So you found this awesome freelancer online. They are everything. They have the experience and are cheap. And the difference in time zones means they can help you execute tasks even when your local employees are sleeping.That’s all good. We all are familiar with the many benefits, especially to growing businesses, of hiring freelancers. But then, you’ve got to be careful. Take a step back and consider a couple of things before sealing the deal.

Contractor Agreement

This should help define your entire relationship with this person. For instance, who owns the rights to assets produced by this person. Whether they are an employee or strictly an independent contractor. And, of course, what that means for you under your local laws and the foreign laws of the freelancer’s country.

Payments

This should be a clause in your agreement. Before hiring, first discuss and agree on the compensation currency that works for both of you. If you are going with the freelancer’s local currency, then you might need to check out TransferWise for Business Of course, every other aspect of payroll, like pay period and taxes, should also be on the agreement.

Time Tracking

This is a major issue with working with remote freelancers. So you have to decide from the onset how to track productivity. By using a time-tracking software like Hubstaff? Or by gauging productivity based on milestones?

Technology

Decide what tech will come in handy for proper communication and collaboration, whether via text messaging, voice call, or video call. The top out there include Slack, Google Apps, Trello, Skype, WhatsApp etc.

Culture

Given that this freelancer is in a different region of the world, it’s only reasonable to consider the work culture of their country, their time zone, public holidays, religious barriers, and so on. How would these affect your work relationship with them?

Working with foreign contractors, no doubt, has both benefits and shortcomings. By paying attention to the tips I’ve mentioned above, you at least equip yourself for a number of disputes, unforeseen circumstances, and even legal headaches that could rear up their ugly heads during or even after the freelancer’s job tenure with your company.

This article also appeared on The Technopreneur. We are all about helping entrepreneurs find success doing what they love. We evaluate your business and tell you what technologies can improve your processes.