typically charge?

The dominant model is a one-time fee of 25–35% of the hire's first-year salary, paid only when you hire. On a typical $1,500/month ($18,000/year) overseas hire, that's $4,500–$6,300. Flat-fee outliers exist — HireLATAM charges $3,500 regardless of salary.

What does the fee actually buy?

Sourcing and screening at scale (agencies report screening hundreds to thousands of candidates per role), a shortlist of 2–3 vetted finalists, help with offers and onboarding, and a replacement guarantee — typically 3 to 6 months. You employ and pay the person directly; the agency steps out after placement.

Are there recurring costs?

Not in the direct-hire model — the fee is one-time and you pay the worker's salary directly with no markup. Managed/staffing models (Wing, Oceans, Athyna, and agencies' talent-on-demand tiers) instead charge an ongoing monthly rate that bundles salary plus a margin.

Do agencies refund the fee if the hire quits?

Standard practice is a replacement search, not a cash refund: if the hire leaves within the guarantee window (90 days to 6 months depending on the agency), the agency redoes the search free. Read the specific guarantee terms before signing.

Sources