Why Filipino Virtual Assistants Are Preferred by Business Owners

Do you have any doubts about whether hiring virtual assistants from the Philippines is the best move for you? In this post, we outline all the justifications for hiring Filipino workers from a distance.

We understand that delegating work to another party can entail a significant amount of risk, especially if the other party is located on the opposite side of the world from where you are.

But, hey, thousands of businesses have outsourced work to the Philippines in the last decade, and in recent years, owners of small businesses have followed suit by hiring Filipino virtual assistants of their own. So, what exactly is going on here?

Is it really worthwhile to work with a virtual assistant who is based in the Philippines? We’ll let you decide.

The following are seven reasons why businesses hire Filipinos to work remotely:

The English abilities of Filipino virtual assistants are exceptional.

It’s a well-known fact that the majority of Filipinos are fluent in English.

In terms of English language ability, the Philippines was ranked second out of 24 Asian countries in 2021, and 18th overall in the world. According to the findings of the study, the majority of Filipinos have a level of English competency that allows them to “make presentations at work, understand TV shows, and read newspapers.”

This is probably due to the fact that the English language is imbedded so deeply in Filipino culture.

Please take into account:

• It is recognized by the government as an official language of the country.
• Filipino children start learning it in school at a very young age.
• More than one hundred and twenty years ago, it was put to use as a method of education.
• It can be found anywhere, from street signs and mass media to official documents and even slang used in the community.

Filipinos are qualified to instruct non-native English speakers in the language. 50,000 foreign students came to the Philippines in 2018 to study English alone.

When using a VA, this is a huge benefit. Communication with your assistant is made so much easier when there is little to no language barrier. Tasks can be assigned more effectively, and getting and giving feedback will be simpler. 

They have a ton of experience with remote outsourcing.

The Philippines has a 30-billion-dollar business process outsourcing industry.

With 1.3 million Filipinos receiving work from more than 1000 foreign companies, it is understandable why the majority of Filipino VAs are thought of as seasoned professionals in their field.

When you hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines, you are probably hiring someone who has previously worked with foreign companies. You are appointing professionals who can effectively communicate and are conversant with specifics like US time zones, holidays, and working conditions.

More importantly, these experts are knowledgeable about a variety of tasks that you would probably delegate, including:

• customer service
• appointment-setting
• email management
• accounting
• social media management
• digital marketing, among many other things

If you think this is too good to be true, you can see all the positions we’ve hired for success and the work they’re currently performing for clients here. 

They have a history of producing high-quality work.

Excellent results are obtained when excellent English abilities, prior outsourcing experience, and a strong work ethic are combined. In our ten years of experience working with Filipino VAs, we’ve seen the majority of them produce excellent work that has contributed to the success of numerous businesses.

Having a Filipino virtual assistant (VA) on your team ensures that the job will get done — and get done well — whether you’re hiring for administrative, financial, operational, or creative work.

They fit our culture very well.

You can find knowledgeable and skilled foreign employees elsewhere, but it will probably be difficult to find people who understand Western culture as well as Filipinos do.

With a shared history of more than a century, it is impossible for Filipinos to avoid assimilating American culture. 

As it stands, the majority of Filipinos are avid consumers of American media, goods, and pop culture. Given that there are 4.2 million Filipinos living in the US alone, there is also a high likelihood that they have relatives living in North America. As a result, they are probably familiar with current affairs, idioms, jokes, and even some slang.

You can discuss the same TV shows, books, music, and trending topics when you work with a Filipino VA. It wouldn’t take much to establish a rapport or bring them up to speed on your workplace culture.

They are considerably less expensive to hire than their local competitors.

Getting all of these incredible qualities for a small fraction of the cost is one of the best things about working with Filipino virtual assistants. You can hire full-time Filipino workers from abroad for only about $9,000 per year, depending on the position, level of skill, and nature of the work. That is a saving of about 80%.

Naturally, you may need to pay a higher rate of $1,000–1,500 a month if you want to attract better candidates or are trying to fill a senior position, but even at that rate, you are still saving money compared to your local competitors.

To keep your Filipino employees on your team, you might need to budget for customary bonuses like 13th month pay (it’s like a Christmas bonus), social security, and other benefits.

‍Respect is a big thing in Filipino culture

Like most Asian nations, the culture of the Philippines is firmly based on respect. They respect those in positions of authority and show respect to their employers. They are also more likely to accept hierarchy and obey orders than people in the US and Canada due to their higher power distance index.

This quality can occasionally come as a bit of a culture shock: a Filipino VA might address you as “ma’am” or “sir,” hold back on asking questions, or refrain from challenging you because of social norms. This is something you must prepare for.

When there is a smooth delegation process, Filipino virtual assistants (VAs) will always comply with instructions. 

Filipino VAs are very creative.

Most Filipino VAs can be shy at first, but given the right circumstances and opportunities, they can be very proactive. They are skilled problem-solvers and are likely to attempt their own original solutions before seeking assistance.

They are also open to training and skill development at the same time. On the job, they are eager to pick up new skills.

Consider the general managers of Need/Want. A few of them began their careers as the CEO’s executive assistants before assuming more significant roles as general managers. You can do that for your own business as well and gain more time for yourself with the appropriate training and assistance.

Additionally, Filipino virtual assistants can manage your company while you snooze or take a vacation.

Between the Philippines and the US, there is a significant time zone difference of 8–12 hours. This is a big challenge for most folks, but with the right systems, you can actually turn this into an advantage. 

You could, for instance, work asynchronously so that your remote employees could manage the company while you slept. You can also assign work to the Philippines while you’re away from home because they don’t observe US holidays like Thanksgiving and Memorial Day.

By employing Filipino talent from a distance, you can sustainably grow your business.

It may seem unusual and risky to hire Filipino virtual assistants, but doing so is essential for long-term business growth. Filipino virtual assistants (VAs) are proficient, trustworthy, and more reasonably priced than their local counterparts. Most importantly, though—and this is true of 90% of our staff—they can probably beat you at karaoke.

We can assist you if you’re ready to take the plunge and hire your first Filipino VA. Send us a message right away, and we’ll help you find incredible workers who can expand your company and give you back some of your time.