Frequently Asked Questions

Outsourcing Angel is an outsourcing agency that specialises in the offshore recruitment of reliable and long-term Virtual Assistants, mainly based in the Philippines. We look after the entire outsourcing process for our clients from end-to-end, that includes: hiring, briefing, project managing, HR, payroll and disruption or replacement cover.

This means that all you need to do is tell us what you need to outsource and we will find the most reliable Virtual Employee for the job so that you can focus on the more important tasks while we handle the rest.

With over 10 years of experience in the outsourcing industry, our company has developed interview, screening, training and reward programs that result in reliable and long-lasting relationships with highly skilled Virtual Employees. We only hire the best person for the job and we do everything we can to get your job done without delay.

Our Management Team and Customer Support Team are also based in Australia, which removes any timezone or communication barriers that you may encounter with freelancers or other outsourcing providers.

We also have a company culture that rewards great work and provides employee perks and benefits to ensure that your Virtual Assistant is always happy. A happy employee results in seamless work and dedication to the job.

If for any reason, your Virtual Assistant is unable to continue with their task, we provide disruption cover and will find you a replacement quickly without any additional charges.

We’re also different because we are a social enterprise and we reinvest our profits to charity and livelihood programs (which we call our #OALoveProjects) to assist poverty stricken communities in the Philippines.

1. Job description: Book a free consultation with our Outsourcing Specialist and give us an overview of the task that you need outsourcing as well as what you’re looking for in a Virtual Assistant.
2. Package Selection: Our Outsourcing Specialist will provide recommendations on the type of Virtual Assistant you need and the package options available to you. We currently have either Full-Time or Part-Time Virtual Assistants and the price will vary depending on the type of Virtual Assistant you need.
3. On-boarding: Our Operations Officer will take you through the client onboarding process so that you have the best tools to work efficiently and effectively with your Virtual Team.
4. Recruitment: Once we are both clear on the requirements for the task and the Virtual Assistant, we will start interviewing the candidates that meet your requirements and create a shortlist of options for you. This process usually takes around 1-2 weeks.
5. Interview: Once the shortlist has been created, you have 2 weeks to review and approve the applicants you would like to interview. We always recommend our clients to have at least a video conference call with the Virtual Assistant when reviewing them for the job.
6. Hiring: When you’re ready, we will hire the Virtual Assistant and take them through onboarding, orientation and set-up. We formally introduce them to our team and yours and help set up all the expectations between you and the Virtual Assistant so that everyone is on the same page.
7. Time to hit the road! From here on, you will start working with your Virtual Assistant with the support of your Outsourcing Angel team to assist you in the initial ‘nesting period’ to avoid any miscommunications or misunderstandings. Our team will also have regular meetings, and performance reviews and provide company benefits for your Virtual Assistant to ensure their happiness and to get all your tasks done the way you want them.

Yes, we do! While most of our clients are based in Australia and New Zealand, we also have clients from the USA, UK and other parts of the world.

When we start working with a client, we find a Virtual Assistant that can work in the client’s preferred timezone in any country. All you have to do is tell us your preferred working hours so we can help you find a suitable Virtual Assistant.

Most of our Virtual Employees are from the Philippines but some reside in countries like Indonesia and other East Asian countries.

We enjoy working with Virtual Employees in these countries because of their similar timezone to Australia which is where most of our clients are based.

Our Customer Support Team and Management Team are also based in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

A Full-Time Virtual Assistant works 40 hours per week whereas a Part-Time Virtual Assistant works 20 hours per week. If you’re unsure as to which type of package you need, our Outsourcing Specialist will give you recommendations after your initial free consult.

Outsourcing Angel is the employer of your Virtual Assistant but they are assigned to work on your task.

This means that we cover all things from HR, Payroll, disruption and replacement cover and more so that you don’t have to.

We only hire highly skilled and proficient English-speaking Virtual Assistants to remove the communication barriers you may encounter with freelancers and other outsourcing providers.

The price varies depending on whether your Virtual Assistant is an Executive, Advanced or Specialist VA and if you decide to hire them on our Freedom Package (20 hrs per week) or Paradise Package (40 hrs per week).

All of these things are discussed in your FREE Discovery Call with our Outsourcing Specialist in order to give you a quote.

When you become an Outsourcing Angel client, you are required to pay a deposit fee (the deposit payment form will be provided to you by our Outsourcing Specialist). Once this deposit has been made, we will start recruiting for your Virtual Assistant.

Once you’ve selected your chosen Virtual Assistant, we will arrange a weekly scheduled payment process with you during our client on-boarding process. This payment can be made via Stripe, credit card or direct bank transfer.

When your weekly scheduled payment has been set-up successfully, your Virtual Assistant services can commence and your payments will be auto-debited on the same day weekly unless otherwise specified.

