Question

How do contracts vary between countries?

Answer 1

What the laws are and the legal systems. Along with the local customs and procedures.

First there is common law - used in the USA, and the UK. This is different from Civil law which is used in many other nations which is based on a written code. Whereas Common law uses a huge base of precedence (i.e. what has the court decided in the past).

Then there what the law actually is. For example in New Zealand employers and employees must have a written employment contract. But in the USA there is no need for a written contract of employment - in fact US law allows firing at will for almost any reason.

Then there are the realities on the ground. Many nations have weak legal systems which make enforcing contracts harder. Thus the two parties will need to build up stronger trust - which is why some employers will rely a lot on family members for their workers. The family is easier to trust.

And of course the contract will be written in different languages depending on the country in question.