Outsource Ruby on Rails Development: A Guide to Hiring Top Talent

Outsource Ruby on Rails development allows businesses to save on costs and work with a pool of global talent while focusing on their core business functions. 

More and more agencies and businesses are opting for outsourcing to save on costs, hire specialized talent, and accelerate business functions quickly. 

Some businesses choose to collaborate with outsourcing partners to hire talent and manage payroll and compliance needs to avoid any hassles that come with outsourcing.

Animated image of figures wearing a crown and holding a gem in one hand and a laptop on the other with a ruby on rails logo.

Table of Contents

Let's Start From the Basics

What is Ruby on Rails?

Ruby on Rails is a versatile framework that lets developers build pretty much anything and everything under the sun. The intent was to have an easy-to-use programming language that had the capabilities to build a full-stack application without any hassle. 

This framework was created by David Heinemeier Hansson in 2004 who used it to develop 37 Signals a web design company that has transitioned into a software company that makes innovative digital products. 

Popular use cases of Ruby on Rails:

  • Online e-commerce stores for small businesses
  • Building scalable websites 
  • Application Programming Interface
  • MVPs for startups 
  • Content management system

Companies That Built Their Platform Using Ruby on Rails

What Does a Ruby on Rails Developer Do?

a man with a red hoodie that says dev working on a few screen with code on it with floating icons of different code a man with a red hoodie that says dev working on a few screen with code on it with floating icons of different code

Roles & Responsibilities

  • Deep knowledge of Ruby on Rails fundamentals 
  • Experienced at designing applications that can scaled as the business grows
  • Writing clean and easy-to-maintain code
  • Following Ruby best practices in the development process 
  • Working collaboratively with other developers to build new features
  • Well-versed in both front-end and back-end development
  • Experience in building good user interface
  • Updated on the latest trends and features on the Ruby on Rails forums and community groups
  • Understanding of Github version controls 

What Should You Consider Before Outsourcing Ruby on Rails Developement?

1. Business Objective of Outsourcing

Not every business needs to outsource talent. Sometimes businesses can fulfill their project needs internally without having to worry about hiring talent from outside. 

If you have a complex project, budgetary challenges, or are looking for niche talent outsourcing can be a good option for your business. 

Outline the core reasons why you are considering this decision before you decide to go ahead with it. 

2. Size of Your Business

For smaller businesses and agencies it is better to take on a partner who can give you one-on-one attention and customize your project needs at hand. 

Most offshore agencies have a set service and pricing that they offer and have a tendency to prioritize their enterprise-level businesses over small-size businesses. 

You need to ensure your partner understands your project-specific needs and gives you the time and attention you need to fulfill your hiring goals.

3. Cost Considerations

Close to 60% of businesses outsource as a means to reduce high labour costs.

While this is a promising statistic and may attract many businesses into hiring from other countries; making decisions solely based on cost factors is a terrible idea. 

Many offshore agencies will lure you with the promise of extremely low costs for high-quality labor which is always too good to be true. 

So instead, look for experienced developers who match your budgetary needs. Don't try to find the cheapest deal cause it won't be cheap in the long run.

4. Investment of Time 

There are many benefits of outsourcing talent from other countries. But one thing that founders and hiring managers need to keep in mind is that while outsourcing is a low investment in costs it can be a high investment in time depending on the kind of offshoring partner you work with.

You need to be willing to invest time in building a communication process that works for your outsource and internal team. 

Working in a different timezone as your team can be a barrier for some businesses. So be ready to be more flexible with the way you run your team. 

5. Project Timelines

Finding the right hiring partner can take weeks, if not months. Try not to start the hiring process right before your project begins. 

If there is an urgent hiring requirement, there are a few offshoring agencies that specialize in finding niche talent with their vetted pool of existing talent. 

There have been many instances where founders get caught up with their project and just don't have time to hire someone. 

This leads them to onboard talent who don't fit the bill. This can be detrimental to the final output of your project. Be sure to plan before you begin your work on your project. 

Choosing Between In-house and Outsourced Developers

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Should You Hire An Offshoring Partner?

If you are an agency or business owner flirting with the idea of outsourcing you must be confused by the endless options available in the market. Searching on Google isn't any better because all the results just show other offshoring companies shouting, Pick me! Pick me! at you. So what should you do instead?

First things first. Make your life easy by partnering with an outsourcing company. Yes, I know it seems like I'm doing exactly what the search results are suggesting, but hear me out.

There are endless options out there for outsourcing right now. Each day more and more people from more and more countries are offering their services in every single framework under the sun.

For you to find the right Ruby on Rails talent in a massive global market is going to be extremely challenging. You are looking at sifting through thousands of resumes and conducting endless interviews without a clue about the job market and skill level of the talent in your chosen country.

