In these general terms and conditions, the following definitions apply:
2.1 These general terms and conditions apply to all offers, quotations, agreements, and other legal relationships between Etienne Talent and the client concerning recruitment and mediation services for freelance financial professionals, unless parties have expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
2.2 Deviations from and additions to these general terms and conditions are only valid if expressly agreed in writing.
2.3 The applicability of the client's own general terms and conditions is expressly rejected.
2.4 If any provision of these general terms and conditions is void or annulled, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force. In such cases, parties shall enter into consultation to agree on a replacement provision that reflects the intent of the void or annulled provision as closely as possible.
3.1 All offers and quotations from Etienne Talent are without obligation, unless expressly stated otherwise.
3.2 An agreement is formed at the moment the client accepts the offer or quotation from Etienne Talent in writing, or at the moment Etienne Talent has commenced performance of the assignment at the client's request.
3.3 Etienne Talent reserves the right to decline an assignment without providing reasons.
4.1 Etienne Talent shall perform the assignment to the best of its knowledge and ability, in accordance with the standards of good professional practice. Etienne Talent has a best-efforts obligation, not a results obligation, unless parties have expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
4.2 Etienne Talent is entitled to have the assignment performed in whole or in part by third parties. In such cases, Etienne Talent remains responsible for the proper performance of the assignment.
4.3 The client is obliged to provide all information and cooperation that Etienne Talent reasonably requires for the proper performance of the assignment. Etienne Talent is not liable for damages arising from incorrect or incomplete information provided by the client.
4.4 Etienne Talent is entitled to suspend performance of the assignment if the client fails to fulfill its obligations, until the client has fulfilled those obligations.
5.1 Etienne Talent acts as a labor intermediary and is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under SBI code 78100. Etienne Talent is not a staffing agency and is not the legal employer of the candidates it introduces.
5.2 Placements of candidates are made in cooperation with One People Services B.V. (KVK 51112094), which acts as the legal employer and is responsible for employment law and tax obligations. The client acknowledges and agrees to this arrangement.
5.3 The fee payable to Etienne Talent consists of a pre-agreed commission per successful placement. The amount of the commission is recorded in writing per assignment.
5.4 If the client engages a candidate within twelve months of introduction by Etienne Talent, without involving Etienne Talent, the client shall owe the agreed placement fee.
5.5 Etienne Talent does not guarantee that a candidate will remain available for the entire agreed period or will meet all requirements set by the client. Etienne Talent makes every effort to achieve the best possible match.
6.1 The client owes the agreed fee or remuneration in accordance with the rates and payment terms set out in the quotation or agreement.
6.2 Unless agreed otherwise in writing, invoices must be paid within fourteen days of the invoice date.
6.3 In the event of late payment, the client is in default by operation of law and Etienne Talent is entitled to charge the statutory commercial interest rate as referred to in Article 6:119a of the Dutch Civil Code, as well as reasonable extrajudicial collection costs in accordance with the Dutch Decree on compensation for extrajudicial collection costs.
6.4 The client is not entitled to suspend its payment obligation or to set off a claim against Etienne Talent, unless Etienne Talent has agreed to this in writing or the claim has been established by a final and enforceable court judgment.
6.5 All fees applied by Etienne Talent are exclusive of VAT, unless expressly stated otherwise.
7.1 The liability of Etienne Talent for direct damages resulting from an attributable failure to perform the agreement or an unlawful act is limited to the amount paid out in the relevant case by Etienne Talent's professional liability insurance, plus the applicable excess.
7.2 If the professional liability insurance does not provide coverage in any given case, the liability of Etienne Talent is limited to the amount of the fee paid by the client to Etienne Talent in the three months preceding the damaging event, with a maximum of EUR 10,000 per event.
7.3 Etienne Talent is never liable for indirect damages, consequential damages, loss of profit, loss of savings, loss of goodwill, or damages due to business interruption.
7.4 The limitations of liability set out in this article do not apply in cases of intent or gross negligence on the part of Etienne Talent or its directors.
7.5 The client indemnifies Etienne Talent against claims by third parties that are related to the performance of the assignment, to the extent that these claims are not the result of intent or gross negligence on the part of Etienne Talent.
8.1 Both parties are obliged to maintain confidentiality of all confidential information they have obtained from each other or from other sources in the context of the assignment. Information is considered confidential if the other party has communicated this or if this follows from the nature of the information.
8.2 Etienne Talent is entitled to use the client's name as a reference, unless the client has indicated in writing that it objects to this.
9.1 All intellectual property rights in the works, models, analyses, reports, advice, and other materials developed or made available by Etienne Talent in the context of the assignment vest in Etienne Talent, unless parties have agreed otherwise in writing.
9.2 The client obtains only a non-exclusive and non-transferable right to use the materials developed for it, for internal use, upon full payment of the agreed fee.
10.1 Etienne Talent is not obliged to fulfill any obligation if it is prevented from doing so as a result of force majeure. Force majeure includes in any case: disruptions to telecommunications infrastructure, system failures, illness of the service provider, government measures, fire, flooding, or other calamities.
10.2 If the force majeure situation continues for more than thirty days, both parties are entitled to terminate the agreement in writing, without any obligation to pay compensation.
11.1 The agreement is entered into for the duration agreed in the quotation or assignment confirmation, or until completion of the agreed work.
11.2 Either party may terminate the agreement by written notice with a notice period of one calendar month, unless agreed otherwise.
11.3 Etienne Talent is entitled to terminate the agreement with immediate effect if the client is declared bankrupt, applies for a moratorium on payments, ceases its business operations, or is otherwise no longer able to fulfill its obligations.
11.4 Upon termination of the agreement for any reason, all outstanding claims of Etienne Talent against the client become immediately due and payable.
12.1 If a placed candidate leaves within 90 days of employment for reasons directly related to the placement, Etienne Talent will conduct a replacement search at no additional cost, provided that the client notifies Etienne Talent in writing within seven days of the candidate's departure.
12.2 This guarantee does not apply if the client has terminated the candidate for reasons of non-performance, reorganization, or other circumstances beyond Etienne Talent's control.
13.1 All legal relationships between Etienne Talent and the client are governed exclusively by Dutch law.
13.2 Disputes arising from or related to the agreement or these general terms and conditions shall first be resolved through amicable consultation. If the parties are unable to resolve the dispute through mutual consultation, the dispute shall be submitted to the competent court in the district of Rotterdam.
13.3 Without prejudice to the right to seek urgent relief in summary proceedings, parties are required to attempt to resolve the dispute amicably for a minimum of thirty days before initiating legal proceedings.
14.1 Etienne Talent is entitled to amend these general terms and conditions. Amendments will be communicated in writing or via the website etiennetalent.com and shall take effect thirty days after notification, unless a different period is stated.
14.2 These general terms and conditions are filed with the Chamber of Commerce under number 96133503. A copy will be provided free of charge upon request.
14.3 In cases not provided for in these general terms and conditions, Etienne Talent shall act in accordance with the principles of reasonableness and fairness, taking into account the interests of the client.
Etienne Talent
Trading name of Etienne International
Sidelingeplein 198, 3043 GV Rotterdam, The Netherlands
KVK: 96133503 | VAT: NL005190497B24
talent@etienne.international | +31 85 060 0315 | etiennetalent.com
Version 1.0 | May 1, 2026