What Traditional Agencies Charge
Most recruitment agencies in Europe work on a percentage of the candidate's first-year gross salary — typically between 15% and 25%, depending on the role's seniority and scarcity. The fee is usually invoiced in full when the contract is signed, before the hire has proven themselves.
Example 1 — Senior Full-Stack Developer, €65,000 salary
Agency at 15%: €9,750 · Agency at 25%: €16,250
Example 2 — Engineering Manager, €85,000 salary
Agency at 15%: €12,750 · Agency at 25%: €21,250
Because the fee scales with salary, you pay more for the same work whenever salaries rise — and the final cost is hard to predict when you budget your hiring.
The Flat-Fee Alternative: Success-Only Pricing
At ViTalented, the fee is based on the role — not the salary. A standard tech hire (junior to senior developers) costs a flat €4,900; leads and rare specialisations cost €6,400. No percentages, no calculations, no surprises.
The fee is split across three milestones, so you only reach the full amount once your new hire is actually working and proven:
Hiring several people? A multiple-hire discount applies to every role after the first: 5% off for 2–3 hires, 10% for 4–5, and 15% for 6 or more within 12 months.
The Subscription Alternative: A Dedicated Recruiter
If you're planning 3 or more hires in the coming months, a dedicated Talent Partner costs €3,300/month for 20 hours per week of embedded recruitment support — with flexible 1, 2 or 3 day-per-week plans starting at €1,500/month. The monthly cost stays the same whether you hire one candidate or several.
The minimum commitment is 3 months, after which it runs month-to-month with a 30-day notice period. Three months of a Talent Partner — typically 3–5 quality hires — costs €9,900 in total.
Side-by-Side: What the Same Hiring Plan Costs
| Hiring plan | Traditional agency (15–25%) | ViTalented |
|---|---|---|
| 1 senior developer (€65,000 salary) | €9,750 – €16,250 | €4,900 |
| 3 tech hires in 12 months | €29,250 – €48,750 | €14,210 (success-only, with multi-hire discount) |
| 3–5 hires in 3 months | €29,250 – €81,250 | €9,900 (Talent Partner, 3 months) |
Traditional-agency ranges assume a €65,000 average salary and 15–25% fees. ViTalented figures are flat fees including multi-hire discounts where applicable.
Other Costs to Factor In
- •VAT. French clients pay 20% TVA on recruitment fees. EU clients outside France use the reverse-charge mechanism (no French TVA), and clients outside the EU (UK, Switzerland, and others) pay no VAT/TVA at all.
- •Job ads and assessment tools. Paid job-board postings and technical testing platforms are usually billed separately, whatever the model. With ViTalented these are optional add-ons, approved by you in advance and priced separately.
- •The cost of a bad hire. A fee paid in full at contract signature leaves you exposed if the hire doesn't work out. Milestone billing and a replacement guarantee shift that risk back to the recruiter.
The Bottom Line
For a single occasional hire, a flat success-only fee of €4,900–€6,400 saves 50–70% against a traditional percentage agency. For ongoing hiring, a dedicated recruiter at €3,300/month costs less than two traditional placements — and keeps working your pipeline every week.