Independent contractor

An independent contractor supplies work under a contract while staying outside the client's payroll, which means handling their own tax, insurance and equipment. Almost every creator is one. Almost every person a creator hires is one too. Classification is decided by how the relationship actually runs rather than by what the paperwork calls it, so if you set someone's hours, supervise their method and require that they work only for you, tax authorities in most countries will look at that and see an employee. Getting it wrong is expensive on both sides, and worth an accountant's hour before the first hire.