Nine of the best countries to hire virtual assistants from
Key takeaways:
- India is the traditional option for hiring offshore workers.
- The Philippines is taking the lead in offering excellent offshore virtual assistants.
- The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are good options for hiring English-fluent, sophisticated virtual assistants.
- You can hire a virtual assistant from the United States if cost isn’t a factor.
- Singapore is a great choice if you need someone who speaks English and Chinese.
- Brazil tends to provide assistants who are good at numerical tasks.
It’s time; you’ve finally decided that you need a Virtual Assistant (VA). You’re ready to delegate tasks to someone else and free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business. Hiring a VA will give you the benefits of an in-person assistant without having to provide office space and they usually cost significantly less than hiring someone locally.
You know what you want but where do you find it? Which countries are the best for outsourcing a VA? Here are nine of the best countries for finding VAs.
1. The Philippines
The Philippines is home to some of the best-in-class virtual assistants in the world. VAs from this country have strong work ethics, high education standards, fluent English language skills, and an in-depth understanding of American and British business practices.
Hiring a VA from the Philippines allows your company to save money, compared to the cost of hiring someone from the United States or the United Kingdom. Despite the cost savings, this country attracts highly educated and skilled candidates because they are paid a very fair wage for their cost of living.
2. India
India has many virtual assistants as well as professionals who specialize in accounting, web design, marketing, software development, and other highly skilled activities. India was the top choice for businesses setting up offshore call centers for years but recently the demand has shifted to the Philippines.
Some of the reason for the shift was because customers complained about not being able to understand Indian accents and cultural differences often made Americans interpret Indian conversational styles as overly brusque or even rude. India’s shift to more professional services has also played a role in this change.
India can still be a great choice for hiring a virtual assistant. This is especially true if you need someone with high-level skills.
3. United Kingdom
You can find VAs that handle a wide range of tasks from the United Kingdom. This country is the birthplace of the English language so of course all British VAs are fluent in this language – their accent is typically received by Americans as upscale or well educated as well.
British VAs, unfortunately, may cost a lot more than their Asian counterparts. Expect to pay similar rates as you would hiring someone from the United States, but this can be a great market to tap into if you’re looking for top-quality talent with a flair for speaking.
4. Canada
Looking a little to the north can open up a world of VAs with a wide range of skills and due to high immigration rates, this country has many bi- and tri-lingual workers.
Businesses that need an assistant who speaks English but also handles clients from diverse areas of the world in their native tongues may want to check out Canada. The hourly rate can sometimes be lower than what you pay in the US or UK but it varies widely depending on the services you need.
5. Australia
Australia is the premier destination for businesses who want to hire a VA from a first-world country but still want the chance to save money. Australians are proficient in English as they are part of the Anglosphere but 240 foreign languages are also spoken in this country.
Australian industries are known for their high professional standards and the VA industry is no different. You can look forward to highly skilled, competent, and accountable workers when you choose to offshore a VA from this large island nation.
6. United States
You don’t have to hire a VA from abroad if your business is in the US. The virtual nature of this job allows you to hire someone from absolutely anywhere and this can be especially advantageous for people who run their businesses in areas with high wages.
Hiring someone in New York or Los Angeles, for example, tends to cost much more than hiring someone from rural Kentucky or a small town in Iowa. This industry has expanded in the United States over the last two years as many people lost or moved on from their jobs and started to look for alternatives. VA jobs are also very appealing to people who want to work from home doing administrative work or acting as executive assistants.
7. Singapore
Singapore has a long history with the VA industry. This country is known for its wonderful economic growth and a great deal of that growth stems from its residents’ work ethic and ability to adapt to change quickly.
Singapore English is recognized as the country’s de facto language even though its national language is Malay. Chinese is also commonly spoken, making this destination a great choice for business owners who want an assistant fluent in both Chinese and English.
8. Malaysia
Malaysia is currently focusing on creating a robust offshoring economy, meaning that the country is trying to bring in offshore jobs. It needs jobs to support its quickly expanding urban areas. The lack of jobs often means that workers are willing to accept lower rates.
9. Brazil
You can find VAs who speak English in Brazil but because the country’s dominant language is Portuguese, it has struggled to create a lot of general VAs. Brazil can be a great option if you’re looking for an assistant to handle numerical, repeatable tasks such as data entry and bookkeeping.
Contact DOXA for virtual assistants from The Philippines
We believe The Philippines is the strongest location for hiring virtual assistants and that’s why we have a large presence in this country. We would love to help you find the best VA for your business’ needs and grow and scale with you. Our policy allows for up to three candidate interviews before you sign any agreement. Contact us at DOXA today or set up a free consultation to learn more.
