Hire an Offshore Company Secretary Administrator in Australia Without an Agency

If your accounting or corporate advisory firm handles ASIC filings, board minutes, and statutory registers, you already know how much time that work takes. You also know that a company with a secretary needs at least one who is ordinarily resident in Australia. That is a requirement under the Corporations Act (this article is general information, not legal advice). But the admin work behind the role? That can absolutely be handled by a Philippines-based hire who costs a fraction of what a local hire would.

This guide is about how to hire an offshore company secretary administrator in Australia: someone who does the day-to-day governance admin work while your named Australian company secretary signs off. No agency markup. No ongoing monthly fee. Just a direct hire who works your hours and knows the ASIC system.

What a Company Secretary Administrator Actually Does

Most accounting and corporate advisory firms separate two things: the legal function (the named company secretary who is responsible to ASIC and the board) and the admin function (the person who actually prepares the filings, updates the registers, and drafts the minutes). The offshore hire fills the second role.

Day-to-day tasks typically include:

Preparing and lodging ASIC forms (Form 484, Form 488, annual statements) via the ASIC portal or software like ASIC Connect

Maintaining statutory registers: members, directors, share transfers, interests

Drafting board and AGM minutes from agendas or audio notes

Preparing board packs and circulating papers ahead of meetings

Tracking ASIC deadlines and flagging renewal notices

Updating company constitutions, resolutions, and consent forms

Coordinating with ASIC for change of officeholder notifications

Managing eSigning workflows (DocuSign, Adobe Sign) for executed documents

Tools they typically use: ASIC Connect, DocuSign, MYOB AE, Handy Software, or LEAP. Many Philippines-based corporate admin staff have direct experience with these from prior roles in AU-facing companies.

What they do not do: act as the named company secretary, provide legal advice, sign ASIC lodgements in their own name, or carry the legal liability for compliance decisions. That stays with the Australian-resident named secretary.

What This Role Costs: Offshore vs Local vs Managed Service

Here is what you are actually comparing when you look at the numbers.

Local company secretary administrator in Australia: typically around $65,000–$85,000 per year in base salary, plus super, leave entitlements, and overheads. For many smaller accounting practices, this is the entire reason the function gets outsourced. It is hard to justify a full-time hire for a role that is part-time work.

Managed company secretarial service (RSM, Grant Thornton, Acclime): Typically charged on an hourly retainer or per-task basis. Expect $150–$350 per hour for ad hoc work, or ongoing packages from $500–$2,500 per month depending on company count and transaction volume. The cost is predictable but the markup is built in: you are paying for their overhead and margin on every lodgement.

Direct offshore hire (Philippines-based): typically around $1,800–$2,600 per month AUD, or $22,000–$31,000 per year. No markup on top. See what it costs to hire Philippines-based admin staff directly for current salary ranges across roles.

The estimated saving versus a local hire is $33,000–$63,000 per year. You can model it for your own firm with the offshore hire cost calculator. For a firm managing 50 or more companies with active ASIC obligations, a direct offshore hire at $22,000–$31,000 per year is almost always cheaper than the managed service alternative, and you get a dedicated person who knows your client register, not a shared-team arrangement where every new task gets billed separately.

Why Every Google Search Shows You Managed Service Agencies

Search for offshore company secretary support in Australia and you will find RSM, Grant Thornton, Acclime, and Boardroom Ltd. None of them are teaching you how to hire directly; they are selling you their own service.

That is not necessarily bad advice for every firm. If you need a named company secretary, a managed service makes sense. But if you already have a named secretary (or are one yourself) and just need the admin work done, you are paying agency prices for a service layer you do not need.

Most managed secretarial firms charge $150–$350 per hour for work that a $1,900 per month direct hire can do day-in, day-out. If your firm handles 30 or more lodgements per month and your managed provider charges per form, you are almost certainly overpaying. Check what managed services actually charge on top of staff cost. The margin is estimated at 40–80% above what a direct hire costs.

How to Hire a Company Secretary Administrator Directly: 6 Steps

Step 1: Write a clear role brief. List the software your firm uses (ASIC Connect, MYOB AE, Handy, etc.), the type and volume of companies you manage, and what a typical week looks like. The more specific your brief, the better candidates you will attract.

Step 2: Screen for ASIC-specific experience. Ask candidates directly: have they prepared Form 484s, Form 488s, or annual ASIC statements before? For an AU-facing role, this is the core technical requirement. Do not assume general admin experience transfers.

Step 3: Run a practical task. Send a sample board minute or an ASIC lodgement scenario and ask them to complete it. This takes 30 minutes for the candidate and tells you more than any resume. Look for accuracy with ASIC form numbers, dates, and register details.

Step 4: Conduct a video screen. You want to hear them walk through how they would handle a typical ASIC filing. Ask what they would do if they spotted a discrepancy in a shareholder register before lodgement. Judgment and communication matter as much as technical skill for this role.

Step 5: Get the compliance setup right before day one. Many firms use an independent contractor arrangement, but the right structure depends on your situation, so get independent legal and tax advice. Either way you will want a written agreement, clear IP ownership clauses, and data handling requirements. See the compliance steps for offshore hires. Especially data privacy obligations if your offshore hire accesses ASIC lodgement software with client company data.

Step 6: Set a structured onboarding plan. Week one should be system access, company register walk-through, and shadowing your current workflow. Week two, start with low-stakes filings (address changes, director consents) before moving to higher-volume work. Read through the first 30 days checklist for a new offshore hire. It works particularly well for admin roles like this one.

What to Look for, and What to Watch Out For

The best company secretary administrators from the Philippines tend to come from roles at offshore-facing corporate services firms or BPOs that specifically service Australian clients. These candidates know ASIC’s portal, have processed real lodgements, and understand the consequences of late filing (ASIC charges late fees that rise with the length of the delay; check ASIC’s current fee schedule for the amounts).

A few things to watch for in the hiring process:

Vague ASIC experience: “I have done compliance admin” is not the same as “I have lodged Form 484s and managed a statutory register in ASIC Connect.” Push for specifics.

No experience with your software stack: Someone who has only ever used a generic CRM will need significant ramp-up time. Ask early.

Confusion about the named secretary requirement: A candidate who does not understand that they cannot be the named company secretary for an Australian company is a risk. Make sure they understand their role is admin support, not governance authority.

Overpromising on turnaround: ASIC filings have hard deadlines. A candidate who says they can handle everything same-day across 80 companies should be pressed on that. Realistic time management matters more than enthusiasm.

How Tarino Works for This Role

Tarino recruits offshore company secretary administrators for Australian accounting firms and corporate advisory firms. We typically start with 1,000+ candidates per role and look for direct experience with ASIC filings. About 40% get through CV and quality screening, 20% through video screening, 10% through a practical task, 5% through a structured interview and 2% through finalist review. You get a shortlist of 3–4 people who fit your workflow in about 2 weeks. You pick the one you want and hire them directly.

The fee is $250 upfront plus $4,750 on hire, $5,000 excl. GST, with the $250 credited back when you hire. No monthly margin, no management fee on top of their salary. Each placement includes 6-month replacement cover for the same role, under the conditions in your Scope of Work. See pricing for the detail, and our offshore accountant page if you need broader accounting support.

On the savings estimated above, the fee is typically recovered within the first one to two months. After that, the annual saving stays in your practice.

If you are managing a growing company register and spending too much on managed secretarial services, or about to hire a local admin for around $80,000 a year plus super, this is worth a conversation. Book a 30-minute call.

The Tarino team Tarino publishes what it learns from the work itself.