Price of a headhunter in Spain: real rates

A headhunter in Spain usually charges between 20% and 33% of the candidate’s annual gross salary. For a job of €38,000 that is between €7,600 and €12,500 of fees. There is an increasingly widespread alternative: the fixed rate per process, which can start at €1,700. Next, everything you need to know to decide which model suits you.

How traditional fees are calculated

The model of percentage on salary comes from the large firms of search of executives and has been the standard of the sector for decades. The logic is simple: the more senior the post, the higher the salary, the greater the commission. The problem is that this logic especially penalizes SMEs, who look for valuable profiles but do not have multinational budgets.

The most common sections currently in Spain:

Salary of the post 20 % fee 25 % fee 33 % fee

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25.000 € 5,000 € 6,250 € 8,250 €

€38,000 €7,600 €9,500 €12,540

€55,000 €11,000 €13,750 €18,150

€80,000 €16,000 €20,000 €26,400

The exact percentage depends on three factors: profile specialization, the urgency of the commission and the size of the agency. Generalist firms tend to move between 20% and 25%. Managers or technology specialists rarely fall by 25% and often reach 33%.

Some headhunters also charge a non-refundable advance at the start of the process (the so-called retainer), which then deducts the final bill. Others work in contingency mode: only charge if there is a contract. Always ask what the model is before signing anything.

The alternative: fixed rate per process

In recent years a different model has gained ground: paying a fixed amount per process, regardless of the final salary. This eliminates the perverse incentive for the agency to prefer candidates with higher salary to earn more.

Fixed rates in Spain range from €1,500 for operational profiles to €6,000-8,000 for direction searches. Above that, the percentage model is competitive again because senior processes consume many more hours.

The fixed rate is particularly appropriate when:

• The salary of the post is known and is below 45,000 €.
• You need to do several processes a year and you want predictable costs.
• Your business is small and every euro of budget deviation matters.

When the salary exceeds €60,000 or the profile is very low in the market, the percentage model may be more justified: the search is longer and more expensive to execute.

Subscriptions and packs: the third model

There is a third model that few companies know about: monthly subscription. It works like hiring selection capacity on a recurring basis rather than paying for each process.

It makes sense if you have at least two or three additions a year, because the accumulated monthly cost is usually below what you would pay process-to-process. The trap is to hire a subscription for a single process: it hardly ever comes to mind.

Some concrete examples of what the market currently offers: Findehr has a plan of 590 €/month with processes at half price (from 790 €), and another of 1,490 €/month with the processes included (an active search at the same time). By loose process, its rate part of 1,700 € with 90 day replacement guarantee. You can see the detail in Findehr prices.

What includes the price and what doesn't

Before comparing figures, make sure you're comparing the same thing. Some concepts that vary a lot between agencies:

Replenishment guarantee. If the candidate leaves in the first months, do they respond at no cost? Serious guarantees range from 60 to 120 days. Without written guarantee, the risk is assumed by you.

Number of candidates presented. Some agencies present 8-10 CVs and let you choose. Others present only 2-3 highly-worked finalists. More is not always better: what matters is how many end up signing.

Active marketing vs. work bag.A real headhunter contacts people who are not looking for a job. If the agency only posts ads and filters answers, it is not headhunting: it is screening, and it should cost much less.

Speed. Deadlines vary greatly according to profile. As an orientation reference, hospitality processes can be closed in about 18 days, senior engineering profiles usually need around 11 weeks, and industrial managers are around 32 days. If an agency promises you any profile in a week, be suspicious.

You can see how a real process is structured in our process.

When it pays to hire a headhunter

Being honest here matters: a headhunter is not always the best option.

It does not compensate if the profile is easy to cover with a well written offer on Infojobs or LinkedIn. For operational profiles with a lot of market offer, the agency cost is rarely justified.

It does compensate when:

• The job hasn't been filled for more than six weeks and is costing the team extra money or work.
• The profile is scarce or specific and active candidates in portals do not have what you are looking for.
• Bad hiring already cost expensive: training, cost of departure, time lost.
• You don't have an internal HR department and the process distracts you from what generates business.

The cost of a bad hiring is usually estimated between six and twelve months of salary, counting replacement, training and loss of productivity. With that data on the table, paying €2,000-4,000 for a well done hiring is usually the cheapest option.

If you want to see what kind of profiles and sectors this covers in practice, the real cases give a pretty clear idea.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the percentage calculated on the gross salary or the total cost to the company?

On the worker’s annual gross salary, unless the contract says otherwise. Some headhunters calculate on the total package (fixed wage plus benefits), which can make the invoice quite expensive. Read it before signing.

When is it paid: at the start, at the close or in several installments?

Depends on the model. In pure contingency, you pay only if there is contract and when signing the contract. With retainer, you pay a part at the beginning (typically one third) and the rest at the close. In monthly subscription, you pay month by month whether there is contract that month or not.

What if the hired candidate leaves in the first few months?

It depends on the guaranteed agreement. A serious headhunter offers free replacement for a certain period — the usual market is between 60 and 120 days. If the agency does not offer written warranty, that risk falls entirely on you.

Can I negotiate the percentage?

Yes, and you should try. Agencies have scope, especially if you promise volume (several processes per year) or if the profile is relatively standard. What is rarely negotiable is the guarantee: that’s where you see if the agency trusts its own work.