If you want to hire developers in India from the UK or Australia, agree on 4 hours of daily overlap before you look at a single profile. Write it into the role brief and ask every candidate for their working hours up front. This stops you picking a great engineer whose days never meet yours.
This guide shows how to set the overlap, how to work out whether it exists, and how to check it fast.
Why do time zones cause problems when hiring in India?
India is on one time zone all year and does not change its clocks. The UK and Australia both do, so the gap moves during the year.
That means an overlap that works in one month can shrink in another. Check it against the real dates, not a rule of thumb you heard once.
The usual failure is simple. You fall for a strong profile, then learn that the person works hours that do not touch yours. By then you have spent days on interviews.
How many hours of overlap do you actually need?
Our view: 4 hours a day is the number worth agreeing on. It is enough for a stand-up, a review, a few questions and a short pairing session.
Your team may need more or less. Ask yourself these questions:
- Does the developer need quick answers from you during the day?
- Do you pair on code or review it live?
- Is the work mostly independent, with updates once a day?
- Does anyone else, such as design or support, need to reach them?
More live work means more overlap. Independent work needs less. Pick the number first, then hire to it.
How do you find the overlap between India and the UK or Australia?
Do the sum once, on paper, before you post the role.
- Write down your team's core hours in your own time zone.
- Convert them to Indian Standard Time using a time zone tool, for the dates you will actually work.
- Mark the hours where both sides are at work.
- Count them. If you reach 4, you have your window.
- Repeat after your clocks change, so you are not caught out.
Australia is further from India than the UK is in most cases, so the shared window can be tighter. A developer may need to start later or finish later to reach your 4 hours. That is fine if they know up front.
What should go into the role brief?
Put the overlap in the brief in plain words, next to the skills. Do not bury it in the small print.
Include:
- Your time zone and the exact overlap window, for example the hours both sides must be online.
- How many days a week the overlap applies.
- What happens in that window: stand-up, reviews, pairing.
- What the developer can do alone outside it.
A clear brief also helps you get a faster, better shortlist. Our guide to writing a role brief that gets a shortlist fast covers the rest of the page.
What should you do this week?
Here are concrete steps you can take in the next few days.
- Decide your overlap number and the hours it covers.
- Add it to the role brief as a requirement.
- Ask every candidate for their working hours before the first call, in writing.
- Ask whether they can hold those hours long term, not just for the trial.
- Confirm the hours again in the first interview, and note any flexibility.
Only then move to technical checks. If you need help with that part, read what a technical test catches that interviews miss and how to screen remote developers fast with four filters.
How does Talent Navigator help with time zone fit?
Speed is the best defence. With Talent Navigator you get 48 hrs to your first shortlist, so you can test time zone fit in the very first interviews rather than weeks in.
Every visible profile has already passed a supervised technical test, a communication score, a video introduction and verified history. You do not spend interview time on basics. You use it to confirm the working hours you wrote into your brief.
There is no recruiter in the middle. You search, shortlist and talk to candidates directly. For more on that, see how to hire developers without a recruiter in between.
Frequently asked questions
Is 4 hours of overlap enough?
For most teams that work asynchronously, yes. It is our recommended starting point. If your developer needs live pairing or fast answers all day, ask for more in the brief.
Should I ask about working hours before or after the technical interview?
Before. It takes one message and rules out mismatches early. It saves both sides time.
Do I need a legal entity to hire a developer in India?
Not necessarily. With an employer of record, the person is employed legally in their own country for a flat monthly fee. Our plain guide explains what an employer of record is.
Ready to test your overlap against real candidates? Post your first job free and see a shortlist within 48 hrs.