Running a small business in Australia usually means wearing every hat. You answer the phone, chase the invoices, update the calendar, and then try to find time for the work that actually grows revenue.
Virtual assistant services have become a common answer to that problem. They give you skilled support without the cost, the office space or the commitment of another local hire.
This guide covers what virtual assistant services involve, what a VA can realistically take off your plate, the three ways to engage one, what it costs, and how to choose a provider you can trust.
What are virtual assistant services?
A virtual assistant is a remote team member who handles agreed tasks for your business. You define the role, the provider finds and screens the right person, and the work gets done from wherever that assistant is based.
Most Australian VA providers source talent offshore, and the Philippines is the largest market. Digitek Outsourcing does the same, because the pool of experienced administrative, technical and industry-trained candidates there is very hard to match locally at a comparable cost.
That matters when you compare quotes. An Australian-based VA charging $45 an hour and an offshore assistant on a monthly arrangement are two different products. Ask any provider where their assistants are based before you compare price.
What a virtual assistant can do
The work varies by role and by the person you hire. Common tasks include:
- Email and calendar management
- Responding to client enquiries and following up leads
- Invoicing, payment follow-up and expense recording
- CRM updates and data entry
- Booking and confirming appointments
- Preparing documents, reports and research
- Social media scheduling and content support
What a virtual assistant is not
This is the part most guides skip.
A VA is not a qualified professional in your field unless you have specifically hired one and checked their credentials. An assistant can support your bookkeeping process, but they are not automatically a registered BAS agent. They can handle NDIS participant administration, but that does not make your practice compliant on its own.
Match the role to the skills you actually need, and be clear about what sits outside it.
Signs your business is ready for a virtual assistant
Most owners recognise the symptoms well before they go looking for the solution:
- You are still doing repetitive admin that someone else could do in half the time
- Enquiries and follow-ups slip because the phone rings while you are on the tools or with a client
- You need more capacity but cannot justify another local salary
- You are working nights and weekends to catch up on paperwork
- Growth has stalled because you have no time left for the work that creates it
The businesses that get the most out of virtual assistant services are usually Australian service firms with one to twenty staff, where the owner or manager is doing several jobs at once. In that situation, one capable assistant makes a noticeable difference within weeks.
For a closer look at the signals by business size, and what it costs at that scale, see our guide to small business virtual assistant services.
What Australian businesses outsource, by industry
Virtual assistant work is far more specialised than it was five years ago. Assistants are now recruited for industry-specific roles, not just general admin.
- IT and managed service providers – ticket triage, client communication, documentation and SOP maintenance
- Insurance – policy administration, renewals, claims support and broker admin
- Accounting and bookkeeping – transaction coding, reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, BAS preparation support
- Healthcare and NDIS – participant plan administration, billing, appointment scheduling and compliance documentation
- Creative services – graphic design, video editing, content scheduling and community management
- Legal administration – file management, document preparation, diary management and client correspondence
- Real estate – listing administration, database management, appointment coordination and follow-up
If your industry is not on that list, it does not mean a VA will not work. It means the role needs defining carefully before anyone starts recruiting.
Three ways to engage a virtual assistant
How you engage a VA matters more than most people expect, because it decides how much management and employment responsibility sits with you.
Think of it as a ladder. At one end you handle everything after the hire. At the other, the provider is the legal employer and you simply direct the work.
Direct VA Recruitment
The provider finds, screens and shortlists candidates. You then train, pay and manage the assistant in-house. This is usually charged as a one-off recruitment fee rather than an ongoing management fee.
This suits businesses that already have documented processes, a manager with capacity, and a clear idea of what the role involves. They do not need help running the relationship. They need help finding the right person.
See how Direct VA Recruitment works
Managed VA Solutions
The provider runs the whole process. Role definition, advertising, sourcing, screening, interviews, shortlisting, offer and contract, onboarding, payroll, administration and agreed ongoing support. You get the assistant and the management structure around them.
This suits owners hiring their first VA, and businesses that do not want to build their own remote hiring and management systems from scratch.
See how Managed VA Solutions works
Employer of Record
An Employer of Record, usually shortened to EOR, is the option most Australian business owners have never heard of and often need.