To add to that, you have to then figure out their contracts, payroll, local compliance laws, IP, and data protection, all of which you are doing while trying to figure out your complex project needs.

Sounds stressful. Let's relieve some of that stress. Use this checklist to find your next outsourcing partner. 

Your Checklist for Finding the Right Offshoring Partner

  • List Your Project Needs

    • Role requirements for the talent
    • Scope of your project
    • Deliverables for the project
    • Fixed budget for the project
    • Project deadline
    • Deadline for hiring talent
    • Non-negotiable when hiring talent
  • Your Search for the One

    • Find a country with high demand for RoR developers
    • Offshoring partner who caters to your business (agnecy, startup, enterpise)
    • Go through their website
    • Look at client directory for similar businesses
    • Experience working with international clients
    • Review on Glassdoor and Truspilot
    • Look for customer support line
    • See their talent portfolios and case studies
    • Check founder and company's linkedin
  • Questions for Demo Call

    • Have a brief personal chat to get a sense of who they are
    • Check their communication skills
    • Ask them for their past portfolio of projects
    • See if they have the capacity to fulfill your project needs
    • Assess their understanding of the local hiring market
    • Gauge if they are overselling you
  • Questions for the In-depth Call

    • Process of sourcing good talent
    • Rubric assessment for hiring talent
    • Do you have vetted talent for immediate hiring
    • How do you verify talent expertise?
    • Average time of hire
    • Can you hire from a specific country?
    • Do you have a trial period available?
    • Can you replace talent that is not a good fit?

Cost of Hiring Ruby on Rails Talent

As a new business or even a business that is fairly set up, managing costs can be a real challenge.There are core business functions to look after while also taking care of overhead and internal costs. 

Amongst all of this, hiring a specialized developer can be a real burden. As a business owner, you want to develop the best platform, but at what cost?

At present, in the UK the average salary of a Ruby on Rails developer is anywhere between € 50K - €90K/yr. The same is true for a developer in the USA, which is $130k - 150k/yr.In contrast, a developer with the same experience level and skill set can be hired.

In India for:

  • $14,400 to $21,600
  • €13,200 to €19,800

In Mexico for:

  • $25,000 to $40,000
  • €22,900 to €36,700

In Ukraine for:

  • $30,000 to $45,000
  • €27,500 to €41,200

The options are endless if you look close enough.

Say cost is not a factor for your business, and you have surplus resources to spend on good talent. Finding good local talent has become a real challenge in the last few years. Especially when it comes to specialized talent.

 84% of businesses in the UK are experiencing a skill gap issue when it comes to hiring tech talent.

Due to this, 4 out of 5 businesses are struggling to hire proper talent for their businesses.Reasons for this shortage have been due to the fast-paced emergence of new and advanced technology, increased global tech competition, and a lack of technical education or training available.

Things aren’t any better in the US.By 2025, according to a market research company, IDC, there will be a 4 million developer shortage.

Challenges You Can Expect When Hiring a Ruby on Rails Developer

1. Developers Who Think in Silos

Most developers focus only on technical requirements forgetting what the objective of the business is. You need to find someone who can balance technical skills while aligning with the vision of your business. 

These developers are only there to get their task done no matter if it is good or bad. They aren't bothered about the value their task is adding to your project. 

2. Novice Developers Passing For Senior Developers

Tech professionals can spot inexperienced developers in a second, but non-tech clients often can't. There are hiring agencies who will provide you with claim to provide you with resumes of senior talent to only then find out these developers are straight out of college. 

Hiring newbie developers for complex projects with no senior developer on site can be a disaster as they aren't as experienced in the fundamentals and best practises and lack the expertise to write code for long-term use. 

3. Developers Who Don't Follow Best Practises

Some developers focus only on meeting deadlines while neglecting best practices. Long-term, this can result in a poor foundation for your application. 

By following best practises developers can reduce the liklihood of bugs, create a more maintainable application. Ruby on Rails has an active community where experienced developers share the best practises that are need to followed so other developers can keep their code updated. 

4. Developers Who Can’t Communicate with Clarity

A common outsourcing challenge is hiring developers who lack English proficiency and cultural understanding. This can be a major barrier, causing miscommunication and constant delays.

Many founders have had issues with developers not understanding the task at hand or specific instructions because of language barriers but still stating that they know what's expected from them. The end result a poorly executed task. 

Many developers will use culturally mismatched terminology that is hard to understand and can lead to miscommunication in the workplace. 

What's the Solution?

1. Hiring Developers Who Don’t Need to Be Micromanaged

Bring in experienced developers with industry-specific experience in your business. So you can have more freedom to focus on your core responsibilities.

2. Hire Developers Who Are Holistic

When you are looking for a Ruby on Rails developer don't get stuck on the framework itself. Most experienced developers are able to switch between a few framework without any issues. 

