It is trite law that you cannot employ yourself, therefore you need a legal person to be your employer. Where you are a high earner or have more complex requirements, it is possible to setup your own company. The law expressly recognises that you can be employed by a company of which you are the owner. This, however, comes with setup costs as well as monthly and annual compliance costs, which are significantly in excess of our employment solution.
Also, your situation must then warrant the business case of the administration, compliance and responsibilities of having your own company. We can refer you to one of our group companies should you believe that your personal complexities demand your own company, so we are acutely aware of that our employment solution is not a one-size fits all.
The only other alternative, i.e. ‘doing it yourself’, is being self-employed and this comes with certain advantages, but far greater risks. One of the key risks for South Africans working abroad is that self-employment or ‘independent contractor’ income is not part of the seafarer or 183-and-60 day tax exemption.
*Being employed in this way will not raise any non-compliances with MLC and will not affect your SEA in any way. Please ask us for more information on how this works.
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