Under this model, Digitek Operations Inc., our Philippine company, is the legal employer of your offshore staff member. It holds the employment contract, runs payroll, and handles the statutory obligations that come with employing someone in the Philippines. That includes 13th month pay, SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions, and local leave entitlements.
You still choose the person. You still direct their work, set their priorities and manage their performance day to day. What you do not do is set up a legal entity overseas, or work out Philippine employment law on your own.
This suits businesses that want a genuine long-term team member rather than a contractor arrangement, and want the employment side handled properly. It also suits businesses growing past one or two offshore staff, where the administrative load starts to add up.
There is a second situation where this comes up, and it is more common than most people expect. Plenty of Australian businesses have already found someone good overseas, usually through a freelancing platform or a referral, and are paying them by international transfer with no employment contract and no statutory benefits. If that is you, an Employer of Record can take over as the legal employer of the person you already have, without disrupting the work they do for you. It is easier to sort out early than after a working relationship has run for a couple of years.
For how this compares with engaging someone as a contractor or using a PEO, see our guide to Employer of Record vs PEO vs contractor.
This section is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your obligations depend on your own circumstances, and we would always suggest confirming them with your accountant or adviser.
See how Employer of Record works
Which model fits your business
| Direct VA Recruitment | Managed VA Solutions | Employer of Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds the candidate | Digitek | Digitek | Digitek |
| Who is the legal employer | You, or the arrangement you set up | Digitek Operations Inc. | Digitek Operations Inc. |
| Who runs payroll and statutory obligations | You | Digitek | Digitek |
| Who allocates the work day to day | You | You | You |
| Who manages the person | You | Digitek | You |
| Typical fee structure | One-off recruitment fee | Ongoing monthly fee | Ongoing monthly fee, quoted per role |
| Best for | Businesses with SOPs and management capacity | First-time VA employers and lean management teams | Long-term offshore hires and growing offshore teams |
| What you need in place first | A task list, documented processes, a manager | A clear task list | A clear task list and a manager to direct the work |
What do virtual assistant services cost in Australia?
Pricing across the Australian market varies enormously, and headline hourly rates are the least useful way to compare providers. A $7 an hour rate and a monthly managed fee are not measuring the same thing.
Managed VA Solutions with Digitek Outsourcing start from $1,800 to $2,400 per month, depending on the role, the hours and the level of experience required. That covers recruitment, screening, onboarding, payroll, administration and agreed ongoing support, so it is a total monthly cost rather than a rate you then add fees to.
Direct VA Recruitment is charged as a one-off fee, and Employer of Record arrangements are quoted per role. Get in touch and we will give you a figure for your specific role.
What drives the cost, whichever model you choose:
- The role. General administration costs less than a technically trained or industry-experienced assistant.
- The engagement model. A one-off recruitment fee and an ongoing monthly fee produce very different first-year totals.
- Hours and overlap. Full-time costs more than part-time, and roles requiring full Australian business-hours coverage cost more than flexible ones.
- What is included. Payroll, onboarding, equipment, software access, replacement cover and ongoing support may be built in or quoted separately.
- Where the assistant is based. Australian-based and offshore assistants sit at different price points.
It is worth setting any quote against what local support costs. The ABS Wage Price Index tracks how Australian wages are moving, and that is the benchmark most owners are really comparing against.
Before you compare quotes, ask each provider for the total monthly cost including every fee, not the hourly rate. Then ask what happens if the placement does not work out.
How to choose a virtual assistant provider
The provider you pick matters as much as the assistant. Ask these before you commit.
About the role
- What tasks will the assistant handle, and what sits outside scope?
- Can I see a sample position description before recruitment starts?
- How long does recruitment usually take?
About the people
- Where are your assistants based, and who employs them?
- How do you screen for skills, English and industry experience?
- What happens if the placement is not right? Is there a replacement period?
About security
- What systems will the assistant access, and how is that access controlled?
- Is there a signed confidentiality agreement in place?
- Who is responsible if something goes wrong?
About the commercials
- Is this a one-off recruitment fee, an ongoing monthly fee, or both?
- What is included, and what is quoted separately?
- Are there lock-in terms or a minimum engagement?