Your main focus should be to look for a developer who is experienced in front-end and back-end development and understand Ruby on Rails fundamentals. 

3. Hire Developers Who Can Communicate With Clarity

Many hiring companies have communication assessments and culture training to reduce miscommunication between the client and the team.

 Make sure you prioritize this factor as being able to relay project requirements effectively is one of the most critical aspects of working with a remote team. If you don't understand your team you are bound to face challenges throughout the project. 

Roadmap to Find the Right Ruby Talent

Their Technical Capabilities
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1. Strong Ruby on Rails Expertise

Ensure they have a solid grasp of the Rails framework, best practices, and core concepts to build robust applications.

2. API Development Skills

A skilled RoR developer can create and manage RESTful APIs that integrate seamlessly with other systems or front-end applications.

3. Scaling Applications

Find someone who understands how to scale applications effectively to handle increasing traffic and user demands.

Ability to Follow Best Practices
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1. Writes Clean, High-Quality Code

Follows Rails conventions and keeps the code easy to maintain and scale.

2. Builds Efficient Applications

Optimizes database performance by solving N+1 queries and avoiding unnecessary calls.

3. Holistic Backend Experience

An experienced RoR developer goes beyond Rails. They should understand databases, server management, and backend architecture as a whole.

Managing Your Ruby on Rails Team

So now you've picked a good outsourcing partner who found you the right talent. Time to onboard your developers. 

Businesses all over the world have remote working environments and function without any hassle. However, outsourcing talent from a different country brings in new challenges. Here are some things to keep in order to manage your team well.

1. Have Open Communication Channels

Create a process to work autonomously with your remote team. Communication doesn't always mean having daily meetings with your development team. It means learning the art of communicating your project needs with clarity so there isn't much need for back and forth between you and the team. 

The more efficient you are in your communication process, the easier it is to function as a remote team. The same goes for your team. Establish how you want them to communicate task needs early on so you aren't wracking your brain about it later on.

Some companies have local consultants to train and check in with the teams so it removes some of the burden of regularly having to keep tabs on your team's daily progress.

2. Tackle Cultural Barriers

When you are hiring from a different country, you are hiring them for their skill and quality, but with that comes a lot of new experiences. 

Their way of working and understanding of terminologies and perspectives may differ. The best way to approach it is through curiosity and open-mindedness. Know that there may be an initial barrier in understanding where your new team fits into your company's current working system. 

But if you get to know your talent, ask questions with empathy, and ensure they get the job done, you are going to be happier with the end results in the long run.

3. Get Around the Timezone Issue

Probably the most common question when it comes to outsourcing is, What about the time zone? If your tech team is working 8+ hours behind you, it can be extremely challenging to relay new changes and communicate urgent project requirements. 

This is why it is suggested to always select talent from locations that are 3-4 hours away from your company base. That way your team can be working for a few hours at the same time as you.

4. Document Talent Success

Create a documentation process of KPIs and specific weekly targeted goals that you expect your team to achieve. Communicate the kind of quality and output you are looking for in the development team. 

Keep track of the development process of each of the tasks to ensure that the team is able to meet your standards according to the given timeline. 

Documentation is key here, as it helps you as a founder to identify problems and determine based on output if the talent you are hiring is providing value to your project. Tracking small successes can help you better estimate your long-term output.

5. Regualrly Perform Code Review and Maintenance

If you are a non-technical founder, chances are you won't understand in detail the kind of code your talent is writing or whether they are following the right best practices and prioritizing quality over fulfilling tasks quickly. 

If you have the budget, consider hiring a local consultant or a senior developer from your team to regularly review the code to ensure it is up to the standards. 

Some developers think in silos and write code to fulfill the task requirement instead of building code that can be maintained long-term. 

6. Build a Valuable Relationship with Your Team

We've spoken a lot about what you should look for when hiring good talent. The potential barriers and opportunities that come with outsourcing. 

But an essential part of outsourcing that's overlooked is relationship building. While outsourcing can be short-term, it is important to build a good foundational relationship with the team you are hiring. By making them part of your team, your talent is more likely to be invested in your project. 

Try to involve them in core decisions where it makes sense. The idea is to have skilled talent that you enjoy working with. Ensure that you create a space where your talent can thrive.

Best Locations for Hiring RoR Developers

Calculate the Cost of Outsourcing Ruby on Rails

Calculate the Cost of Offshoring Ruby Talent

Calculate the Cost of Offshoring Ruby Talent

Outsource Talent with Confidence

Now that you know everything about outsourcing ruby on rails talent, I hope that you can find the right partner to help you get the best talent who will take your project to the next level. 

Find the Right Ruby on Rails Talent with Versatile

Experts to Vet Talent

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Choosing the Right Country

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Compliance & Payroll

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Conflict Management

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Cultural Alignment

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