How UK Companies Can Hire Back-Office Teams Globally Without Sponsorship

Key takeaways

• UK businesses can hire full-time back-office employees abroad without visa sponsorship or establishing a foreign subsidiary.
• Employer of Record (EOR) services handle legal employment, payroll, and compliance in the employee’s country of residence.
• Global hiring can cut labour costs by 30–60% while expanding access to highly skilled talent.
• EORs reduce onboarding time from months to just days or weeks.
• Perfect for SMEs, startups, and scale-ups facing local skill shortages and high sponsorship costs.

Introduction

Recruitment in the UK has changed dramatically in recent years.

Post-Brexit restrictions and rising visa thresholds have priced many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) out of sponsoring overseas workers. The 2025 increase in the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold to £41,700 means an estimated 40% of SMEs can no longer afford sponsorship.

Meanwhile, skill shortages continue to bite in key business support areas like administration, customer service, HR, and marketing.

However, there’s a smarter way forward: hiring back-office staff directly in their home countries - no visas, no relocation, and no local office required.

This is made possible by partnering with an Employer of Record (EOR), a service that acts as the legal employer in the worker’s country while you manage their day-to-day work.

What is a back-office team?

A back-office team manages essential behind-the-scenes operations that support a company’s core activities. They rarely interact directly with customers, but without them, a business can’t function effectively.

Typical back-office functions include:

• Finance & Accounting: Accounts assistants, bookkeepers, payroll officers.
• Human resources: HR assistants, recruitment coordinators, training support.
• Administration: Data entry, scheduling, reporting.
• Customer support: Email/chat support, ticket handling, service coordination.
• IT support: Helpdesk operators, system monitoring.
• Marketing support: Content assistants, social media moderators, campaign support.

Back-office work is often location-independent, making it ideal for remote and global hiring.

Why global back-office hiring makes sense for UK companies

1. Overcoming local skill shortages

Since Brexit, the UK has lost an estimated 330,000 EU workers, with hospitality, healthcare, and administrative support among the hardest hit.

By expanding recruitment globally, companies are no longer limited to the shrinking local talent pool. Instead, they can tap into skilled professionals in markets such as India, the Philippines, South Africa, and Eastern Europe - regions known for high English proficiency, strong digital capabilities, and competitive professional standards. 

This approach not only fills vacancies faster but also enables businesses to access specialised skills that may be scarce or expensive in the UK market.

2. Significant cost savings

Hiring in lower-cost markets is commonly reported to reduce total employment costs significantly (vendor analyses and country comparisons often quote ranges such as ~30–60%, depending on role and location).

For example, a UK-based customer service representative typically earns a base salary ranging from £19,000 to £27,000 per year. However, the total cost to the employer is higher once you factor in insurance, pension, and other statutory benefits, which can add an extra 15–25% to the base salary.

By using an Employer of Record (EOR) in the Philippines to hire an equivalent role, companies can often reduce their total employment cost by 40–60%. In the Philippines, customer service salaries for similar skill levels are significantly lower due to cost-of-living differences, and an EOR takes care of local compliance, payroll, and statutory benefits.

This means you can maintain 24/7 customer service coverage and hire high-quality talent at a fraction of the cost, without having to establish your own legal entity in the Philippines. 

3. Faster recruitment cycles

Local UK hiring processes can take months due to advertising, interview processes, notice periods, and onboarding requirements. With EOR hiring, the process can take as little as 1–3 weeks, thanks to:

• Local recruitment partners who understand market-specific hiring dynamics.
• Streamlined onboarding and compliance are handled entirely by the EOR.

This agility is particularly valuable for seasonal demands, project-based work, or urgent staffing needs.

4. 24/7 operations

Global hiring enables true round-the-clock productivity. For instance, a UK-based company with team members in Asia or Africa can extend operational coverage beyond local office hours. Customer support can remain active overnight, IT helpdesks can resolve tickets before the UK workday begins, and finance teams can process transactions without downtime.

This extended coverage not only improves customer satisfaction but also enhances internal efficiency by ensuring tasks progress continuously across time zones.

5. Scalability without long-term risk

Hiring locally often means committing to permanent headcount, with the associated redundancy costs and notice period obligations if business needs change. 

With an Employer of Record (EOR), you gain far greater operational flexibility. You can scale up rapidly to meet seasonal peaks, launch new projects, or respond to sudden market opportunities without the delays and long-term commitments of traditional hiring. If a particular role, function, or location doesn’t deliver the expected results, you can scale back just as quickly, with minimal compliance risk or administrative burden.

EOR arrangements also make it easier to pilot new functions in lower-cost international markets before deciding whether to bring them in-house or establish a permanent UK-based team. This “test-and-learn” approach allows you to validate performance, efficiency, and ROI before making long-term commitments.

For businesses navigating economic uncertainty, fluctuating demand, or aggressive growth plans, this kind of agility is invaluable. It not only reduces financial and legal risk but also ensures you have the right-sized team at the right time, wherever in the world they’re located.

The challenges of hiring without sponsorship

The idea of hiring globally is appealing, but it comes with a minefield of potential issues if not handled correctly.

Compliance complexity

Every country operates under its own employment laws, and these cover far more than just working hours or holiday leave. You’ll need to understand country-specific rules around employment contracts, notice periods, termination procedures, etc. A contract that’s perfectly valid in one jurisdiction could be non-compliant in another, exposing you to disputes or penalties.

