Where and how to hire software developers in Eastern Europe

A lot of companies choose foreign software development partners instead of local ones. And actually, it might be a very wise decision, as offshoring development destinations show themselves as rich hubs of experienced, highly qualified software engineers. 

Outsourcing software development to Eastern Europe, one of the currently most popular outsourcing locations, is a great option that a lot of businesses in the US and Western Europe select. So, what makes Eastern Europe so attractive and where exactly can you find a strong technical partner?

Benefits of Outsourcing to Eastern Europe

Let’s look through the main advantages that usually push overseas companies to hire developers from Eastern Europe.

Reasonable software development rates

Often, companies located in Eastern Europe have more moderate rates than similar teams in developed countries. So, if you compare prices on software development, for example, in the US or UK, you will be able to save up to 30-50 percent with the Ukrainian or Romanian team. 

However, it doesn’t mean that Eastern European developers deliver software of lower quality or create other problems for their customers. The aforementioned team can show the same level of skills and create reliable, self-sufficient software. The differences in prices are mostly caused by the different volumes of countries economy states and living costs.

Great pool of experts

Eastern European countries can boast a big number of software developers: for example, there are more than 200k developers in Ukraine and Poland each, 100k in Romania, 150k in the Czech Republic. Each country has dozens of higher education institutions, private courses, and tech schools where school graduates or specialists wanting to change their profession can learn how to code. 

Being a developer is a profitable career path that opens a lot of opportunities, hence, it is quite popular among youth who seek flexibility in their life. 

Cultural background

Cultural compatibility is essential for efficient cooperation. If your partners were born and raised in drastically different cultural contexts, it might be hard to find a common ground and synchronize. 

Luckily, it shouldn’t be a problem with Eastern Europe: the majority of countries are already part of the European Union, and the others like Ukraine are aiming to join it soon. The people there are raised mostly in the sphere of western values and are well acquainted with business etiquette. 

Language proficiency

You won’t have any problems with language differences also: IT clusters in Eastern Europe consisted mostly of young, open-minded people who travel a lot and understand the importance of learning English. Usually, the companies targeted on international IT markets hire developers with at least intermediate English proficiency, so they will be able to communicate with customers. 

Top Countries in Eastern Europe for Software Outsourcing

Here is the list of the most popular destinations in Eastern Europe: 

As you can see, Ukraine and Poland are at the top of the list, mostly due to the high population of software developers. Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia are following, and Serbia is a rather new destination that’s only starting to gain popularity. 

How to Choose a Tech Outsourcing Partner?

So, you decided to give Eastern Europe developers a try. Congrats! So how can you find and select the best match for your needs and requirements?

Research your opportunities

There are dozens, and sometimes even hundreds of outsourcing companies in each of the aforementioned countries. They provide different types of services, specialize in software development for businesses from different industries. They come in different sizes and with different methodologies.

Decide what partner you want to cooperate with, what characteristics they should have, and then filter this big pool of companies. Then, research their service cards, websites, presentations, social media, profiles on tech directories like Clutch and learn what they can offer you.

Review their work

Before signing a contract with anyone, ensure that they are reliable and able to deliver the solution you need. Check their portfolio and success cases, check if they are similar to your desired software and if they have already worked with the companies within your industry. 

If you want to dig deeper, you may reach out to the previous clients of your potential partner and ask for feedback.

Test assignment

Sometimes, it makes sense to send a test coding assignment for developers you plan to cooperate with. It may help you understand their real level of skill and compare it with the info on their CVs. However, don’t go overboard: the test should be short and take a very small amount of time. You can’t also use the test for commercial purposes, for example, sending a real task you need to complete for your projects, as it is unethical and exploits the testees efforts. 

Interviews

Though you can skip test assignments, we won’t suggest doing the same with interviews. Some companies run tech interviews to evaluate the coding skills of the candidates, but at the same time, you should use these meetings to check soft skills.

It is important to understand the way people communicate, how they manage their time, how they act under stress, how good their English is, and if their attitude is a good match for you. Even the most skilled specialist can bring harm if you can’t cooperate adequately.

In Conclusion

Easter Europe IT industry is constantly growing and performing extremely well as an outsourcing destination for companies all over the world. The local companies are interested in cooperating with foreign businesses, hence, they are focused on delivering the best quality and customer services possible. A high level of competition within a certain country and between nearby ones pushes them even more, as it is quite obvious that there are dozens of outsourcing companies ready to fight for interesting projects and clients.