--- title: "What can you change in an EOR employment contract?" description: "The base contract is a compliant template. What a client can add, what happens when a clause is not enforceable locally, and how an existing contract is mirrored on transfer." canonical: https://www.teamed.global/insights/what-you-can-change-in-an-eor-employment-contract datePublished: 2026-09-22T12:00:00.000Z --- Last updated: 22 September 2026 Quite a lot. Every Teamed employment contract starts from a template built to meet the minimum legal requirements of the country where the person will work. That base is not negotiable, because it exists to keep the contract compliant. On top of it, a client can usually add clauses covering intellectual property assignment, confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation restrictions, commission or bonus schedules, extended notice periods, and a probation period set within local limits. Two things sit outside that list. A clause has to be checked against local law before it goes in, because what is enforceable in one country can be void in another. And where someone is transferring in from an existing contract, the new agreement is built to mirror what they already have, not to reset it. ## What is fixed, and what can be added? The base template covers what the law in that country requires: the employment relationship itself, statutory minimum notice, statutory leave, and the other terms a contract has to contain to be valid. Teamed's [employment contract checklist](/insights/employment-contract-checklist-and-review-template) sets out what belongs in that baseline. This page is about what sits on top of it. Additions are written as client-specific clauses layered onto the compliant base, agreed with the client before the contract is issued. They do not touch the statutory minimums. They extend or restrict the relationship in ways the law in that country allows. ## Which clauses can a client typically add? The clauses clients ask for most often are: - **IP assignment.** Confirms that work product created during employment belongs to the client. - **Confidentiality.** Standard, and rarely contested anywhere. - **Non-compete restrictions.** Limits on working for a competitor after the contract ends, where local law allows them. - **Non-solicitation.** Limits on approaching clients or colleagues after the contract ends. - **Commission and bonus schedules.** Variable pay structures on top of base salary. - **Extended notice.** A longer notice period than the local statutory minimum, never shorter. - **Probation terms.** A probation period set within whatever ceiling local law allows. Each one is added as a specific clause in the contract, not as a general instruction to make the contract flexible. A client tells us which of these matter for the role, and the clause is drafted for that hire. ## What happens when a clause is not enforceable locally? It gets flagged before signature, not after. Enforceability of clauses such as non-compete and non-solicitation varies sharply by country. Some jurisdictions restrict them by industry, cap their duration, require payment for the restricted period, or do not enforce them at all. A clause that is standard in one country can be void, or need rewriting, in the next. **This page does not list which clauses are enforceable in which countries.** That is a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legal question, and getting it wrong is worse than leaving it open. A client who is told a clause will hold, and later finds out in a dispute that it does not, is in a worse position than one who was told to check first. Where a specific clause matters for a hire, Teamed confirms its enforceability with local counsel for that country before the contract is signed, rather than assuming it based on how the clause reads. If a clause cannot be enforced as written, there are three usual options. Narrow it, for example a shorter duration or a smaller geographic or role scope. Replace it with a mechanism the local law does recognise, such as a payment during the restricted period. Or drop it and rely on confidentiality and IP assignment instead, which are enforceable almost everywhere. ## How does an existing contract get mirrored when someone transfers in? The new contract is built to match what the person already has, then adjusted only where the law in the new country requires a change. That starts with the existing contract itself: role, salary, notice period, benefits, and any clauses already in place such as IP assignment or a bonus structure. Each term is checked against the new country's statutory minimums. Anything the existing contract already meets or exceeds carries across unchanged. Anything below the new country's floor, such as a shorter notice period or fewer leave days than the law there requires, is raised to meet it. Local law sets a floor a contract cannot go under, not a ceiling it has to match exactly. This is the same review that runs on new hires. A transfer just starts from an existing document instead of a blank one. ## How Teamed helps with this Every Teamed contract starts from a template that meets the statutory minimum for the country of hire. Clients can add IP assignment, confidentiality, non-compete, non-solicitation, commission or bonus schedules, extended notice, and probation terms within local limits. Before any of those clauses is signed, Teamed checks its enforceability with local counsel for that specific country. Where someone is transferring in from an existing contract, Teamed builds the new one to mirror it, adjusting only where the new country's statutory minimums require a change. Tell us which clauses matter for the role, and which country it sits in, and we will confirm what can be added and what needs to change before the offer goes out. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I use my own contract template with Teamed? Not directly. Teamed employs the person as the legal employer of record, so the contract has to be Teamed's, built to meet local law. What can carry across is the substance: the clauses, pay structure and terms you want, added to Teamed's compliant base for that country. ### Are non-compete clauses enforceable everywhere? No, and this page does not name which countries allow them. Enforceability depends on the country, the industry, and how the clause is written. Teamed checks each one with local counsel before it goes into a contract, rather than assuming it will hold because it worked somewhere else. ### Can a clause be added after the contract has already started? Sometimes, through a written amendment both sides sign, but not automatically. A change to notice, restrictions or pay after the relationship has started is itself a change to the contract, and in some countries needs the same statutory checks as a new hire. Raise it with your Teamed contact before assuming it can simply be added. ### What if a clause I want cannot be enforced in that country? Teamed will say so before the contract is issued, and set out the alternatives, such as narrowing the clause, replacing it with a locally recognised mechanism, or relying on confidentiality and IP assignment instead. Related reading: the [employment contract checklist](/insights/employment-contract-checklist-and-review-template) covers what a compliant contract has to contain. [Employment contract](/glossary/employment-contract) and [employment contract types](/glossary/employment-contract-types) in the glossary cover the underlying terms. [Governing law clause](/glossary/governing-law-clause), [notice period](/glossary/notice-period), and [probation period](/glossary/probation-period) explain three of the terms this page discusses. [Employer of Record](/employer-of-record) explains how the arrangement works.