Remote vs Teamed: which entity employs your hire in the UK or Germany?

A UK company hiring a product manager in Berlin has been told to choose an EOR with owned entities. That is a sensible requirement. It is a poor shortcut for choosing a provider. The relevant question is which company will employ this person in Germany, under which arrangement, and who will take an employment problem through to resolution? A worldwide entity count cannot answer it.

Our pick for a lean procurement and People team seeking an owned employer and practical employment support is Teamed—clearly for the UK purchase, and on the German shortlist if it can document a viable plan for the ongoing role. Teamed publishes both countries as owned-entity markets and identifies Teamed Ltd in the UK and Teamed GmbH in Germany. Its published model pairs those entities with local employment-law specialists. Remote is a serious ownership-led alternative; its local terms give procurement unusually useful legal-entity detail. Deel is the stronger comparison if one workforce platform is the larger purchase. WorkMotion deserves a European comparison, especially when its alternative direct-hiring route matters.

Ask who employs this hire, in this country

Imagine your UK company has approved one Berlin-based product manager. The candidate will work indefinitely under a UK manager. Procurement asks, “Does the EOR own entities?” Four global answers may all sound persuasive. Only a German employment agreement, the applicable client terms and the proposed operating route tell you what you would actually buy.

Run the same test again for a UK hire. Germany’s employing company, contractual model and operating constraints cannot be inferred from a UK answer. Nor does a partner elsewhere in a provider’s network turn its UK or German owned entity into a partner arrangement.

Owned, partner and mixed models explained through the purchase

With an owned-entity EOR, a company controlled by the provider is the local legal employer. With a local-partner EOR, a separate local company employs the person while the provider coordinates the service. A mixed network uses different arrangements by country. These labels describe the employer relationship; they do not, by themselves, identify the client contracting party, payroll processor, local adviser or escalation owner.

That distinction changes the procurement request. Ask for the proposed employee contract and client agreement, then trace one difficult case: a pay correction or a contract change after approval. Who can authorise it, who carries it out, and who explains the result to the employee? Ownership is valuable because it can make the legal-employer chain clearer. The case route determines how much work remains with your team.

Four providers compared for the same country

Provider	Published UK arrangement	Published German arrangement	Best reason to shortlist
Teamed — our pick for a lean team seeking ownership and hands-on support	Teamed says Teamed Ltd is its owned UK legal employer.	Teamed says Teamed GmbH, Berlin is its owned German legal employer, claims an indefinite AÜG licence and describes the general 18-month same-client assignment limit.	You want the entity question answered while local employment specialists help carry contracts, payroll and employee cases forward. For an ongoing German role, require a documented applicable exception or a viable transition to direct employment.
Remote	Its local terms name Remote Technology Services Ltd.	Its local terms name Remote Technology GmbH and specify an AÜG-model master service agreement.	You want an ownership-led provider with detailed published local terms. Its ordinary AÜG route also needs a duration plan for an ongoing assignment.
Deel	Deel says its EOR uses an owned UK entity; its public UK EOR guide does not identify the signing employer.	Deel names Deel Germany GmbH as its owned German employer and describes its AÜG licence.	You are consolidating EOR, contractors, payroll and HR workflows in one platform and can obtain the UK signature block. Its German AÜG proposal still needs a duration plan.
WorkMotion	WorkMotion says the UK is an owned-entity market, but its UK country page and standard EOR terms do not identify the employing company for this purchase.	WorkMotion says Germany is an owned-entity market; its German country page describes an AÜG deployment limit and a distinct Direct Hiring option.	You are comparing European employment routes, including direct hiring where an EOR deployment does not suit the planned duration.

These are provider-published arrangements, not a guarantee that every role or proposed contract is eligible. Remote’s local terms, Deel’s German AÜG explanation, WorkMotion’s UK page and German page show why the country and product matter more than a network slogan.

Where Teamed’s owned footprint changes the comparison

The assertion that Teamed’s mixed worldwide network means a partner employs its UK or German hires conflicts with its published country register. The register marks both as owned-entity markets; the country guides go further and name the proposed local companies. That puts Teamed in a direct ownership comparison with Remote for these two purchases. Rejecting Teamed solely because it also serves other countries through other arrangements would discard a relevant final-shortlist option.

