Hiring a VA from Another Country: The Good and The Bad

Hiring a VA from Another Country: The Good and The Bad

Wanna know if you can hire a virtual assistant from another country? Yes, you can!

In fact, this is a very common practice by a lot of businesses in all different industries…and why not? These professional remote workers are quite effective for any company wanting to save resources, especially startups and small businesses.

However, if you’re only intrigued by the idea because it’s on trend and cheap, perhaps, you should do your homework first, before diving into a virtual collaboration.

Let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a VA from another country — before you say, yes!

To Hire or Not to Hire

Looking at the grand scheme of things, virtual assistants contribute so much to anyone who hollers for their aid. But, even working with online support has quirks and perks…like everything else.

We know you don’t want to waste your precious time on a new venture that’ll leave you losing in the end. So, before you give the go signal, let’s weigh in on some of the important arguments.

The Good of Hiring of Hiring a VA From Another Country

There are many reasons why looking overseas for a virtual ally is highly recommended and some of those explanations involve the following.

  • Cost is Less

    When you’re hiring a traditional office worker, you pay them monthly along with other required compensation benefits such as insurance, social security contribution and paid leaves (regardless if they’re productive or not).

    Come virtual assistants, this special workforce only gets paid whenever they work. This means they always have an output to show for it.

    VAs come from foreign countries with low costs of living, meaning you get the job done for half the price of hiring someone in your area.

  • More Time for You

    Taking all the weight of the repetitive mundane tasks in your operation is zapping your energy, time and opportunity.

    A virtual assistant can take all that heaviness away and give you more time to focus on high-value work and do the things you love outside the office. By then, you won’t have to juggle like a circus show and burn yourself out in the process.

    Work is a hard find in other countries like India or the Philippines. So, they’ll be more than happy and available to make money and work for you.

  • Diverse Skills and Experience

    Many people have been working as virtual assistants for quite some time, in a myriad of industries. So, these individuals are knowledgeable in the kind of work you need to accomplish, no matter how mundane or specialized that is.

  • Round-The-Clock Service

    How cool is it that even when you’re fast asleep, your business is still operating, night and day. That will make your company highly accessible and therefore, convenient for anyone who wants to do business with you.

  • Holiday Difference

    This one is somehow related to the previous benefit of having different time zones and living in different parts of the world — you get to celebrate different holidays too.

    When you’re worried about filling a shift for the holiday without breaking the bank, there are tons of people overseas who are willing to take you on that offer. They don’t have the same holidays and can work without getting extra pay.

The Bad of Hiring a VA from Another Country

Oh, well, while many businesses endorse virtual assistants, they also believe that the following are the downsides of working with one.

  • Communication Barriers

    Communication barriers can stir problems that can cost you money and time…and stress.

    Yes, there are many English-speaking virtual assistants overseas. However, since they are not natives, there are words and phrases that are likely to be misinterpreted. This can lead to misunderstandings with the instructions given to them.

  • Time Difference

    While there are several good things that come from having a time zone difference, it can be a hassle and confusing when you want something done, but there’s a 6-hour difference in the place they’re in.

    This never happens when you’re working with someone who shares your time zone. If you want something done at this time, they know exactly what you mean.

  • Data Security Concern

    Okay, you’re working with someone from across the world. You don’t get to see or converse with them physically… but you have to trust them with your company’s information?

    There are platforms that you can use to safeguard all these sensitive data of your work. But with the nature of the digital world, there’s no guarantee that anything you put online won’t be copied or shared.

    This is why we highly, highly recommend that you screen your virtual assistants thoroughly — check their backgrounds for Pete’s sake.

Further Reading: Virtual Personal Assistant

What to Look for When Hiring a VA from Another Country?

Not only will a virtual assistant reduce your operational cost tremendously, but you also get to tap into world-class talents without paying a bulk.

However, you need to select the right virtual assistant for the job to get the most out of your collaboration.

Here are some of the things to look for when hiring a VA from another country.

  • Communication Skills

    This one is essential, especially since you’re working remotely, to making things work. You need to know your VAs preferred communication style and make sure that aligns with how you do things with your team.

  • Technical Skills

    Does your VA have the knowledge to perform practical tasks? They should, because having appropriate skills in using software and hardware programs is necessary to handle the tasks you need them to complete.

  • Work Experience

    If your virtual assistant knows and understands what is expected of them, they can undoubtedly perform well and meet your expectations.

  • Flexibility

    A flexible virtual assistant can overcome any changing plans or unanticipated obstacles. Rest assured, they can keep up with anything you throw at them and handle a new task on a whim.

  • Reliability

    It’s pivotal that you work with a virtual assistant that you can depend on, considering the remote nature of the work. This means you can rely on them to fill in the role, complete the task and not leave you hanging.

Hiring a VA from Another Country FAQs

How Do I Pay My Virtual Assistant Overseas?

There are several payment methods to choose from including:

  • Bank Transfer

    As the name suggests, you pay your VA straight to their bank accounts. To do that, you have to ask for their bank details such as bank name, bank code and account number.

  • Money Transfer Services

    The list is quite long for this one: Western Union, Payoneer, WorldRemit, PayPal, Xoom, Moneygram and so many others.

    P.S. Just be mindful of the transfer charges that will be deducted from your account.

  • Platform

    If you hired your VA using Upwork or Fiverr, these platforms automatically deduct from your account once your virtual assistant finished a task or reached a milestone.

  • Agency

    This one involves payment terms that are agreed on before the signing of the contract. They even offer other packages too such as pay-as-you-go virtual assistant.

How Much Is a Virtual Assistant Overseas?

Can I hire a virtual assistant for $5?

First of all, the rates of a virtual assistant vary depending on skills, experience, location and the urgency of the task. For entry-level, the rate is close to $3 per hour.

For the more experienced ones, the rate can go up, around $5 to $10. If they have plenty of skills and experience to offer, the hourly pay can go above $10.

Some VAs go for fixed rates too — yes, a virtual assistant monthly salary is a thing.

What Country Are Good in Virtual Assistant?

How to find cheap virtual assistant? You can start your search with the best countries for virtual assistants.

  • Philippines
  • India
  • Singapore
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Malaysia
  • Brazil
  • China
  • Mexico
  • United Kingdom

Key Points to Ponder!

Hiring a VA from another country is great, and definitely offers more than what you bargained for.

But, while recruiting a virtual assistant in other countries is entirely possible, it is not always a guarantee that you’ll find the right VA, especially if you do not have experience in the subject.

We say, entrust this to an agency like VAV. In addition to other details, such as payment and monitoring, everything is made easier with the assistance of VAV which provides VAs from Madagascar (French-speaking) and the Philippines (English-speaking). Depending on your needs, they can make your work easier for you.

So, don’t look elsewhere, sign up!

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