How to Hire an Offshore Executive Assistant in Australia (Without an Agency)

KPMG offshored 200 executive assistant roles to the Philippines in March 2026. PwC followed two months later. These decisions made headlines — but the conversation everyone missed was the one happening in smaller offices across Australia: Can I do that too?

The answer is yes. And you don't need KPMG's budget or PwC's HR department to make it work.

What Does an Offshore Executive Assistant Actually Do?

An executive assistant (EA) is not the same as a general virtual assistant. Where a VA might handle one-off tasks — writing a social post, booking travel — an EA manages the operating rhythm of a senior person's working life. That means:

  • Owning your calendar, including scheduling, blocking focus time, and managing competing priorities

  • Managing your inbox — filtering, drafting responses, flagging what needs action

  • Preparing for meetings: agendas, briefing notes, following up on action items

  • Handling board or client correspondence, including proposals and status updates

  • Coordinating travel, accommodation, and logistics end-to-end

  • Managing confidential documents and sensitive communications with discretion

A skilled EA working Philippine business hours can run Australian hours without difficulty — and many have built careers specifically supporting C-suite executives in professional services, financial planning, and consulting firms.

What Does an Offshore EA Cost Compared to Hiring Locally?

In Australia, an experienced executive assistant earns $70,000–$95,000 per year in base salary, plus 11.5% superannuation, leave entitlements, and employer overhead. Total annual cost: $80,000–$110,000 or more.

An offshore EA based in the Philippines with 3–5 years of corporate experience typically earns PHP 45,000–70,000 per month — equivalent to roughly $22,000–$33,000 AUD per year in direct salary. You'll also want to factor in a standard 13th-month pay (a statutory benefit in the Philippines, equivalent to one month's salary) and any agreed benefits. Our full salary guide covers current Philippines market rates across experience levels so you're paying at the right end of the range.

The cost difference — $50,000–$80,000 per year — is why KPMG's decision makes financial sense. It's also why a firm billing at $400/hour should be paying for senior work, not admin.

Why Every Search Result Shows You an Agency

When you Google "offshore executive assistant," every result you find is from a managed staffing agency. Satellite Office. Hammerjack. Beepo. Offshore MVP. These companies will recruit an EA for you — and then charge you a monthly markup on top of that person's salary, typically 30–50%, for as long as you employ them.

Over three years, that markup adds up to $30,000–$50,000 or more in fees that go to the agency, not your EA. We've broken down exactly how agency markups work so you understand what you're actually paying for.

The alternative is direct hire: you find the person, you employ them directly, and you pay their salary with no ongoing agency cut.

How to Hire an Offshore EA Without Going Through an Agency

Direct hiring takes more work upfront — but it's not complicated if you follow a clear process.

1. Define the role precisely. Start with a written task list, not a job title. What does your current EA (or the gap left by not having one) actually involve? Calendar management? Client correspondence? Board minutes? Be specific. A vague role description attracts vague candidates.

2. Post on Philippines-specific platforms. JobStreet, Kalibrr, and OnlineJobs.ph are the main sourcing channels for offshore hires. For EA roles specifically, you want candidates who have worked in a corporate or professional services environment — bank executives, law firm partners, or consulting principals are good background indicators.

3. Screen with video first. An EA is going to represent you to clients, boards, and suppliers. Don't shortlist anyone you haven't spoken to on video. Look for written clarity, composure under probing questions, and concrete examples of how they've handled competing priorities or sensitive information.

4. Set a practical task. Give shortlisted candidates a realistic scenario: draft a meeting agenda from these notes, or sort this inbox based on these rules. You're not testing aptitude — you're seeing how they think and communicate under a time constraint.

5. Check references independently. Offshore hiring is no different from local hiring: verify past employment, ask referees directly about reliability and discretion. An EA handles sensitive correspondence — this step isn't optional.

6. Structure the employment correctly. Most Australian businesses hiring directly in the Philippines employ their EA as an independent contractor, or use a local Philippine Employer of Record (EOR) arrangement for payroll and benefits compliance. Our guide to offshore employment compliance covers the compliant options and what to put in a contractor agreement.

7. Invest in onboarding. An offshore EA is only as effective as the systems you give them access to and the context you give them about how you work. The first 30 days are critical. Our onboarding checklist walks through exactly what to cover in weeks one, two, and four to set the relationship up properly.

Direct Hire vs Agency: The Honest Comparison

Going through an agency gets you a recruited EA faster and removes the sourcing work. The cost is ongoing — you'll pay a management fee or margin for the entire duration of the relationship. For a multi-year hire, that fee will substantially exceed the cost of recruiting directly.

Direct hire takes 4–8 weeks of your time upfront — or Tarino's time on your behalf. Once the hire is made, your EA is your employee. You set the remuneration, the benefits, the working relationship. There's no account manager in the middle.

For businesses that are serious about building a long-term offshore capability — rather than outsourcing a task indefinitely — direct hire almost always makes more financial sense beyond year one.

What This Actually Looks Like for a Small Firm

A financial planning practice with 4 advisers hires a Manila-based EA to manage partner calendars, handle client correspondence, prepare advice packages for review, and coordinate compliance paperwork. Annual cost: $27,000. Annual saving vs. an equivalent Sydney hire: roughly $60,000. The advisers get back 15+ hours per week they were previously spending on admin.

That's not a theoretical case. It's what direct offshore hiring looks like in practice for professional services firms.

If you want to make that hire without using an agency, Tarino handles the sourcing, screening, and placement — one flat fee of $5,000, no ongoing charges. You keep the hire and the savings from day one.