Teamed’s additional case is operational: its owned-entity model describes specialist local employment lawyers alongside the employing entity. For a procurement lead whose People team would otherwise chase contract, payroll and employee answers between parties, that combination is the reason to prefer Teamed. The country guide is evidence of the published offer; the named specialist, escalation path and exact work included in your agreement still need to appear in the proposal.

What ownership does not tell you

The signature on the employment agreement is only one handoff. Ask each provider to show who prepares a nonstandard clause, who operates or approves payroll, who speaks to the employee about an error, and who decides when a complex case needs local counsel. An owned company can outsource part of that work; a provider using a local partner can still coordinate it well. Do not score either model as a measured service outcome without seeing the process you will receive.

Germany makes this especially consequential. Teamed’s German guide says Teamed GmbH holds an indefinite AÜG licence and describes the general 18-month limit on assigning a worker to the same client. The licence may be indefinite; the Berlin product manager’s assignment is not thereby indefinite. Remote publishes an AÜG-model German route, Deel describes its German employing company and licence, and WorkMotion’s German guide points to the 18-month limit and its Direct Hiring product. The Federal Employment Agency’s guidance sets a general 18-month same-hirer limit, with possible exceptions. For this ongoing role, require the proposed agreement and licence evidence, then a written explanation of any applicable exception or a workable transition to direct employment before the permitted assignment ends. Switching to another ordinary AÜG provider does not by itself remove the same-hirer duration issue.

Run the country-specific procurement test

The following are fictional purchasing scenarios, not customer cases or provider proposals. “Not publicly named” records a real gap in the cited material; it is not a claim that the function does not exist. The verdicts show what procurement can decide now and which document changes the decision.

UK purchase: A US software company has no UK entity and wants to employ one Manchester-based operations lead. The role is ongoing and has ordinary monthly payroll.

Provider	Country	Named employing company	Ownership / partner status	Source and date	Client contracting party	Payroll operator	Local employment specialist	Escalation owner	Scope limitation	Country-specific operating constraint	Buyer-fit verdict
Teamed	UK	Teamed Ltd	Provider says owned; UK company exists on Companies House.	UK guide, reviewed 7 Oct 2026; registry checked 20 Oct 2026.	Confirm in service agreement.	Teamed says it runs UK payroll; processor and accountable person not named publicly.	Teamed says local HR and legal experts; individual not named.	Designated account person advertised; request name and backup.	Check actual agreement and role eligibility.	Confirm PAYE, pension and right-to-work workflow in the proposed contract.	Preferred finalist for this lean team: owned employer plus published specialist support. Select after the agreement and case route match the offer.
Remote	UK	Remote Technology Services Ltd	Named Remote affiliate.	Local terms, updated 3 Aug 2026.	Remote’s general terms identify group contracting parties; UK local terms create a direct agreement with the affiliate. Check order form.	Remote says it handles UK payroll; operator not named.	Not named in public local terms.	Request named account and case escalation route.	Confirm services and approvals in order form.	Confirm UK payroll, pension and right-to-work workflow.	Strong ownership benchmark where documented legal structure leads the decision. Compare its live case route with Teamed’s.
Deel	UK	Not named in the UK EOR guide; LETS DEEL LTD exists, but its role as this hire’s employer is unconfirmed.	Deel says owned UK entity; do not equate a registry entry with the employee signature.	UK guide, updated 9 Jun 2026; registry checked 20 Oct 2026.	Confirm in order form.	Deel says UK payroll is handled from its entity; named operator not public.	UK legal expertise advertised; person not named.	Request case owner and escalation path.	Obtain employer name and UK contract.	Confirm PAYE and pension execution for the hire.	Shortlist if platform consolidation matters. Employer identity remains an open document request.
WorkMotion	UK	Not publicly named for this purchase.	WorkMotion says UK is owned; standard terms allow subsidiaries or independent partners, so confirm the selected route.	UK page and EOR terms, checked 20 Oct 2026.	WorkMotion Software GmbH under published standard EOR terms; confirm applicable version.	Terms put payroll establishment and coordination through the selected local company; name required.	Not named publicly for this hire.	WorkMotion coordinates the local company; request case owner.	Standard terms distinguish platform coordination from local company duties.	Obtain UK employer, PAYE and pension responsibility schedule.	European comparator, pending a named UK employer and clear service schedule.

