I still see people trying to pay $1 an hour for a Filipino virtual assistant.
That’s not “smart business.” That’s unethical.
They can’t live on that. No one can.
Some want a VA with 5 years of experience, practically experts in their field, but they’re only offering $3 or $4 an hour.
Then they complain to me that they didn’t get any applicants.
No experienced VA wants to work for someone lowballing. They have options. And a low ball offer employer is probably a crappy employer.
If you want great work, loyalty, and trust, you have to pay fairly for both the Philippines’ economy and the person’s experience.
Hiring isn’t about getting the cheapest help possible.
It’s about creating a situation where both sides win — you get dependable, amazing work, and they get a real career that changes their life. Without ethical pay, this is what their lives look like.
Here’s what ethical pay looks like for most VA work:
$3–$4/hr → brand-new, no experience yet
$5–$7/hr → skilled and growing
$8+/hr → experienced, confident, and career-level talent
This is the average for most VA work.
Here’s a full treatment on VA pay.
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Now…an aside.
I send this newsletter to 180,000 people.
In that group are employers with thousands of employees and employers hiring for the first time.
The beginning of this message was aimed at newer/smaller employers.
For those of you who are bigger/more established:
Paying well and giving raises and benefits and treating people well is how you scale.
It’s how you build a team that wants to stick around.
It’s how you build people who want to think through your problems and provide solutions. Solutions that you didn’t see. Solutions that they implement for you.
People.
Not skills.
Not roles.
Not “team members”.
People.
People who stick around.
Some of my PEOPLE have been with me for so long that I’ve witnessed them reach many milestones in life. I’ve seen them marry, have kids, buy a car, and a house. Bianca, Julia’s child, now works for me too during her summer break, editing videos. (Technically, she works for her mom, since we don’t hire anyone under 18, but Julia asked us if she could have her do that.) Bianca was a newborn when I hired Julia.
When you treat your Filipino VA like a real professional — not just a cheap worker — everything changes. They’ll take ownership, bring better ideas, and care about your business like it’s their own.
John