If a provider cannot answer the security questions clearly, that tells you something. Access control, permissions and confidentiality are not optional extras when someone outside your office is working in your systems. The Australian Signals Directorate sets out the baseline in its small business cyber security guidance, and multi-factor authentication is the first measure it recommends. Digitek works alongside its sister company Digitek IT where clients need secure remote access set up properly.
More on working securely with a virtual assistant
Once you have chosen a provider, our step-by-step guide to hiring a virtual assistant in Australia walks through the rest of the process, from writing the role description to the end of the first month. For how the arrangement runs once someone is in place, including time zone overlap, communication and system access, see our guide to online virtual assistant services.
How to set your virtual assistant up to succeed
The businesses that get the most from a VA are the ones that prepare before the assistant starts.
Document the work first. Write down the tasks you want to hand over, including the steps, the tools and the logins involved. A short screen recording is usually faster than a written procedure. Clear instructions cut the back-and-forth in the first month dramatically.
Agree how you will communicate. Decide how often you will check in, what a progress update looks like, and which tasks need your approval before they go out. Fifteen minutes at the start of the day beats a stream of messages all afternoon.
Start narrow, then widen. Hand over two or three well-defined tasks first. Once those are running reliably, add more. Trying to hand over everything in week one is the most common reason a first VA placement fails.
Treat them as part of the team. A good assistant learns how you work and takes on more complex work over time. Include them, brief them properly, and give feedback the way you would with any employee.
Frequently asked questions
What does a virtual assistant do?
A virtual assistant handles agreed tasks for your business remotely. Common work includes email and calendar management, responding to enquiries, invoicing and payment follow-up, CRM updates, data entry, appointment scheduling, research and reporting. Specialist assistants also handle industry-specific work such as insurance policy administration, NDIS participant administration or IT ticket triage.
How much does a virtual assistant cost in Australia?
Managed VA Solutions with Digitek Outsourcing start from $1,800 to $2,400 per month depending on the role, the hours and the experience required, and that figure includes recruitment, onboarding, payroll, administration and ongoing support. Direct recruitment is charged as a one-off fee and Employer of Record arrangements are quoted per role. Rather than comparing hourly rates between providers, ask for the total monthly cost including every fee.
Are virtual assistants based in Australia or overseas?
Both exist. Most Australian VA providers, including Digitek Outsourcing, source assistants offshore, largely from the Philippines, because that market offers a deep pool of experienced administrative, technical and industry-trained candidates. Australian-based assistants are available at a higher price point. Ask any provider where their assistants are based before comparing quotes.
What is an Employer of Record?
An Employer of Record is a business that acts as the legal employer of your staff member on your behalf. It holds the employment contract, runs payroll and handles the statutory employment obligations in that country, while you continue to direct the work day to day. It lets an Australian business employ someone in the Philippines properly without setting up its own entity overseas.
How long does it take to hire a virtual assistant?
For most roles, allow around two to four weeks from defining the role to the assistant starting. Specialist and technical roles take longer, because the candidate pool is smaller and the screening is more involved.
Is it safe to give a virtual assistant access to my systems?
It is, provided access is set up properly. Give the minimum permissions the role requires, use a password manager rather than sharing credentials, turn on two-factor authentication, and have a signed confidentiality agreement in place. Security is a shared responsibility between you and your provider, and it should be discussed before the assistant starts, not after.
What is the difference between managed VA solutions and direct recruitment?
With a managed arrangement, the provider handles recruitment, onboarding, payroll, administration and ongoing support, and you pay a monthly fee. With direct recruitment, the provider finds and screens the candidate and you take over from there, paying a one-off recruitment fee. Managed suits first-time VA employers. Direct suits businesses that already have documented processes and management capacity.
Ready to work out what a VA could take off your plate?
Start with the tasks eating your week. Write them down, note roughly how many hours each one takes, and bring that list to the conversation. It is the fastest way to work out whether a virtual assistant makes sense for your business, and which of the three models fits.
Digitek Outsourcing is an Australian-run virtual assistant and offshore staffing business based in Sydney, working with small and medium businesses across IT, insurance, accounting, healthcare and NDIS, creative services, legal administration and real estate.
Tell us what is taking up your time and we will talk you through what a virtual assistant could realistically handle, and what it would cost.
