Hire Virtual Assistant from the Philippines – How to Navigate them for your Team

Companies are recognizing the value of skilled virtual assistants (VAs) who significantly extend their reach and productivity.  The Philippines, with its vast pool of talented and qualified professionals, stands out as a prime location to find the perfect VA for your needs.

However, navigating the hiring process can be a maze – legal hurdles, complex benefits structures, and a web of tax regulations can slow you down. 

Here, we’ll guide you through the ins and outs of hiring Filipino VAs, helping you build a global workforce that propels your business forward.

Virtual assistants perform multiple job roles and responsibilities. From assisting in troubleshooting to answering the queries of customers – they can play multiple roles. The country provides good skilled professionals who meet the requirements of global employers. 

Why the Philippines is one of the top destinations for virtual assistants?

The Philippines has become one of the top destinations for hiring VAs. skilled professionals, educational background, and compatibility with a global workforce culture are some of the prominent reasons the country become a hub. 

Skills of VAs 

Filipino VAs are good at multiple skills, including – 

• Time management 
• Customer service 
• Social media management 
• Technical skills 
• Data entry 
• Email management 
• Calendar management 

English proficiency 

Filipino workers have a good command of the English language as English is the joint official language of the Philippines. The education is based on English and the degree-level studies are conducted in English. As a result, the naturally built proficiency helps swift communication.  

Affordable workforce 

Filipino virtual assistants’ salaries range comparatively low than any other developed country. Global employers hire Filipinos at the most affordable package. For example, the salary of virtual assistants in the Philippines is 75% lower than the employee salary in the USA. Affordability of the skilled professionals is one of the major reasons that global employers prefer hiring VAs from the Philippines.

Source: https://www.virtualstaff.ph/blog/reasons-hiring-filipino-virtual-assistants

Compatibility with a global work culture 

Filipino professionals are equipped with Western culture.  The adaptability and flexibility in cultural norms keep them ahead. They are also dedicated and committed to their responsibilities. 

How to hire VAs from the Philippines?

Multiple channels of hiring are available for global employers including traditional recruitment agencies, social media platforms, or other international job platforms. Every channel comes with pros and cons depending on their hiring process. 

Traditional recruitment agencies 

Recruitment agencies help you hire Filipino virtual assistants for permanent and full-time positions as they have a database of similar profiles. 

Pros

Expertise network: Recruitment agencies have access to a vast pool of qualified candidates and possess industry-specific knowledge. 

Thorough process: Reputable recruitment agencies have a thorough screening process to ensure candidates meet the job requirements and qualifications.

Cons

Cost:  Recruitment agency fees can be significant, typically a percentage of the hired candidate’s annual salary. 

Loss of control: By outsourcing recruitment, you relinquish some control over the hiring process. Hired candidates might engage with multiple clients and quality can be compromised. 

Social media platform

Professional social media platforms like LinkedIn are an effective channel to hire VAs from the Philippines. 

Pros

Professional network: LinkedIn-like platform provides you access to incredible professionals from the Philippines. 

Direct communication: You can directly communicate and connect with professional VAs. 

Cons

Time commitment: Sourcing and screening candidates on LinkedIn can be time-consuming, especially if you need to review a large number of profiles and conduct interviews.

Limited access: Limited professionals on LinkedIn actively looking for new job opportunities.

International job portals

International job portals like Indeed Worldwide, Monster, etc allow you to advertise your job position based on your requirements.  

Pros

Region-specific: The platforms connect businesses with VAs offering a targeted talent pool with potential cultural and time zone alignment.

Systematic process: The process from screening to hiring, the process is streamlined. 

Cons

Limited customization: These portals have limited customization to meet the requirements of employers. 

Less service option: The service options are limited, they only focus on hiring. 

Entity setup 

Business entity setup is another option to hire virtual assistants in the Philippines.  There are multiple phases required to complete the setup in the targeted country. 

Pros

Limited liability: A key advantage of a business entity is limited liability.

Tax benefits: Depending on the chosen entity structure, you might benefit from certain tax advantages.

Cons

Highly expensive: A business entity setup requires huge expenses.

Administrative burden: Maintaining a separate legal entity involves additional paperwork and administrative tasks. 

How to pay your VA employees in the Philippines?

Recruitment agencies or outsourcing companies support in hiring process of VAs in the Philippines. However, those agencies do not help you in the payroll and compliance process. Here an Employer of Record (EOR) can support you to pay your employees.  

EOR service providers assist you in calculating the compensation, benefits, and taxation and manage the attendance and leave sheets of your employees. The platform also supports compliance based on local labor laws.

A major advantage of using an Employer of Record (EOR) is the support they provide in managing employee salaries, leaves, and holidays according to local labor laws. If you want to learn more about the employees’ salaries, leaves, and holidays in detail, check the guide Hiring in the Philippines.

The platform takes a significant burden off your shoulders, ensuring compliance with complex regulations.  

However, the significant drawback is that EOR does not help you in the recruitment process. It helps manage employees’ payroll and reduce legal risks during the hiring and onboarding processes. 

The best option is to work with an EOR like Global Squirrels that supports hiring candidates from multiple countries, unique among other EOR service providers. Visit Global Squirrels and find the right Filipino candidates along with the onboarding, payroll, and compliance process. 

Global Squirrels: Hire and pay your VAs in the Philippines

Global Squirrels is one of the top and innovative EOR platforms that offers support in finding the best virtual assistants from the Philippines. The platform allows employers to access the VA profiles, assist in scheduling interviews, and generate automated offer letters and onboarding legal procedures – the platform keeps everything organized and systematic. 

With hiring, the platform also supports payroll including compensation and benefits calculation, managing leaves, and attendance tracking as per the countries’ employment laws and regulations. It further assists you in compliance including support in Philippine labor laws, local tax regulations, and other statutory benefits. 

Why Global Squirrels, not other EOR platforms? 

Global Squirrels provides comprehensive services under one platform, including

• One of the innovative EOR platforms that provides finding, hiring, and onboard the right talent 
• Auto-generated employee legal contract 
• Offboarding with country law
• HR support for employers and employees 
• We don’t charge extra on workers’ benefits
• Complete control of employees 
• The platform offers flexible partnership 
• We don’t charge any contract-ending fees 

Global Squirrels offers a comprehensive charge for hiring, EOR, and payroll – all in one platform which ensures that from hiring to payroll, we manage everything on your behalf. Furthermore, we manage only recruitment services and payroll services under separate plans.  To understand the fees and benefits, check our pricing plan.

For further information, Schedule a Demo with us!

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Philippines offers a rich talent pool of VAs to empower your business. Hiring the best Filipino VAs involves multiple phases – finding the right talent, screening, interviews, onboarding, payroll, and compliance. EORs typically don’t handle the initial hiring process itself. You’ll need to manage the search and selection of qualified candidates. On the other hand, efficient EOR platforms like Global Squirrels streamline your search for the best talent, simplify payroll management, and ensure compliance by removing risks – all while connecting you with top Filipino VAs.