How Code Institute doubled headcount and scaled across six countries

Partnering with Boundless, Code Institute, an Irish EdTech company offering coding courses, has been expanding its operations by seamlessly hiring globally in the UK, Croatia, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, and Germany. The efficient and transparent global employment system has made hiring and managing a globally distributed workforce much more accessible, facilitating the company’s growth and expansion.

In the autumn of 2021, Darren Forsyth, Finance Manager of Code Institute, realised he needed a more cost-effective solution for employing the UK team of the Irish-based company. The company had been using the services of a particular Employer of Record, but the tax structure of that provider wasn’t ideal for Code Institute’s status. Eighteen months earlier, Darren had joined the EdTech provider of coding courses and boot camps as the world was first coming to grips with a global lockdown. His goal was to optimise spending and enable the company to continue growing.

When Darren first contacted Boundless in November 2021, he had a mission in mind – to transition the employees hired through a UK provider to another provider that would be more tax-efficient.

Darren was well aware of this change’s impact on the employees’ lives. He sought a partner who could guide, support, and instil confidence. He found this assurance with Boundless. The presentation’s clarity and the platform’s functionality left Darren intrigued. While cost optimisation was the initial reason for reaching out, he was pleasantly surprised by other aspects of how Boundless worked, which proved to be an improvement over the previous provider, such as a unified invoice for all employees, regardless of their location and all the financial and payroll breakdowns in one place. “Boundless made global employment look easy and painless,” Darren says.

The decision was made, and Boundless was chosen to navigate Code Institute through this global employment endeavour.

The transition to Boundless was phased and careful. The strategy was simple and cautious: move one employee, hire a new one, assess, learn, adapt, and if everyone is happy, then shift the rest. The selected torchbearer for this pioneering journey was Miklos Sarosi, a Hungarian software developer and mentor based in the UK. Miklos, who had once been a student in one of Code Institute’s programs, represented the success story that Code Institute hoped for all its students. Understandably, Miklos had a few hesitations before being moved to another employment provider. Boundless offered to arrange for an HR manager to speak with him directly and address all his concerns and questions.

Miklos and the new hire’s experience was positive, and after a successful first payroll month, Darren decided it was time to move the rest of the team. He gathered the UK team on a Zoom call and unveiled the plan. The employees would submit their resignations by the end of January and start afresh with Boundless on March 1st. Boundless HR managers guided each employee, answering questions and alleviating their anxieties. The employees were introduced to the new platform, had their concerns addressed, and were prepared for the transition.

“Alannah was brilliant in going through everything. She put everyone at ease regarding the move, which was a great help in terms of employees understanding why we were doing it and feeling confident about the transition.”

With all UK-based employees successfully transitioned, Code Institute turned its attention to new hiring endeavours. The company had ambitious growth plans and needed engineers and program facilitators. To Darren and Code Institute’s pleasant surprise, the experience of onboarding new employees in new countries proved to be as smooth as the transition had been. The back-and-forth and the delays constantly occurring with the previous EOR provider were replaced with a swift and straightforward process.

“You can very simply access the platform, add the necessary information, invite the hire to add their information, and review and sign the contract.”

It wasn’t until working with Boundless that Darren realised how different communication with an Employer of Record could be. It turned from a hurdle into a strength. “ The speed of responses and the level of clarity made our lives so much easier. Instead of many back and forths, I would receive one clear email with everything I needed to know.” One of Darren’s biggest struggles was that with the previous provider, there had been different people responsible for each country, which was both confusing and slow. At Boundless, he had one point of contact. “That took a lot of pain away.”

The platform provided a clear guiding light regarding employment in each new country that Code Institute ventured into. At the same time, the HR team was available to answer more specific questions about employer obligations in each country, such as eye tests and the provision of glasses in Sweden. Darren and the hiring managers had all their questions answered, allowing them to open the hiring pool to dozens of countries that Boundless fully supports in compliance with regulations.

This enabled Darren and the team to respond quickly to candidates with offers and win them over.

Boundless has been there for Code Institute, not only during the best of times but also during the most challenging ones. For example, when an Ireland-based employee had to abruptly move back to their home country due to a family emergency, Boundless ensured a seamless transition, ending the agreement in Ireland and setting up a new one in the new country within just a few days.

Today, Code Institute has more than doubled its initial number of employees through Boundless, spread across Croatia, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, and Germany. This successful partnership has given the hiring managers the confidence to explore new markets and attract a diverse talent pool.

Darren describes the Boundless journey of Code Institute as efficient, responsive, and overwhelmingly positive. A local Irish company successfully transformed into a global entity, and the credit goes to the symbiotic relationship with Boundless. As Darren navigates the dynamic waters of global employment, he’s assured of one thing—Boundless has his back. And so, Code Institute continues to chart its course into new territories, building success stories one coding boot camp at a time.