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Case studies
Other people think we’re Legends too.
And they are happy to share the love. Legends.
Top tips
Bitesize tips from our team, our clients, and our clients’ EOR staff.
Legends, the lot of us.
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Blogs
10 benefits of using an Employer of Record
Why are South African Employer of Record services so beneficial to companies across the UK & Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand.
6 tips for hiring staff in South Africa
Hiring the right staff is crucial for the success of any business, and this holds particularly true in South Africa, a country with its own unique socio-economic landscape and labor laws.
A startup’s guide to South African EOR services
For startups eyeing South Africa as their next growth frontier, the strategic adoption of Employer of Record (EOR) services becomes a game-changer.
Case Studies
Effer Ventures
A South African based Skills Investment Firm built their entire marketing and finance team with the expertise of our team
Fintech Firm
Unlock growth potential with an offshore staffing solution. Cut costs by 63% while expanding your financial services team seamlessly.
Top tips
FAQs and need to knows
What is an Employer of Record?
An Employer of Record is the legal employer of a worker in a certain country. As such, the Employer of Record takes care of all compliance aspects of employment, including payroll, taxes, statutory benefits, employment contracts and more.
Who can use an Employer of Record?
Any business can use an Employer of Record service. Our most common use cases are; you are a Global PEO looking for a local South African Employer of Record partner; you are a business based in an expensive jurisdiction trying to save money on staff that are non-workplace-essential (eg. call centre, digital marketing, virtual assistant, IT support, SDRs) and/or you are a business looking to test the South African market before committing to it fully.
Why use an Employer of Record?
Using an Employer of Records allows companies to legally and efficiently engage with overseas workers either in a new country or state, without having to set up a local entity or risk violating local employment laws. It is a turnkey and cost effective solution to enter a market or to utilise the workforce of a more cost-effective market without having the hassle of a full-blown legal and organisational presence.
Who finds the staff?
Either you can find your own staff, or our recruitment services team can do it for you. It is totally up to you, and it can be flexible from role to role.
Because enemployment rates are so high in South Africa, there are plenty of staff available in the vast majority of fields. Our clients that hire directly often feedback that the issue is not finding the staff, it is finding the quality of staff and finding the right skills and cultural fit.
We think the art of South African recruitment is in understanding the educational system and the myriad cultural elements and matching it to the management team and expectations of the specific international client.
The vast majority of our clients start by using us for recruitment and then feel more comfortable hiring for ‘repeat roles’ (eg call centre agents) via their existing staff’s referral network and use us for specialist hires and new functions.
Are you a South African business?
We are a South African business (The Legends Agency (pty) Ltd (T/as The Legends Agency)). We also have a business in the UK (Smarter Hiring Limited (T/as The Legends Agency)).
Naturally, it is the South African business that is the employer of record in South Africa, and the vast majority of our staff are based in South Africa (well, it wouldn’t be right if they weren’t). The UK business manages the digital, FX and billing infrastructure.
Our CEO Anthony is a South African living in South Africa (Melkbosstrand, just north of Cape Town) and has been working on recruitment and employer of record services in South Africa for (whisper it) 25 years. Our other director, Alex, is from the UK. Alex started as a client of Anthony’s and has had a large operation in South Africa since 2019.
We have found that having a foot either side of the equator really stands us apart in both the infrastructure we can put in place and the service we can provide.
How long does it take to get set up?
Today. Seriously.
If you come to us with a South African member of staff ready to go, we will turn everything (employment contract, references, compliance documents, payroll setup etc) around immediately they can start today. We are ready to go.
The usual turnaround time for setting everything up on the employer of record side (very speedy) and time to placement on recruitment (very variable) is 2-4 weeks.