🌍 International Recruitment Pricing Calculator
International recruitment means sourcing healthcare professionals (primarily nurses) from outside the US and carrying real upfront costs, attorney fees, visas, licensing, relocation, before the candidate ever bills an hour. This calculator, straight from Dee's How To Charge workbook, totals your true cost per candidate, prices your placement fee and margin, spreads the fee into an amortized monthly payment, builds the month-by-month liquidated damages repayment schedule, and projects annual volume. It finishes with comp plans for the business development rep and immigration case manager so the whole operation stays profitable. Run your numbers once free; the $27 one-time unlock keeps every section live forever and includes the Excel workbook.
Section 1 · Cost components per candidate
International placements carry significant upfront investment before the candidate ever bills an hour. Enter your actual or estimated costs.
Typical range: $3,000 to $8,000. Covers petition filing, PERM, adjustment of status.
NCLEX-RN exam fee plus state licensing fees.
Required for most healthcare visas.
I-140, I-485, or consular processing. Varies by visa category (EB-3, H-1B, TN).
Housing deposit, first month rent, settling-in stipend.
International airfare plus ground transport.
Section 2 · Placement fee structure
What you charge the healthcare facility for each international candidate you place.
Typical range: $20,000 to $35,000 per nurse. More for specialty nurses.
Enter 2 or 3. Most international nurse contracts are 3 years.
Section 3 · Liquidated damages / repayment agreement
Protects your investment if the candidate leaves before the contract ends. The balance declines to $0 across the contract.
Typical: 24 or 36 months. The commitment period for the candidate.
Typically mirrors your total cost (Section 1). What the candidate owes if they leave on day 1.
Section 4 · Annual volume projections
Start conservative.
Annual fixed costs (rent, salaries, insurance). Used for true break-even.
Role 1 · Business development rep comp
Sells and closes the facility contracts. High-value, long-cycle sales.
W2 only. Enter $0 for a 1099 rep. Market range: $55,000 to $75,000.
Market range: $500 to $2,500 per placement.
W2: 4% to 8%. 1099: 8% to 15%. The calculator uses whichever is higher.
Typically 1 to 4 placements/month per rep depending on pipeline.
Range: $250 to $750.
Typical: 25% to 50% held on amortized deals. Enter 0 for lump-sum clients.
Tie this to client payment milestones.
Role 2 · Immigration case manager comp
Runs the operational engine: candidate sourcing, immigration filings, licensing, compliance.
Market range: $50,000 to $70,000 with healthcare staffing experience.
Range: $150 to $500 per placement.
Reference your BDR volume above.
Estimates for planning, not financial advice. Immigration costs, fee ranges, and comp ranges are the workbook's guidance; visa categories, markets, and contracts decide the real numbers.
Does this resonate?
A global pipeline is a business, not a side hustle.
If bringing international healthcare talent to US facilities is the business you want to build, the platform can turn it into a real plan: positioning, compliance checklist, and the week-by-week path from first facility contract to a full candidate pipeline.
Build my launch plan free →Good questions about this math
How much should I charge for international placements?
Typical international nurse placement fees run $20,000 to $35,000 per candidate, with experienced agencies charging more for specialty nurses. The calculator nets your fee against the full per-candidate cost stack (attorney, NCLEX, credential evaluation, visa filing, relocation, training, travel) and targets a gross margin of 30% or higher.
What do international recruitment fees have to cover?
Seven cost components before the candidate bills an hour: immigration attorney fees ($3,000 to $8,000), NCLEX and licensing, CGFNS or VisaScreen credential evaluation, USCIS visa filing, relocation allowance, pre-departure training, and travel to the US. At the workbook defaults that is about $14,300 invested per candidate.
Should I let facilities pay the placement fee monthly?
Many facilities prefer spreading the fee over the 2 to 3 year contract instead of a lump sum. The calculator converts your fee into the monthly payment and flags the cash flow reality: you absorb the upfront cost and collect over years, so you need working capital, and commission holdbacks protect you on amortized deals.
How does a liquidated damages repayment agreement work?
It protects your investment if the candidate leaves early: the repayment obligation starts at your total cost and declines monthly over the contract. The calculator builds the full month-by-month declining balance schedule and checks that it reaches exactly $0 at contract end.
How should I pay the sales rep and case manager?
The workbook builds both plans: a business development rep with base salary plus the higher of a flat or percent-of-fee commission (with a holdback for amortized collections), and an immigration case manager with base plus per-placement and volume bonuses, then checks that the company still profits after both roles.
Do I get the Excel version?
Yes. The $27 unlock includes the standalone International Recruitment workbook (the exact sheet from Dee's How To Charge master, with every formula live) plus the START HERE guide tab, yours to download and keep.
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