Which roles justify recruiting beyond your own region
Recruiting in other EU countries takes more preparation than a local vacancy. It pays off mainly for roles you structurally cannot fill locally: cooks, housekeeping and service staff in tourist regions, seasonal roles and roles where you need a specific language. So start by asking whether the vacancy really cannot be filled locally, or whether the profile or channel is wrong. That is covered in the article on a vacancy that stays open too long.
Free movement of workers: what it does and does not mean
Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may work in another member state without a work permit and are entitled to the same employment conditions as local colleagues. So there is no separate pay or contract for staff from abroad. The rules of the country where someone works do apply: registration, a tax number, social security and often health insurance. Candidates from outside the EU are not covered by this; separate rules on residence and work apply to them. Always check the current rules with your payroll provider or the local authorities.
Decide in advance which language the role really needs
A room attendant in housekeeping has different language needs from a receptionist or a chef de partie. For each role, set out which language is needed for guests, which for colleagues and which for safety and hygiene. English or the language of the team is often enough, with the local language as a plus. Requirements that are too strict exclude good candidates; requirements that are too loose cause problems with instructions and emergency procedures. See also language requirements in hotel hiring.
Remote interviews: selecting without a trial shift
A trial shift is usually not feasible for a candidate who still lives in another country. Replace it with a structured video interview with the same questions for every candidate, a short practical task or situational question per department and a reference from a previous employer. Also ask concretely about expectations: how long someone wants to stay, what hours they expect and whether they have worked abroad before. A short phone screen first helps you filter faster.
Make the offer complete and in writing
Someone who moves for a job wants to know exactly where they stand beforehand. Put the gross pay and an indication of net pay in the offer, along with weekly hours, the type and length of contract, the role and department, the start date and what has been arranged for housing and travel. Explain the contract and the key arrangements in a language the candidate understands. Uncertainty about pay or hours is one of the most common reasons for leaving after arrival. More in making a job offer to a hotel candidate.
Registration, tax number and pay: plan the first weeks
In most countries a new employee must register with the municipality or a registration office and needs a personal number for tax and payroll, such as the BSN in the Netherlands or the tax ID (Steuer-ID) in Germany. This can take a few weeks. Help with it: book the appointment before arrival where possible, make sure the housing address can be used for registration and agree how the first salary payment will work. Someone who receives no pay in the first month because a number is missing often does not last.
Housing decides whether people come and stay
In tourist regions and large cities, housing is often the biggest hurdle. Decide whether you arrange accommodation yourself, work with a partner or help candidates search, and be clear about cost and duration. A room for the first months gives people time to find something themselves afterwards. Agree in advance what happens to the accommodation if the employment ends. See also housing for new hotel staff.
Travel and arrival: small things with a big effect
Agree an arrival date that leaves a few days before the first shift. Set out who pays for travel and whether you reimburse it after a certain period. Make sure someone collects the new employee, or that they at least know where to get the key, how to get to the hotel and who their contact person is. An employee who stands lost at a station on day one without a key starts with doubts.
Keep in touch between yes and arrival
There are often weeks between acceptance and arrival. In that time good candidates receive other offers too. Plan fixed touchpoints: a confirmation with all arrangements, a message about the housing, the rota and the name of their buddy a week ahead and the travel information a day before. Read more in between yes and day one.
The first week: explanations local staff do not need
On top of the normal induction, an employee from another country needs extra explanation: how the payslip works, where to go with questions about tax and insurance, how public transport works for early and late shifts and where to find a doctor. Assign a buddy, ideally someone who speaks the same language. Plan a short conversation after one week and after one month. See also first-week onboarding.
Only work with reliable agencies
If you work with an agency or partner in the country of origin, check that it is registered where this is required, that candidates pay no placement fees and that pay, hours and housing match what you agreed with the candidate. Complaints about hidden costs or poor housing ultimately reflect on your hotel, even if someone else caused them.
Checklist for general managers and HR
• Have you established that the role cannot structurally be filled locally?
• Have you set, per role, which language is really needed?
• Is there a fixed format for video interviews, with practical questions and a reference?
• Are pay, hours, contract, housing and travel fully set out in the written offer?
• Is it planned how registration, the tax number and the first salary payment will work?
• Is housing arranged, including cost, duration and an address for registration?
• Does the new employee know who will collect or meet them and who their contact person is?
• Are there touchpoints between acceptance and arrival?
• Is there a buddy, and are check-ins after one week and one month planned?
• Does any agency involved charge candidates no placement fees?
When AXXAZ Hospitality helps
AXXAZ Hospitality supplies reliable hospitality staff to hotels across Europe and works with staff from various EU countries. The more clearly your role, language requirements, hours and housing are defined, the better we can prepare candidates. This is based on a clear staffing brief. Get in touch.
In one sentence
Recruit in other EU countries for roles you cannot fill locally, set the real language requirement, make the offer complete, arrange registration, pay and housing before arrival and give the first week extra attention, because that is where it is decided whether someone stays.
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