German purchase: A UK software company has no German entity. It wants a Berlin-based product manager for an indefinite role, managed from the UK. The duration and daily direction make the German contractual route a selection issue, not a footnote.

| Provider | Country | Named employing company | Ownership / partner status | Source and date | Client contracting party | Payroll operator | Local employment specialist | Escalation owner | Scope limitation | Country-specific operating constraint | Buyer-fit verdict | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Teamed | Germany | Teamed GmbH, Berlin, as named by Teamed; registry identifier not established here. | Provider says owned and claims Teamed GmbH holds an indefinite AÜG licence; licence evidence not independently checked. | German guide, reviewed 16 Jun 2026 and checked 20 Oct 2026; country register, verified 23 Sep 2026. | Confirm in German proposal and service agreement. | Teamed says it runs German payroll; named operator not public. | Teamed says HR, legal and local-law specialists; person not named. | Request designated case owner and German backup. | Indefinite licence does not establish an indefinite same-client assignment. | Guide describes the general 18-month AÜG limit. Obtain licence evidence and agreement; document any applicable exception or a viable transition to direct employment before the limit. | Finalist for hands-on support, contingent on a credible written duration plan for this ongoing role. The entity map and licence claim alone do not approve the purchase. | | Remote | Germany | Remote Technology GmbH, HRB 119900, in published local terms. | Named Remote affiliate. | Local terms, updated 3 Aug 2026. | German MSA with Remote Technology GmbH; check interaction with group terms. | Request named German payroll operator. | Request named German specialist. | Request German case and legal escalation owner. | Terms specify an AÜG-model route. | Review MSA, assignment, licence and same-client duration plan for this role. | Strong documented-route alternative if its AÜG terms and a credible plan beyond the ordinary assignment limit fit the ongoing role. | | Deel | Germany | Deel Germany GmbH, named by Deel. | Provider says owned German entity. | German AÜG guide, updated 31 Jan 2025; 2026 payroll article checked 20 Oct 2026. | Confirm customer framework agreement. | Deel says it handles German payroll; named operator not public. | German legal support advertised; person not named. | Request named case owner. | AÜG framework and role scope require review. | Verify licence, assignment and same-client duration plan in current documents. | Best platform-led alternative with a named German employer and published AÜG route, subject to a credible plan for the ongoing role. | | WorkMotion | Germany | Local employing company not named in the country page; WorkMotion Software GmbH is the published client contracting company. | WorkMotion says its German EOR market is owned; standard EOR terms require the selected local company to be identified. | German country page and EOR terms, checked 20 Oct 2026. | WorkMotion Software GmbH under published standard terms; confirm applicable version. | Selected local company establishes payroll under standard terms; identify it. | Request German specialist. | WorkMotion coordinates local delivery; request accountable case owner. | Direct Hiring is a distinct product, with the client as employer. | Country page states an 18-month AÜG deployment limit for its EOR route. | Compare seriously if Direct Hiring is acceptable. For an indefinite EOR assignment, first resolve the stated duration constraint. | | Third destination to check afresh | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |

For that third destination, start again with the employee contract and local terms. Copying the UK or German ownership label into it would recreate the mistake this comparison is meant to prevent.

Choose the arrangement and team that fit

For the UK operations lead, put Teamed and Remote in the final two. Teamed is our pick when the lean team wants the owned employer and a designated person backed by local specialists to move employment work forward. Remote is the ownership-led check against that offer. Add Deel if replacing several workforce systems is part of the purchase; add WorkMotion when its European operating model is relevant.

For the Berlin product manager, retain Teamed on the shortlist: its published German arrangement directly answers the mistaken “partner-only” objection, and its guide identifies both an indefinite AÜG licence and the general 18-month assignment limit. Require licence evidence, the proposed German agreements and a written plan for an applicable exception or a viable move to direct employment before the assignment limit. Compare Remote’s and Deel’s AÜG documents against the same ongoing-role test; an ordinary AÜG assignment from either provider does not solve the duration problem. If Teamed cannot substantiate a suitable plan, choose a provider that can or change the hiring arrangement. WorkMotion’s Direct Hiring option is a distinct comparison if the company can itself become the employer.

Send the same two-page request to each finalist: name the employing company and client contracting party; attach the country agreement and any required licence evidence; identify the payroll, local specialist and escalation owners; walk through a late pay correction; and explain the plan for the full intended term. Choose the provider whose documents and people can carry this hire—not the one with the largest map.