Payroll and tax requirements

Running payroll for international staff is far more than transferring salaries. You must handle local tax withholdings, mandatory employer contributions to social security schemes, and statutory benefits - all of which vary by country. 

Add in the complexities of currency exchange rates and fluctuating conversion costs, and budgeting can quickly become a challenge. Missing a local payroll deadline or miscalculating deductions can lead to fines, audits, or strained relationships with employees who rely on timely, accurate pay.

Misclassification risks

Hiring someone as an independent contractor might seem like an easy workaround to avoid setting up a legal entity abroad, but it’s risky. If local authorities determine the person meets the legal definition of an employee, you could be liable for backdated taxes, social contributions, benefits, and even penalties. 

Data security & GDPR compliance

When your remote teams are handling sensitive customer information, the stakes for data protection are high. Cross-border data transfers must comply with frameworks such as GDPR in Europe or equivalent regulations in other regions. 

This means ensuring secure systems, local data storage requirements, and clear privacy policies are in place. Failure to comply can lead not only to legal action and fines, but also erosion of customer trust - a cost that’s far harder to recover from than any financial penalty.

In short, even without sponsorship, hiring internationally isn’t as simple as “sign a contract and start work”. The operational, legal, and financial challenges can be significant, and getting them wrong could cost more than the savings you hoped to make.

The solution: Employer of Record (EOR)

An Employer of Record, like Native Teams, is a third-party service that legally employs staff in another country on your behalf. The EOR manages compliance, payroll, and HR administration, while you retain control over the employee’s work.

How EORs help UK companies avoid sponsorship

"Navigating UK employment law requires a deep understanding of its evolving landscape. Partnering with an EOR mitigates the risks associated with non-compliance, allowing businesses to focus on growth." – HR Compliance Team at Native Teams

What roles can you hire globally without sponsorship?

With Native Teams, you can hire abroad most remote-friendly back-office roles without sponsorship, including:

• Account assistants and bookkeepers
• Payroll and HR support specialists
• Administrative coordinators
• Data entry clerks
• Customer service representatives
• Technical support staff
• Marketing assistants and social media moderators
• Recruitment researchers

and much more

Legal and compliance tips for global back-office hiring

• Understand local labour laws: Each country has different regulations around wages, benefits, probation, and termination. For example, some jurisdictions mandate 13th-month salaries or specific severance formulas.
• Avoid employee misclassification: If you’re controlling the employee’s hours, methods, and output, they should be on a local employment contract, not a contractor agreement.
• Ensure GDPR compliance: If your overseas team processes data about UK/EU customers, you must follow GDPR rules. This includes secure storage, consent tracking, and breach reporting.
• Protect intellectual property: Without the right legal clauses, ownership of work created by overseas staff may default to them rather than your business. Your contracts should clearly state that all intellectual property produced during employment belongs to your company. This includes written work, designs, code, and any other output.
• Manage time zones and communication: Setting clear working hours, communication protocols, and reporting structures ensures productivity and prevents burnout. For distributed teams, overlapping work windows and scheduled check-ins can help bridge time zone differences.

Step-by-step guide: How to hire a back-office team without sponsorship

Step 1

Identify roles suitable for remote work: Choose roles that don’t require in-person interaction or UK-specific certifications.

Step 2

Choose target countries: Consider cost-effectiveness, skill availability, time zone compatibility, and English proficiency.

Step 3 

Partner with an EOR like Native Teams: Select an EOR that has coverage in your chosen countries, transparent pricing, and strong compliance processes.

Step 4

Source and interview candidates: You can use your different country-specific recruitment channels to select a candidate of your choice.

Step 5

Onboard through the EOR: The EOR will issue compliant contracts, set up payroll, and provide any required benefits.

Step 6 

Manage the employee: You direct the day-to-day work while the EOR manages HR, payroll, and compliance.

Conclusion

Hiring global back-office talent without sponsorship is now easier than ever. With rising UK visa costs and skill shortages, working with an Employer of Record (EOR) lets you hire skilled people abroad quickly, legally, and at a much lower cost. You get access to a wider talent pool, can cut employment costs, and scale your team up or down as your business needs change.

In short, you can hire the right people, in the right place, at the right price - fast. That’s how you grow without borders.

Ready to hire global talent without the hassle? Talk to our team today and see how we can help you start in just a few days.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. Do I need to set up a local company to hire abroad?

No, that's the main benefit of using an EOR. The EOR uses its own local legal entity, so you don't have to go through the complex and expensive process of setting one up yourself.

2. Can I avoid visa sponsorship entirely?

Yes, you can. By hiring an employee compliantly in their home country via an EOR, you eliminate the need for a UK visa sponsorship. The employee works remotely from their country of residence.

3. How is Native Teams different from hiring freelancers?

An EOR like Native Teams hires your talent as full-time employees, providing them with compliant contracts and benefits. This ensures a stable and long-term relationship, whereas freelancers are typically hired on a project-by-project basis.

4. Is this solution only for large companies?

Absolutely not. EOR solutions are particularly beneficial for SMEs and startups, as they provide an affordable and simple way to access global talent without the high costs and legal burden of setting up a local entity.

5. How quickly can I hire?

Once you have found your ideal candidate, the EOR process can be very fast, often taking just a few days to a couple of weeks to get your new employee officially onboarded.

6. Can Native Teams also manage payments for freelancers?

Yes. In addition to EOR, Native Teams offers multi-currency payments, invoicing, and contractor management.