Start with the actual work
An independent contractor provides services autonomously. In employment, a company acts as employer. Actual working conditions may matter more than the agreement's label: the ILO suggests considering the facts of work and remuneration when assessing an employment relationship.
This international guidance does not replace national rules. This guide does not classify your case; it helps prepare a specialist consultation.
Questions that reveal the difference
Describe daily work before choosing an arrangement. Actual answers are more useful than a preference for a contract type.
- Are you hiring for a defined outcome or a permanent team function?
- Who decides schedules, working methods and organization?
- Can the person serve other clients?
- Who provides tools and bears the risk of rework?
- How is the service supervised, and what happens if scope changes?
Compare equivalent budgets
An invoiced fee and gross salary may not cover the same scope. For employment, separate charges, benefits, administration and termination costs. For services, review scope, revisions, expenses, invoicing and payment fees.
There is no universal percentage to convert one into the other. A fair comparison states what each amount includes and what still needs a quote.
Document the relationship
Define deliverables or duties, confidentiality, intellectual property, system access, currency and dispute resolution. Documents should reflect actual working practices.
If the role involves daily team integration but claims autonomy that does not exist, pause the commercial comparison and seek classification review. A standard contract alone does not resolve this.