Virtual assistants on bidding sites get paid slightly above market value, because freelancers usually have to give the site a cut and pay for membership and money transfer fees. To help with the cost, most freelancers are encouraged to raise their fee to help cover the various fees. They’re also taking advantage of the international rates.
Still, the beauty of bidding sites is that you get a pool of professional Filipino virtual assistants with varying virtual assistant salary range. Some will be cheap, the good ones will likely charge double, with some falling right in between. With that said, when it comes to this way of finding VA’s, you do get what you pay for. But there is a way for you to still get a deal.
Here’s why: depending on the job, your free time, and budget, the most expensive freelancer might not be the best deal, and vice versa. When it comes to bidding sites, there are only two reasons why a freelancer is cheap:
First, they are new to the site but not to the field, so they’re still building a reputation and ten to have a much lower virtual assistant salary Philippines . Freelancers who are collecting testimonials hike up their prices as soon as they get good ratings, which can happen in as short as a month.
Second, they are new to the job or produce mediocre work, so there’s a chance you might have to hold their hand. This requires a lot of time, or some financial investment on your part, to pay for some courses. If you’re an entrepreneur that has a lot of time but you are strapped for cash, then it might make sense for you to hire an entry-level graduate on the cheap, then train them to grow with your company in the long term.
Likewise, if you’re an entrepreneur that wants a rock star freelancer that will hit the ground running, then you will have to throw down the money and be prepared to pay a hefty virtual executive assistant salary. Not only will they rock the job, but also they will transform your business.
The good news is bidding sites are great at weeding out mediocre work. If the virtual employee has been on the site for a while, and he’s doing shoddy work for cheap, it will reflect on his feedback. So hire at your own risk.
If you’ve got the time, newbies are worth the risk because Filipinos have an excellent learning curve. So long as you’re willing to put in the time, you will get your money’s worth.
That’s why it’s critical to list your budget and set your virtual assistant salary range on project proposals: it will save you the hassle of weeding through bogus proposals and freelancers you can’t afford.