Contract-to-hire
Contract-to-hire for senior engineers
Contract-to-hire means an engineer starts on a fixed-term contract through a staffing firm, works in your team, and converts to your permanent employee at the end of an agreed window if both sides want it. You evaluate the engineer on real work first. Conntal sets the window and the conversion fee before the start date.
Last reviewed 31 October 2026
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Screened by practitioners
Ace8 and AceMQ engineers, not recruiters
130+
AceMQ enterprise clients across 26+ countries
Contract, C2H or direct
onshore, nearshore or offshore
How it works
How contract-to-hire works at Conntal.
Five steps. The window and the fee are fixed in the SOW before the engineer starts.
- 01
Brief and scope
A practitioner reads the role and confirms what the engineer will own at conversion, not just in the first month. - 02
Screen and shortlist
Candidates go through the published production scenario for the role before you see them. - 03
Contract start
The engineer joins your team on contract through Conntal, in your repos, standups and on-call rotation. - 04
Evaluate on real work
Both sides see how the engineer handles your platform, your incidents and your team before committing. - 05
Convert on agreed terms
At the end of the window you convert at the fee set before the start date, or end the contract with no negotiation.
What it costs
Six months of contract-to-hire against the alternatives.
The contract part is arithmetic on Conntal's published from-rates. The conversion fee and the direct hire fee are quoted per role and are not published, so add them to the rows below.
| Model | Six months, nearshore or offshore (from $80/hr) | Six months, onshore (from $120/hr) | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract only | $76,800 | $115,200 | The engagement ends, or extends by SOW. No hire. |
| Contract-to-hire, converting at six months | $76,800 plus the pre-agreed conversion fee | $115,200 plus the pre-agreed conversion fee | The engineer becomes your employee on your payroll. |
| Direct hire | No hourly cost. A one-time fee, a percentage of first-year base | No hourly cost. A one-time fee, a percentage of first-year base | Employee from the first day, with no trial period. |
What moves a rate above the from-rate, and how a bill rate is built, is on rates and engagement models. For the three-way comparison, see contract vs contract-to-hire vs direct hire.
Model fit
When contract-to-hire is the right model.
Right when
The role will be permanent, but the platform is unfamiliar to your team and you want to see the engineer on real work first.
Right when
The scope starts as a migration or upgrade and becomes ongoing ownership — common on Kafka, RabbitMQ and Cloudera estates.
Watch the window
Windows that are too long lose strong candidates to permanent offers elsewhere. We agree the shortest window that answers your real question.
Same bar
Contract-to-hire is not a lower screen. Candidates pass the same practitioner scenario as a direct placement.
Not a fit if
When to look elsewhere.
- The work has a clear end date and no in-house owner afterwards. Plain contract staffing avoids paying a conversion fee for a hire you will not make.
- You already know the role and the bar, and a long trial would cost you the candidate. Direct hire is faster to a decision.
- You cannot employ the person where they live. Conversion of a nearshore or offshore engineer depends on how you employ people in that country, so settle that before the contract starts.
Roles we staff
Every role has a published screen.
The scenario each candidate is put through is on the role page, so you can judge the bar before you brief us.
Related
Other ways to engage.
FAQ
Contract-to-hire: what buyers ask
Something not covered here? Send the requirement and a practitioner answers it, not a sales queue.
What does contract to hire mean?
Contract-to-hire is an engagement where an engineer starts on a fixed-term contract through a staffing firm and can convert to your permanent employee at the end of an agreed window. It lets both sides evaluate the fit on real work before a permanent commitment.
How long is a contract-to-hire period?
It is agreed before the start date. The right length is the shortest window that answers your real question about the engineer; overly long windows tend to lose strong candidates to permanent offers.
What does it cost to convert a contract-to-hire engineer?
The conversion fee is a pre-agreed amount written into the SOW, so converting is a business decision rather than a negotiation you have while the person is already embedded in your team. Conntal does not publish the figure; it is quoted for the role. Until conversion you pay the contract rate for the engineer's location.
Is contract-to-hire better than direct hire?
Neither is better in general. Contract-to-hire suits roles where the platform is unfamiliar or the scope is still forming; direct hire suits roles you already understand, where a long trial would cost you the candidate.
Who employs the engineer during the contract period?
During the contract period the engineer is engaged through Conntal and works under your direction in your team. At conversion they become your employee. The terms for both periods are set out in the SOW.
What happens if a contract-to-hire placement does not work out?
The practitioner who vetted the engineer stays attached to the placement and raises a problem before you have to. Conntal replaces the engineer within a defined replacement window, rather than defending the original choice. See how we vet for the full method.
Can contract-to-hire work for nearshore engineers?
Yes. Conversion of a nearshore or offshore engineer depends on how you employ people in that country, so we agree the conversion route at the start rather than at the end of the window.
Tell us the role. A practitioner scopes it, not a recruiter.
Send the requirement — or the job description you are not happy with — and an engineer who runs this technology will tell you what is missing before we source anyone.