What is the legal difference between "working abroad temporarily" and "relocating"?

Working temporarily abroad (up to 60–90 days/year typically) does not trigger tax residence change or PE risk. Crossing the local tax-residency threshold (183 days, or "centre of vital interests" in Spain/France/Germany) flips the analysis. EOR in the host country restores compliance.

Why is hire-before-arrival useful?

It collapses the dead-time between offer-accept and first-day-of-work. The candidate is onboarded under EOR in their current country during the visa/travel period and converted on UK arrival. Cost: 1–2 months of EOR fee. Upside: candidate never goes cold.

How does the working-abroad policy interact with tax residency?

80 days/year sits well below the 183-day tax-residence threshold in most countries. Employees remain UK tax-resident, pay UK PAYE, and the employer has no PE exposure. Crossing into actual relocation converts to EOR.

When would MyTutor switch from EOR to entity formation in Spain?

For Spanish professional-services salaries, crossover lands around 8–12 employees. Below that, EOR is materially cheaper than a Spanish SL with gestoría and payroll. Individual relocations stay on EOR indefinitely.

MyTutor · UK education technology · 1:1 and 3:1 online tutoring platform

Keep the engineer when she moves to Spain.

Proof you can point to

A senior engineer with 4 years of institutional knowledge tells her UK employer she is moving to Spain. The traditional answer is: either she resigns, or you set up a Spanish entity. Is there a third option that does not lose the person or build a foreign subsidiary?

MyTutor used Teamed EOR to convert the move into a retention. The engineer kept her role and her institutional knowledge; MyTutor avoided the cost and timeline of either hiring a replacement or forming a Spanish entity. The model worked so well it became infrastructure: MyTutor now runs a documented working-abroad policy that lets employees work up to 80 days per year abroad on top of permanent relocations.

Senior engineer retained through relocation: 1 (4 years tenure preserved)
Replacement-hire cost avoided: Full senior-engineer recruitment + onboarding cycle
Local-entity setup required: None: EOR only
Working-abroad policy launched: Up to 80 days/year abroad while remaining UK-employed
Additional EOR hires (South Africa, pre-UK move): 1 (with grace-period onboarding while visa finalised)

Retention outcome: Senior engineer (4 years tenure) retained through international relocation
Working-abroad policy: Documented 80-days-per-year-abroad allowance, EOR-backed for moves that exceed it
Pre-arrival onboarding: Teamed enabled hire-before-arrival for a South Africa-based engineer who later moved to the UK
Platform speed: Same-platform onboarding compressed to under a working day per MyTutor's account

Facts confirmed by MyTutor. Last verified 2026-05-14.

Company Overview

MyTutor is a dynamic UK-based tutoring platform that specialises in connecting expert tutors with parents and children in need of personalised 1:1 or 3:1 lessons. With a commitment to affordable pricing and streamlined access to quality education, MyTutor’s Employment of Record (EoR) software is now one of the leading B2C and B2B tutoring solutions in the UK.

Also collaborating with dedicated tutors and university students to support programmes such as the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), MyTutor has provided academic assistance to schools all over the country adapting to the changing face of post-pandemic education.

Challenges

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, MyTutor faced a pressing challenge: how to retain their talent pool amidst a rapidly changing work landscape. As an increasing number of employees expressed a desire to return to their home countries or explore opportunities abroad, the Covid-19 pandemic marked a shift in the dynamic of MyTutor’s core teams.

With growth opportunities for the company also triggered by an increase in remote learning, keeping hold of long-standing team members with knowledge of the company’s history was essential.

However, without an extensive global presence, the traditional approach of setting up offices abroad wasn't a viable solution. In light of these challenges, MyTutor sought a partner that could seamlessly facilitate remote work options, ensure overseas compliance, and cater to the operational needs of the company.

Discovering Teamed

When a software engineer with four years of dedicated service proposed a move to Spain, MyTutor required urgent assistance to support the relocation of this employee. Having researched different platforms and service providers in the UK and abroad, the solution to this talent retention challenge came in the form of Teamed.

Recommended by a peer already leveraging Teamed's capabilities, Teamed emerged as a solution that could allow this employee to work remotely from Spain, without the usual hurdles associated with international work arrangements.

