How to hire freelance developers — tips and tricks

The tech talent shortage in the United States and Western Europe is becoming more and more noticeable every year. If you still manage to find software developers in your location, their prices may be sky-high even for short projects, no matter which technology stack you need. Looking for a PHP developer, Java developers, or experts on other technologies, but there’s a lack of them where you live? The best way to solve this problem is to hire freelance developers.

Best European countries for hiring freelance developers in 2024

Listed below are some of the countries that have proven to be great locations for outsourcing software development projects.

Ukraine – Eastern Europe is the next go-to offshore destination for software development services and Ukraine is definitely its flag bearer. With over 1 lakh IT experts and software professionals, Ukraine provides an excellent ecosystem with a perfect ratio of the workforce, technology, quality, and price that averages around $25-50/hour. Some of the leading tech powerhouses like Intel, Reuters, and Microsoft have outsourced their software projects to this technology hub.

Poland – A lucrative offshoring destination, Poland is rising in popularity as an ideal outsourcing destination with programming specialists along with exceptional software developers. Moreover, the labor cost of the country is lower than other Western European countries, with an average software development services rate of $25-50/hour. Interestingly, Poland is one of the first Eastern European countries that employs cutting-edge technologies.

Hungary – A country that cannot be judged by its size, Hungary is a nation that is growing in popularity over the years. With over 1 lakh software and IT professionals and numerous R&D centers set-up by companies with global footprints like Nokia and Siemens, Hungary has one of the most vibrant software development industries.

Czech Republic – This IT developed country is home to a skilled IT workforce, with over 15,000 STEM students graduating annually. Czech Republic offers some of the most attractive benefits for software development services such as a global talent pool, high-level skills, financial advantages like low production cost and reasonable corporate tax, language proficiency, and top-of-the-line technological solutions for prominent international companies such IBM, Google, NetSuite, and much more.

So what are the key steps to take after you decide to hire freelance developers?

1. Define a destination where you are going to look for tech talent. The most popular offshore destinations are Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Each one has its own benefits and drawbacks, so you should carefully research the tech talent market and other features of the chosen country.
2. Once the destination is decided, choose from the list of software development companies available in the location. You can make a decision based on their portfolio, software products available, their onboarding process and much more.
3. If you are planning to hire a freelancer instead, choose a freelance website where you are going to search for candidates. Here are the top 10 places where you can find and hire a freelancer. The most popular one is Upwork; however, if you are looking for deep experience and strict vetting, consider TopTal or Crossover.
4. Browse the website(s) for profiles of software developers from the location of your choice. As mentioned, Upwork, Fiverr, and such similar websites can give you the best developers at the cheapest rate. These types of websites work on bids, which demands a detailed and well-designed software development RFP(Rate for Proposal). So, write a good one to get the best bids.
5. Once, you have a list of the candidates bidding for your project, you can fit your project requirements and good ratings from clients. You can also consider other determinants such as proposal quality, hourly rate, years of experience, and previous software development projects.
6. Interview the candidates and hire those that passed the interview. For example, here are the 25 questions to ask before you hire web developers in 2022. You can add more questions or list out all the deliverables, which can give you a better understanding and help you make an informed decision.
7. Last but not the least, screen your potential freelancer for required soft skills and remote readiness using the online tool for interviewing developers. The more comprehensive the questionnaire, the more accurate the hiring.

At first, it may seem hard to find developers, but actually, it’s quite easy when you are familiar with the subject. If you are keen to learn more, start with the research we compiled based on YouTeam‘s operational data – the top trends of 2019 for hiring tech talent remotely. It includes the most popular programming roles in 2019, tech stack US startups were looking for in 2019, average rates set by dev shops in Eastern Europe and South America and more. Discover how offshore development is changing over time and take it into account while shaping your own growth strategy in 2024.

How to hire developers like freelancers but more safely

Some websites and platforms offer ready-made teams of freelance software developers, so you can hire a dedicated team. Sometimes it is better to work with the team members who have worked with each other for a long time, rather than build a team from scratch. For example, here how you can read on how to find a perfect game dev team.

If you are eager to combine the flexibility of freelance hiring with a safer operations option, come to us — YouTeam. We’re a Y Combinator backed startup that’s operating a marketplace of vetted engineers from software development agencies. Our platform solution protects the clients and allows them to work flexibly with the best talent.

We hope that our article has given you an idea about where to look for freelance software developers, how to organize the hiring process, and what to pay specific attention to. Good luck!