A strong candidate in Colombia and no entity there. Contractor or employer of record?

Employer of record, for one hire, every time. We have 23 people in 9 countries on that basis. You get a compliant local contract, statutory payments handled, and a termination process someone local understands.

Things to ask the provider before signing: who owns the intellectual property and how it is assigned to you, what notice and severance they will hold you to, and whether they operate their own entity in Colombia or use a partner. On equity, the provider is the legal employer, so check with your plan counsel that your rules allow grants to non-employees or service providers. Ours needed an amendment.

Add one question to that list: at what headcount will you set up your own entity? Ours was five in a country. Without a number, you wake up with 30 people on someone else's payroll and a permanent establishment conversation with your tax advisers that you should have had earlier.

On pay: price the role in Colombia, not in dollars at a discount to your London range. And remember the statutory extras there, which add materially to base cost. The provider should give you a full employer cost sheet before you make the offer, and if they cannot, pick a different one.