Eliminating the risk of losing the expertise of this employee and having to invest in the hiring and onboarding of new talent, Teamed enabled MyTutor to facilitate a smooth and efficient relocation process without tying up valuable resources during a crucial growth phase.

“For us, the simplicity of the platform is really helpful. Managing overseas employees feels easy now because of how intuitive the platform is. With other platforms, if it takes more than 5 clicks to do one task, you’ve lost us — so we really appreciate how fast and straightforward Teamed is.”

Notable Benefits of Teamed

For MyTutor, Teamed was able to satisfy not only challenges associated with retention but also aid a more progressive approach to global hiring within the company.

“Teamed has definitely helped us transform our hiring process. It allows us to cast the net so much further and target talent we know will be beneficial to our business, regardless of where they’re based!”

In terms of navigating the complexities of overseas hiring and global mobility, Teamed was almost instantly able to improve MyTutor’s agility and operational efficiency — aligning with MyTutor's future-proofing strategies.

For instance, Teamed allowed MyTutor to hire an employee based in South Africa ahead of their UK move, providing them with a grace period to finalise their visa and travel arrangements, while also getting ahead of the onboarding process and ensuring a seamless integration upon their arrival.

Teamed's Onboarding Process

One of the standout aspects of Teamed's service is the comprehensive onboarding process. By engaging with MyTutor and understanding their unique circumstances, Teamed has been able to craft tailor-made onboarding solutions for each international employee.

From contract compliance to country-specific insights, Teamed takes care of all the details, allowing MyTutor to present a comprehensive benefits package to employees that caters to both parties’ needs.

Some of the other reasons Teamed’s EoR software stands out as a leading solution for MyTutor includes:

Efficient customer service: An in-house team of customer service agents is always on hand to support Teamed clients with quick response times and prompt issue resolution to ensure operational continuity.

Speed and adaptability: Teamed’s responsiveness and flexibility as a platform work well with MyTutor’s fast-paced work environment, providing tailored solutions as needed. This has resulted in MyTutor's collaboration with Teamed intensifying quickly in a short space of time.

User-friendly platform: MyTutor's preference for streamlined processes makes working with Teamed's user-friendly platform all the more appealing. Amidst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day operations, intuitive software is vital for efficiency.

“How quickly we can get things set up is a real plus for our team. The speed at which Teamed moves enables us to keep up with employee needs and facilitate international moves, even at short notice.”

The Impact of Teamed

As MyTutor embraced Teamed's solutions, they noticed a positive shift across company culture for both new recruits and the existing workforce.

The ability for Teamed to simplify previously complex processes not only promotes trust and engagement from the outset, it also sets a positive tone for the employee-employer relationship.

By partnering with Teamed, MyTutor has been able to:

Enhance the employee experience: Simplifying complex procedures has fostered trust and engagement right from the start, especially for those navigating tricky transitions to or from abroad.

Implement a more flexible working model: Teamed has enabled MyTutor to launch a “working abroad policy” — where employees are allowed to work 80 days in every year abroad.

Facilitate employee needs: Employees are no longer tied down by their location which means they are free to take opportunities that present to them, while maintaining stable employment.

Extend their talent search to strategic locations: MyTutor can now focus their attention on attracting employees from a much wider talent pool, improving operational resilience and ensuring long-term success.

“Through our working abroad policy, we’ve been able to give employees a flavour for living in a new country and experiencing new things, while still remaining employed by MyTutor.”

Advice for Global Hiring

MyTutor is enthusiastic to recommend Teamed to organisations seeking a stress-free but highly effective global hiring solution. The platform's simplicity, directness, and accessibility make it a valuable asset for establishing a diverse workforce across continents.

MyTutor's experience with Teamed highlights how its capabilities can enhance the initial employee journey and contribute to long-term employee satisfaction, as well as unlocking new opportunities along the way.

In partnership with Teamed, MyTutor can continue to tackle the challenges of a changing work landscape, while also reaping the rewards of a more diverse and globally connected workforce.

Empower Your Global Workforce with Teamed

Manage the hiring and retention of global teams with ease

Whether you're an established company or a budding startup, Teamed's advanced but user-friendly platform offers reliable advantages such as:

Global Payroll Expertise: Seamlessly process payroll in 80+ currencies, ensuring accurate and compliant payments worldwide.