Should you need your Virtual Assistant to work extra hours, your Virtual Assistant’s hourly rate will be computed based on your regular monthly fee.

If you require your Virtual Assistant to work extra hours that are outside of their regular working hours, please see the overtime rates below.

To ensure a Fair Work Policy with your Virtual Assistant, if you require your Virtual Assistant to work overtime outside of their regular working hours, you will be charged the following overtime rates:

• General Virtual Assistants: $16 AUD p/h +GST
• Technical Virtual Assistants: $30 AUD p/h +GST

No, the full-time or part-time hours with your Virtual Assistant can only be used within the same month unless otherwise specified.

The hiring process depends on the type of skill set you require. If you require a General Virtual Assistant, usually takes 1-2 weeks for us to provide you with a shortlist of candidates whereas a Technical Virtual Assistant can take a bit longer.

After we provide you with our shortlist of candidates, we arrange a video or audio conference interview for you and the candidate via Skype, Zoom or whichever video conferencing platform you prefer. During this interview, our Recruitment Manager will be present to facilitate the interview for you so that you cover all the important questions.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with any of the shortlisted candidates after the interview, we can provide you with more candidates to interview.

Yes you can and there is no limit to the number of Virtual Employees you want to hire. Many of our clients continually find more tasks that they need to outsource and we are fast to recruit for the job.

If you would like to change your Virtual Assistant for any reason, please notify us immediately so we can help you find a replacement as quickly as possible. Your replacement options include:

• Work with your existing Virtual Assistant until we can find you a replacement.
• Stop work with your Virtual Assistant immediately and wait for your replacement (we will pause your payment and make sure you are only charged from the day the new Virtual Assistant starts work)
• Stop work with your Virtual Assistant immediately and work with one of our temporary covers to complete the task while you wait for your replacement.

Yes, there is. Once you have selected your Virtual Assistant, there is a minimum 3 month between you and your Virtual Assistant. Just like a probation period that you may find in the workplace, from our experience it requires at least 3 months of on-boarding and training to properly integrate a Virtual Employee into your company.

If for any reason, you are not happy with your Virtual Employee, we will find you a more suitable Virtual Employee based on your feedback.

In the first 3 months with your Virtual Assistant, our Virtual Operations Manager (VOM) will be overseeing the relationship between you and your Virtual Assistant to provide you with on-going support.

After your initial 3 months, our Operations Manager and Customer Support Team are available to assist with any matters you may have.

All our Virtual Assistants are required to send you a daily work report where they will list all the tasks that they’ve worked on each day and any issues they’ve encountered.

We always encourage our clients to place trust in our Virtual Assistants by measuring performance rather than a time tracking tool unless otherwise specified.

If your Virtual Assistant suddenly becomes sick during an urgent task, you may simply request a temporary replacement Virtual Assistant to cover any work or request that your Virtual Assistant will make up for the day of lost work on an alternate day.

If your Virtual Assistant has worked with you for a minimum of 3 months, they are entitled to 10-days of paid annual leave. Your Virtual Assistant is required to send you an email notice to discuss the schedules of leave at least one week before the paid leave date.

In the case of unpaid leave requests, your Virtual Assistant will be required to propose an advanced work schedule to cover the missed work hours prior to the leave dates.

On Australian Public Holidays, it is up to you if you want to allow them to take the days off. Most clients do allow their Virtual Assistants days off around Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

On your Virtual Assistant’s own country’s Public Holidays, it is also up to you if you want to give them the days off. Your Virtual Assistant will be required to send you any unpaid or paid leave requests as per our leave terms.

In case of work interruptions such as power outages, internet issues or family emergencies, your Virtual Assistant is instructed to send immediate notice to our Management Team and to you.

If the Virtual Assistant was working on an urgent task for you, we will find you a fast replacement to get the work done.

For part-time Virtual Assistants, you are not required to cover a lunch break.

For full-time Virtual Assistants, the 1 hour lunch break is included as part of the 8 hour daily shift. This ensures that your Virtual Assistant can be productive and will get the work done.

All Virtual Employees sign a confidentiality agreement, wherein they are not permitted to share or discuss work-related details with people other than their client and work team.

We recommend our clients to use tools such as Lastpass to securely share their login details and for larger or high sensitive businesses we can also recommend extra security setup arrangements by our IT Security preferred partner Teba.

Whether you are hiring local staff or a VA, we recommend building trust over time rather than providing your staff with all access to sensitive information too early.

In the event that you decide to cancel your outsourcing services, we require 30 days written notice.

However, if for any reason you decide to cancel your outsourcing services during your initial 3 month commitment, the balance of the 3 months must be paid to us in full.

Yes, we do! If you refer our outsourcing services to your family and friends, as part of our Referral Program, you can earn bonuses from each referral. Referral Program.