Hiring AI engineers and machine learning specialists is tough enough. Doing it across borders adds legal complexity, tax risk, and compliance headaches. If you’re expanding into Poland—a fast-growing AI and tech hub—an Employer of Record (EOR) is one way to hire quickly, stay legal, and scale without opening a local office.
But not all EORs are built for AI hiring. If you’re expanding tech or AI teams in Poland, you need a partner who understands the nuances. Here are six key features to look for.
What Makes an EOR “AI-Ready” and Why It Matters
Cities like Warsaw and Kraków have become tech hiring hotspots, with thousands of open roles in AI – more than 1,000 listings are live at any given time. The opportunity is there, but only if you can move quickly.
Hiring in this space isn’t straightforward. AI teams often work with sensitive data, build proprietary tools, and prefer flexible contracts. You’re not hiring just anyone; you’re hiring specialists who are particularly influenced by your hiring speed, structure, and legal clarity.
That’s why your EOR partner needs more than payroll systems. They need to understand how to hire for highly specialized IT roles. If they don’t, you’ll be stuck dealing with legal gaps, onboarding delays, or losing top candidates to faster-moving competitors.
What Most EORs Miss When It Comes to AI Teams
There are more than 20 EOR providers active in Poland, but only a few are set up to handle AI hiring properly.
Most focus on basic admin: payroll, contracts, tax filings. Some are adding tech features. Borderless AI, for example, launched an AI-powered HR assistant (HRGPT) and self-serve contract flows. But few tackle the specific needs of AI hiring.
Why does it matter?
AI engineers create algorithms, models, and training pipelines that are core intellectual property. If IP ownership isn’t explicitly assigned to your company under local law, you risk losing control or, worse, facing legal claims.
Artificial Intelligence work is also paid differently.
Teams often use milestone-based payments (for example, after a model is deployed), combine salary with equity or bonuses, and apply for R&D tax credits. That kind of setup needs proper payroll records and flexibility in how people are paid.
Most EORs can’t accommodate this. They’re built for fixed salaries and basic deductions, not the flexibility needed for building AI teams.
6 AI-Ready Features to Look For in a Polish EOR
1. AI-Ready Compliance and Contracting
Poland’s labor code is strict, and new AI regulations are emerging every day. Your EOR should offer pre-vetted contracts with:
- B2B and UoP options
- Clear IP ownership clauses for AI models
- Clauses covering remote, part-time, and outcome-based work
- Polish and English versions, compliant with local law
Missing these opens you up to legal exposure. An EOR with real legal depth in Artificial Intelligence work helps you stay ahead.
2. Speed
AI and hybrid tech roles are growing fast in Poland. When a top candidate shows interest, speed matters. You need to go from offer to signed contract in under two weeks, or you risk losing them.
A reliable EOR should:
- Generate contracts within 24–48 hours
- Onboard within 5–10 business days
- Support remote identity verification
- Handle tax ID and ZUS registration behind the scenes
- Offer remote ID verification
- Provide access to payslips, contracts, and absence tracking
These steps should feel seamless, even across borders. If onboarding takes weeks, you’re losing out on candidates.
3. Data Protection Beyond GDPR Basics
AI work often involves processing sensitive datasets. Your EOR must go beyond checklists and be able to protect extremely sensitive data.
What to look for:
- RODO-compliant data handling workflows
- Secure, encrypted document storage
- Clear data access controls
- Documentation of how employee data is used
Talent Place builds these into every EOR engagement so that your legal and security teams don’t have to.
4. AI Talent Familiarity and Network Access
Polish recruitment agencies list top AI-specialist recruiters, but few combine sourcing with EOR services. You need an EOR that knows how to work with ML engineers, not just generalist hires.
Ask them:
- Have they placed AI roles before?
- Can they help you decide between B2B or UoP for specific roles?
- Do they understand which cities or regions have the best AI talent?
Talent Place does. We have an internal community of AI and data professionals, and we’ve hired for roles across NLP, MLOps, and LLM tuning.
5. Flexible Compensation and Payroll Models
AI teams often work on:
- B2B contracts
- Project-based compensation
- Equity or milestone-based bonuses
Your EOR needs to support these structures legally while still handling taxes, benefits, and compliance. If they can’t explain how, that’s a red flag.
6. Growth-Ready Infrastructure
If you’re planning to scale your AI team in Poland, make sure your EOR can:
- Support multiple cities
- Manage 1 to 50+ hires over time
- Handle contract changes, promotions, terminations
- Offer reports on headcount, cost, compliance
Conclusion: Most EORs Aren’t Built for AI. We Are.
Hiring AI teams is high-stakes. You need legal coverage, IP protection, and speed, not just a payroll vendor.
- We source AI candidates directly from our tech community
- We include Polish legal and IP clauses by default
- We combine hiring and HR support—from sourcing to offboarding
- We handle both UoP and B2B tax scenarios properly
- We offer personalized onboarding and EOR management
We don’t just plug into your backend. We help you hire better, onboard faster, and keep your data and contracts watertight.
Want to hire in Poland without opening a local entity? Let’s talk.
FAQs
- Why should tech companies use an EOR?
EORs let you hire talent in Poland fast, without opening a local office. It’s ideal for AI and remote-first teams.
- What are the costs associated with using an EOR in Poland?
Costs vary depending on the EOR’s pricing model, which may include flat fees or a percentage of payroll, along with potential additional charges for specific services.
- Is EOR cheaper than setting up a company?
In most cases, yes. Setting up a legal entity in Poland can cost anywhere from $5,000 to over $50,000 in legal, registration, and compliance fees. An EOR let’s you avoid these costs entirely. It also removes the need to run local payroll or hire HR staff. That alone can save between $2,000 and $50,000 per month. And even with typical EOR fees of 5–20% of salary, you’re still saving money and weeks of hiring time.
- Can an EOR handle benefits administration?
Yes, a comprehensive EOR manages statutory benefits and may offer additional benefits administration services as per company requirements.
- Is an EOR the same as a payroll provider?
No. EORs take on full legal employer status. Payroll firms don’t.
- How quickly can an EOR onboard new employees in Poland?
Onboarding timelines vary, but a proficient EOR can typically onboard employees within a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on documentation and compliance requirements.
