Hiring a virtual assistant in the Philippines? Read this first.
The Philippines is where most Australian and New Zealand businesses look when they want help offshore, and for good reason. Here is what we have learned in fifteen years of building teams in Balanga, including when a virtual assistant is the wrong hire.
The short version.
- The Philippines works because of English, time zone and a service minded work culture.
- You can hire through a marketplace, a staffing agency, or a company with its own office. Each shifts who carries the risk.
- The question that predicts success is not skill. It is whether the person will still be there next year.
- If you want someone to own your week rather than clear a list, hire an executive assistant.
Why Australian businesses hire in the Philippines.
English is an official language of the Philippines, taught in schools and used in business, so written and spoken work reads naturally to Australian and New Zealand clients. The work culture leans towards service and care, which matters when the person is speaking to your customers.
Time zone is the quiet advantage. Philippine time is two hours behind Sydney for most of the year, so your assistant starts close to when you do. Compare that with hiring in Europe or the Americas, where your working days barely touch.
Three ways to hire, and who carries the risk.
| Route | What you get | What you carry |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance marketplace | The widest choice and the fastest start. | Screening, contracts, equipment, cover for leave, and starting again when they move on. |
| Staffing agency | A shortlist and the paperwork handled. | Day to day management, and often a person working from home on their own equipment. |
| A company with its own office | A named person in a real office, with equipment, training, supervision and cover. | Less choice of who, and a longer start: usually two to six weeks. |
None of these is wrong. The right one depends on how much management you want to do yourself, and how much it costs you when the person leaves.
Questions to ask before you hire.
- Where will they work from? A home office, a co working space, or a staffed office changes what happens when the power or internet drops.
- Who covers leave and sick days? If the answer is nobody, plan for gaps.
- How long do people stay? Ask for a retention figure, not an adjective. Every replacement means explaining your business again.
- How will they report to you? A list of tasks done tells you they were busy. You want to know what moved.
- How is your data handled? Your systems, your accounts, two factor sign in, and access removed the day someone leaves.
- Who manages them day to day? If it is you, budget the time for it.
Virtual assistant or executive assistant?
A virtual assistant works through tasks you write down. That suits a business with a clear, repeatable list and someone with time to manage it. An executive assistant owns your week: the calendar, the inbox, the follow ups, and the projects that never get started because you are busy running the business.
Most people who hire a VA find they have hired a second job: writing the list, checking the work, chasing where things are. If that sounds familiar, read what a virtual executive assistant does.
How we do it at Yoonet.
Our executive assistants work from one office in Balanga City, Bataan, most of them twenty minutes from home. That commute is a large part of why they stay, and why the person who learns your business is the one still running it in year three.
Every EA reports to you through EA Flow, the app our founder runs his own business on: one daily note with what moved, what is stuck, what needs you, and one idea of their own. See the kind of EAs we have ready.
Common questions
Is it better to hire a virtual assistant through a marketplace or a company?
A marketplace is quicker to start and gives you the most choice, but you carry the hiring, the checking and the cover when someone is sick or leaves. A company in the Philippines takes those on, and the good ones keep the same person on your work for years.
What time zone are virtual assistants in the Philippines on?
Philippine time is UTC+8 all year. That is two hours behind Sydney and Melbourne for most of the year, three during Australian daylight saving, and four or five behind New Zealand.
Should I hire a virtual assistant or an executive assistant?
Hire a virtual assistant if you have a clear list of tasks and time to manage it. Hire an executive assistant if what you need is someone to own your week: your calendar, your follow ups and the projects you never get to.
How do I keep my data safe with an assistant overseas?
Keep your data in your own systems and give access through your own accounts, with two factor sign in and an agreement in writing. Ask any provider where the work is done, on whose equipment, and what happens to access when someone leaves.