As a scaling business, bringing new members into your team is key to success.
Yet, did you know you’re not restricted to the confines of your business’ operating country? Especially if you’re looking to hire a remote virtual assistant (VA).
You can hire overseas
Why should you?
Well, there are many advantages (and a few challenges) to hiring overseas. The below table explores them.
| Overseas Hiring – Advantages | Challenges |
| More diverse talent. By expanding your horizons overseas, you’ll have a much wider pool of candidates to pick from. |
Timezones. Overseas employees will likely be in a different timezone, so you need to adapt to their hours (however, Filipinos are time zone neutral). |
| Better adaptability. Working remotely and for a foreign employer shows your candidate’s strong adaptability, even before they’ve started on the job. |
Different Statutory Holidays. Employees may have bank holidays on different days than you, which can cause slowdowns. |
| Strong work ethic. By hiring overseas, you’re not hiring someone who just wants a job. You’re hiring someone passionate about the role you’re offering, so much so, the candidate is willing to work overseas for it. |
Communication. You’ll need to utilize tools like Slack and Zoom as communication overseas will be more difficult (yet while it’s more of a challenge than face-to-face communication, there are 3 reasons why you should do this). |
| Bilingual. If you’re an English-speaking company, chances are you’ll hire someone overseas who can speak both English and their own language. This flexibility opens you up to a new market of potential customers. |
While the challenges may sound like a nuisance — you can overcome them. Honestly, with fully-trained overseas remote virtual staff, you’ll be reaping the benefits for many more years than you’ll be dealing with the challenges.
Related: What kind of roles are best to outsource?
So, you’ve decided to hire a VA. Yet, why should you choose one based in the Philippines? Here are 3 reasons.
Reason #1: Filipinos Are Fast Learners
Many Filipinos learn fast. Meaning, you won’t have to spend long training them.
What’s good about that?
The faster an employee can learn, the faster they can adapt to different situations and roles within your business.
It also means the employee will be more equipped to offer fresh perspectives in the VA role. Perhaps they’ll develop more efficient ways of handling administrative tasks, or they’ll have more flexibility to take on different (and more challenging) roles within your company.
Being a fast learner also means that when inevitable problems arise within the VA role, your Filipino employee will quickly find a solution.
Also, fast learning is excellent from a customer support perspective. Your virtual workers will know when and how to make important phone calls, how to manage your priorities so customers are always happy, and how to keep your social media page updated on routine.
Reason #2: Filipinos Are Excellent at English
Not only is English considered an official language in the Philippines, but they’re good at it, too. Really good at it.
Not only that, because your VA is also a fast learner, they can pick up new languages pretty quickly, too.
For example, if your VA handles your call center tasks, thanks to their language skills, they’ll be equipped with more versatility than your other employees. This versatility makes them great at data entry too.
In other words, your VA will be able to help anyone, whether it be customers with complaints or those just needing help troubleshooting products.
Reason #3 Filipinos are Friendly
Did you know? Filipinos are so friendly; a user even asked why on Quora.
The answer?
Filipinos are friendly because they choose to be nice.
Yet, how does that help your business? Why is being nice ideal for VA services?
For one, it helps promote a good work culture. However, that’s not the only reason why Filipinos friendliness is so important:
- It makes training easy. Your Filipino assistant will listen, question what they don’t understand, and learn with a smile on their face.
- It makes them good at social media marketing. Hand-in-hand with their excellent English abilities, a Filipino will be a magnet for your customers on social media.
- They get on well with your other workers. Whether it be other virtual staff, yourself, or different key members in your industry — a Filipino will get on well with them.
Speaking of being friendly, did you know there are some tricks to work best with your offshore team?
Anyway, let’s reiterate the three reasons why you should hire a Filipino assistant:
- Filipinos are faster learners.
- Filipinos are excellent at English.
- Filipinos are friendly.
If that’s not enough reason to outsource to the Philippines, we at Guerilla BPO don’t know what is!
So, your mind is made up. Yet, a few questions remain. How do you hire a Filipino?
Also, should you use an agency or go through direct hiring?
Let’s explore starting with that last fundamental question.
Agency vs. Job Board/Direct Hiring
Many have asked whether to go through an agency or direct-hire, and the definitive answer is elusive. Honestly, it depends on your own personal situation.
However, at Guerilla BPO, we’re confident going through an agency such as our own is one of the best and smartest options.
We have a tried and tested staffing solution that:
- Takes care of your staff (we even handle employee benefits).
- Has a flexible approach and pricing model
- Understands the importance of staff investments
- Handles payroll, performance management, staff retention, and more.
By going via direct hiring — you lose those advantages. The hiring process will become more complicated, and everything — every decision, cost, and task-will be on your shoulders.
So, with that in mind, how exactly do you hire in the Philippines?
How to Hire an Assistant in the Philippines
It’s straightforward to do. All you have to do is contact us, and we’ll take you through the entire process.
We’ll even tell you what outsourcing can do for your business and answer any questions — no matter how minor — you have.
It’s what we do best, after all — and we’re so passionate about doing it.
Want to know more? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about hiring (or being) a Filipino VA.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Do Filipino Virtual Assistants Make?
A Filipino virtual assistant can earn anywhere between $6 (300 pesos an hour) or $14 (700 pesos) an hour. Maybe even more. It really depends on how much experience they have and how much you’re willing to pay them.
At Guerilla BPO, we’re happy to discuss a fair salary for your VA. We’ll decide on a price both they and yourself will be satisfied with.
How Do I Pay My Virtual Assistant in the Philippines?
You do have the option to pay through services such as PayPal or Wise if you’re outsourcing independently. However, those come with transfer fees and long processing times.
Guerilla BPO handles a managed payroll for you, right from our very offices, so you really don’t have to think about how to pay your VA — we’ll do it for you.
How Do I Become a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines?
First, it’s recommended you have at least 2 years of experience in a similar role, experience with word-processing software and spreadsheets, and are well organized with a good understanding of current technologies.
If you have these qualifications, all you need to do is check out our careers page.