Local Tax & Compliance: Rely on Teamed's legal experts to navigate the intricate web of global regulations, mitigating risks and ensuring full compliance.

Expert Human Support: Real HR and legal experts on every plan, with no AI bot wall and no support tier to unlock. 24/5 support, a named escalation contact, and a team that knows your account.

Effortless Onboarding: Onboard employees in 24 hours, not weeks.

Tailored Employee Experiences: From benefits to onboarding, create a localised approach for your global employees — enhancing satisfaction and engagement.

Transparent Pricing: A flat $599 USD or £479 GBP per employee per month. Salary, employer social charges and statutory benefits are passed through at cost, with no markup and zero FX margin.

Dedicated Local Experts: Benefit from 1-1 employee onboarding, guided by local experts who understand the nuances of each region.

Ready to see what Teamed can do for YOUR business?

Every business is unique which is why Teamed offers customised solutions tailored to your individual needs. Whether you’re expanding into a new market or trying to facilitate the move of an existing employee, our expertise in global hiring can help you streamline the entire process.

To learn more about the specific benefits of Teamed for your business or organisation, speak with one of our experts today.

We’ve mastered global hiring, so you don’t have to!

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Decision checklist

Audit the past 12 months of resignations: how many cited location-flexibility constraints as the reason for leaving? That number is the size of your retention-via-EOR opportunity.
Define the boundary between "working abroad temporarily" (stays on home contract) and "relocated" (converts to EOR in the new country). Most policies set the line at 60–90 days/year.
Pilot the conversion path with one employee who has actually given notice or signalled intent to leave for a foreign move, not a hypothetical.
Document the working-abroad policy publicly. It only retains employees if they know it exists before they accept a competing offer.
Re-evaluate at 5+ employees in any single country: if the population is concentrating, the entity-vs-EOR conversation can start; if it remains scattered, EOR is the right shape indefinitely.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the legal difference between "working abroad temporarily" and "relocating"?
Working temporarily abroad (typically up to 60–90 days/year) usually does not trigger a change in the employee's tax residence or the employer's permanent-establishment risk in the host country: the employee remains tax-resident in their home country and the employer has no fixed place of business abroad. Once the employee crosses the local tax-residency threshold (varies: 183 days is a common rule, but Spain, France, and Germany have stricter "centre of vital interests" tests that can trigger sooner), the analysis flips: the employee becomes tax-resident in the host country, social-security obligations may shift, and the employer can be exposed to permanent-establishment risk if the employee is performing core revenue-generating activity. At that point, the home-country contract no longer covers it; EOR in the host country (Teamed's structure) restores compliance.
Why is hire-before-arrival useful?
It collapses the dead-time between offer-accept and first-day-of-work. A candidate based in South Africa who is moving to the UK can be onboarded under Teamed's South African EOR during the visa/travel period, receiving salary, benefits, and starting work immediately, and then converted to a UK contract on arrival. The alternative (unpaid wait for visa, candidate at risk of competing offers) typically costs 6–12 weeks of productivity per international hire and meaningfully raises the candidate-fall-through rate. The cost is one or two months of EOR fee; the upside is the candidate never goes cold.
How does the working-abroad policy interact with tax residency?
The policy works because 80 days/year is well below the standard 183-day threshold that triggers tax residence in most countries. Provided the employee's primary residence, family, and economic ties remain in the UK, they remain UK tax-resident and pay UK PAYE; the employer remains the UK entity with no host-country PE exposure. The 80-day limit is the practical safety margin; it gives employees genuine flexibility while keeping the legal analysis simple. Employees who cross the line into "actually relocating" exit the working-abroad policy and convert to EOR in the new country.
When would MyTutor switch from EOR to entity formation in Spain?
For Spanish professional-services salary levels, the EOR-to-entity crossover usually lands around 8–12 employees. Below that, the per-employee Teamed fee is materially cheaper than the all-in cost of running a Spanish SL (formation, registered office, gestoría/accountancy, NIE administration, payroll). MyTutor at one engineer is well inside the EOR window indefinitely; the question only re-opens if Spain becomes a deliberate operational hub with 8+ engineers, not a side-effect of individual relocations.