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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about setting up your satellite office in India.
What exactly is a satellite office, and how is it different from offshore hiring?
A satellite office is your own office in India, run for you. Same idea as having an office in London and an office in Jaipur. Your people, your culture, your work. We handle the rest: talent, the physical workspace, payroll, compliance, and the day-to-day of running it.
That's the difference. Offshore hiring gets you a person working alone from home, juggling other clients, with no backup if they disappear. A satellite office gives you a dedicated team member in a professional space, with HR oversight, IT support, and coverage if someone's out. You're not renting a freelancer. You're standing up an extension of your company.
How can someone good cost 50%+ less than a local hire?
It's geography, not quality. A senior developer in India earns a strong, competitive salary by local standards. That same salary is 50%+ less than what you'd pay in the US, UK, or Europe. The talent pool is deep, the work ethic is strong, and India has been a global tech and services hub for decades. The savings come from location, not from cutting corners on people.
Will the person actually understand my business?
We match on context, not just skills. Before anyone joins your satellite office, we learn your business, your work style, and what good looks like for you. We shortlist people who have worked in similar industries or roles. Most become their company's go-to person inside the first 30 days, because fit is a deliberate part of how we place, not luck.
How do you vet the people who join my office?
Everyone goes through background verification, skill assessment, and a cultural-fit evaluation before they ever meet you. We're not a job board. As the employer of record, these people are on our payroll and our name is on the line with every placement. We only put forward people we'd stake our reputation on.
What happens if someone isn't working out?
The SoTalented Office Guarantee covers it: a 30-day replacement on every hire, no questions asked. If the fit isn't right, for any reason, we replace the person at no extra cost. We'd rather fix it fast than leave you stuck with the wrong hire.
How do I know work is actually getting done?
Because your team works from a real office, not a bedroom. That's the heart of the satellite office model. A professional environment, reliable internet, power backup, IT support, and HR oversight on site. Every offshore horror story traces back to someone unsupervised at home. The office removes that risk.
How you track the work is up to you. Most clients use the same tools they already use with any team member: Slack, Notion, Jira, Linear, whatever fits. You manage the work. We handle everything else.
What does the SoTalented Office Guarantee actually cover?
Four things:
Right person: 30-day replacement, no questions asked.
Right office: Professional workspace, reliable infrastructure, IT support.
Right management: The 42 touchpoints of the employee lifecycle, handled for you.
Right terms: $0 until you hire, no long-term contracts, one invoice.
What are the 42 touchpoints you keep mentioning?
The employee lifecycle has 7 phases and 42 touchpoints, from sourcing and onboarding through performance, engagement, and exit. We handle all of them. Most providers cover somewhere between 2 and 14, usually just sourcing and payroll, and leave the rest to you. Running an office means running the whole lifecycle, and that's what you're handing off. See what's included for the full breakdown.
What does employer of record actually mean for me?
You get all the benefits of a dedicated team member without the legal complexity of employing someone in another country. We're the legal employer on paper. You direct the work. We handle contracts, payroll, taxes, compliance, and HR. One relationship, zero entity setup.
You handle payroll and compliance. What if something goes wrong?
As the employer of record, that responsibility is ours. Your team is on our payroll, so taxes, benefits, local labor law, and government filings are on us. If something goes wrong on the compliance side, it's our problem to fix, not yours. That's the entire point of the EOR model.
How quickly can someone start?
For most roles, 21 days from first conversation to someone at their desk and ready to work. Some support and admin roles can move faster. We'll give you a realistic timeline based on what you need before you commit to anything.
What's included in the monthly fee?
Everything: salary, payroll, statutory benefits, office space, IT infrastructure, internet, HR support, and compliance. One invoice, nothing hidden. You don't pay separately for desk space, equipment, or admin overhead.
Can I scale up or down after starting?
Yes. Add team members as you grow, and scale down with 30 days notice. A satellite office is built to grow with you, not lock you into headcount plans you set years in advance.