Internal TA vs Sentinella: do the real math.
Most companies underestimate the true cost of their in-house TA team — salaries, tools, manager time. Compare in numbers against Sentinella.
Your assumptions
Similar profiles (e.g. engineers, finance analysts)
Typical base salary for these roles, in CAD
We automatically apply a 25% benefits load (taxes, benefits, equipment)
LinkedIn Recruiter (~$14k) + ATS (~$7k) + sourcing/assessment tools
Time spent on recruiting (interviews, debriefs, calibration)
Fully-loaded hourly cost (salary + benefits ÷ working hours)
Market standard: 18% to 30% of annual salary. Adjust if you have a negotiated rate.
An estimate for your simulation. Contact us for an exact rate based on your roles and volume.
Annual cost comparison
Internal TA team
Loaded salary + tools + manager time
$134,600
TPAAS
Monthly retainer × 12
$72,000
Per-placement
Fee on every hire
$176,000
You save
per year by delegating to Sentinella (best-fit option)
Over 3 years, the gap widens to $187,800
Internal cost breakdown
- Loaded recruiter (salary × 1.25)
- $100,000
- Annual tools (LinkedIn, ATS, sourcing)
- $25,000
- Manager time (8 × 12 hh × $100/h)
- $9,600
- Annual total
- $134,600
When internal TA still wins
This calculator isn't designed to sell you — it's designed to show the real cost. Here are the cases where an in-house TA team remains the right choice:
- Volume exceeds 25 hires per year of similar profiles
- Roles requiring deep sector knowledge an external firm won't have
- Absolute confidentiality that prevents any external sharing
- An existing internal team with unused capacity
Assumptions used
- Recruiter benefits load: 25% of salary (benefits, taxes, equipment, training).
- Tool costs: LinkedIn Recruiter ≈ $14k/year + ATS ≈ $7k/year + sourcing/assessment ≈ $4k/year in Quebec.
- TPAAS retainer based on your estimate (adjust the slider). Contact us for an exact rate based on your typical roles and volume.
- Manager time uses fully-loaded hourly cost. An internal recruiter doesn't eliminate this time entirely.
Ready to compare for real?
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