What about equity? Won't a Talzy engineer feel less invested?

It's a real consideration. Talzy engineers are Talzy employees, so they don't participate in your equity plan by default. Some clients structure phantom-equity or success bonuses through us; others reserve equity for in-house senior roles and use Talzy for capacity. Both work.

Can I convert a Talzy engineer to a direct hire later?

Yes. The conversion path is documented in the contract — typically a buyout fee that diminishes over time. Most clients don't convert because the dedicated-team model keeps working; for those who do, we make it clean.

How does culture fit work when the engineer isn't in your office?

We do a culture match step in our intake — your team's working style, communication patterns, decision rhythm — and screen candidates against it during DISC. Most successful Talzy engagements have a daily standup and a weekly retro, and the engineer reports into your team's tech lead. Same as any remote hire.

When should I hire in-house instead of using Talzy?

Senior roles where equity matters (CTO, VP Engineering), domain-specific specialists who are unlikely to exist in CEE (e.g., specific quant roles, security clearance work), or anyone who must be in your country for legal or contract reasons. For most other engineering roles, Talzy wins on speed and total cost.

How is this different from staff augmentation or contractors?

Staff augmentation is hourly, transactional, and ends when the project ends. Contractors are independent and typically split across many clients. Talzy engineers are full-time, dedicated to your team only, employed long-term, and managed for retention. Closer to in-house than to a contractor.

Honest comparison

Talzy vs in-house hiring

Hiring engineers in-house — your own recruiter, your own employment contracts, your own management — is the default playbook. It works well when you have time, budget for recruitment, and a hiring brand that pulls candidates. Talzy is the alternative when one of those is missing.

This is not a binary choice. Most companies blend the two: in-house for senior roles where culture and equity matter most, dedicated CEE teams for capacity and specific tech stacks. The question is which mode fits which role.

Last fact-checked April 29, 2026

When in-house hiring is the right call

You have an established hiring brand that pulls candidates organically
You already employ a senior in-house recruiter (or hiring is your core competency)
You want full equity and long-term stock-plan participation for every engineer
Your roles are too senior or too domain-specific for a CEE talent pool
You operate in a market where you must hire locally for legal or contract reasons

When Talzy is the right call

You need engineering capacity in 2–3 weeks, not 2–3 months
You don't have an in-house recruiter and don't want to hire one
You want CEE salary structure (40–60% of US/UK rates) without giving up quality
You want retention infra (1:1s, DISC, performance loops) without staffing it yourself
You want a free replacement during the probation period if a hire doesn't work
You want to test team scaling before committing to permanent headcount

Side-by-side

	Talzy	in-house hiring
Time to first hire	2–3 weeks from engagement signed	8–16 weeks typical (sourcing, interviews, offer, notice period)
Recruitment overhead	Included — sourcing + technical screening + culture match	Internal recruiter or external agency (15–25% of salary)
Salary structure	CEE bands — typically 40–60% of US/UK equivalent for the same skill	Local market rates (varies wildly by geography)
Legal employment	Talzy is the legal employer (Latvia / Lithuania / Poland)	You set up local entity OR use an EOR separately
Equity / stock	Not standard — engineers are Talzy employees	Full participation in your equity plan
Replacement during probation	Free in the first ~3 months	You absorb the cost of a re-hire
Retention infrastructure	Included — 1:1 scheduling, DISC, document workflow, performance reviews	You build it (or you don't)
Lock-in	12-month minimum, no hard lock-in past that	No lock-in (but high re-hire cost on departure)
Best for	Engineering capacity, specialised tech stacks, CEE-friendly roles, fast scale-up	Senior leadership, equity-heavy roles, locally bound positions

Frequently asked

For comparable roles in CEE, yes — by a wide margin. The CEE salary band is typically 40–60% of US/UK rates for the same skill level. Add Talzy's management fee (€500–€900/mo) and total cost is still below a US senior engineer salary alone, before you factor in recruiter cost and management overhead.

Still deciding?

Tell us where you are in the process and we will give a candid recommendation — even if that recommendation is in-house hiring.

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