On this page7 sections
This guide covers the practical side: why the Philippines, which roles work, what you’ll pay, how the hiring process works, and the one decision that shapes everything: whether you go through an agency or hire directly.
Why Australian Businesses Choose the Philippines
The Philippines has been a go-to for Australian businesses for a long time, and it’s not just about cost. Several factors make it a particularly good fit:
Language: English is an official language and is used in education, business and government. Written and spoken communication is rarely a friction point.
Time zone: The Philippines is two or three hours behind Australian eastern time, depending on daylight saving. That means real overlap during business hours, with no night shifts needed.
Accounting and finance skills: The Philippines has a strong culture of accounting and finance education, with a large pool of qualified CPAs. Philippine financial reporting standards are based on IFRS, as Australia’s are, and many accountants have worked with Australian clients.
Work ethic and retention: Offshore staff who join a company directly, rather than being managed through an agency, tend to stay longer and feel more connected to the business. More than 95% of Tarino placements are still in the role at 6 months.
For professional services firms (accounting, financial advice, legal, consulting), the Philippines consistently produces capable staff who can work with Australian clients, Australian software and Australian expectations.
What Roles Actually Work Offshore
The roles that transfer well offshore share a common trait: the work can be defined clearly, delivered remotely and reviewed against a measurable output. That covers more than most people expect.
Common roles Australian businesses hire offshore include:
Bookkeepers and accounts assistants (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)
Tax and BAS preparation support
Financial planners’ paraplanning and admin
Payroll officers
Virtual assistants and executive assistants
Mortgage broking support staff
Legal and paralegal assistants
Data entry and admin processing
Digital marketing and social media support
IT helpdesk and systems support
Roles that need physical presence or highly sensitive in-person client contact are the obvious exceptions. But for the back-office and support functions that consume your team’s time, offshore hiring works very well. Browse our role pages for typical tasks and salaries.
What It Actually Costs
This is where many business owners get a surprise, in both directions.
The salary side is much lower. A qualified bookkeeper in the Philippines typically earns around $1,400 a month (about $16,800 a year). A more experienced accountant typically sits around $1,800 a month (about $21,600 a year), and a paraplanner around $1,900 a month (about $22,800 a year). For reference, see our full Filipino staff salary data broken down by role, and the Philippines salary guide.
The hidden variable is how you hire them. That’s where costs diverge sharply.
Agency model: You work with an outsourcing company that manages the employment, the workspace and the relationship. Your monthly bill includes the salary plus a margin, often around 30–50% on top. On typical estimates, over three years that markup adds around $29,000–$43,000 per hire in fees that go to the agency, not to your staff member. You also have limited control over who you hire and what they do day to day. See the full breakdown of what agencies actually charge.
Direct hire model: You engage the person yourself, as a contractor or through a local employer of record arrangement, and pay their salary directly with no ongoing markup. The upfront cost is a one-time recruitment fee. With Tarino that is $5,000 excl. GST: $250 upfront, credited back when you hire, and $4,750 on hire. After that, the only ongoing cost is the salary you’ve agreed.
Most businesses that do the maths choose direct hire. You can run your own comparison in the cost calculator.
The Compliance Basics You Need to Know
One of the most common concerns is whether there’s any legal issue with an Australian business hiring someone in the Philippines. Generally, no, provided you structure it correctly. What follows is general guidance on how other businesses do it, not legal or tax advice, so check your own situation with an adviser.
The main consideration is the working relationship. If you hire your offshore team member, Philippine labour law applies, covering SSS (social security), PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions and a formal employment contract. Many businesses handle this through a local employer of record (EOR): a Philippine-registered entity that formally hires your staff member for you. Others engage the person as an independent contractor under a written agreement that accurately reflects how the work is done.
On the Australian side, superannuation guarantee and payroll tax generally don’t apply to a worker who isn’t an Australian resident and works entirely outside Australia, especially where you’re paying an invoice to a contractor or a Philippine entity rather than wages to an Australian employee. Confirm this with your accountant. Our article on hiring offshore talent compliantly covers the main points in plain English.
Data handling is worth thinking through too, particularly if client information is involved. Your offshore staff should work under a clear data handling and confidentiality agreement, and you should have policies on which systems they access. Our security page lists practical steps.
How the Direct Hire Process Works
If you run the hire yourself rather than through a managed agency, the process typically looks like this:
Week 1: Define the role clearly: not just a job title, but the specific tasks, the software they’ll use, the output you’ll measure and who they’ll work with daily.
Weeks 2–3: Advertise on Philippine job platforms (LinkedIn, JobStreet, Kalibrr), screen applications, run video interviews and set a short practical task relevant to the role.
Week 4: Reference checks and background verification. Make an offer.
Weeks 5–6: Onboarding: equipment, system access, first-week check-ins and a structured first-month plan.
Done well, a self-run search takes you from brief to a fully operational team member in five to seven weeks. If you use Tarino, the search part is shorter: we start with 1,000+ candidates per role, run CV and quality screening, video screening, a practical assessment and a structured interview, and typically send you a shortlist of 3–4 within about 2 weeks. The first 30 days after the start date decide whether they stay long-term, and a structured onboarding makes a significant difference. Our first 30 days onboarding guide covers what to do in that window.
The One Decision That Shapes Everything
Whether you go through an agency or hire directly isn’t a minor operational choice. It decides your cost structure, your control over the relationship and your flexibility later.
Agencies offer convenience, but you pay for it every month. The person working for you doesn’t really work for you; they work for the agency. You often can’t easily take them direct later. You can’t renegotiate the margin. And if the agency’s business model changes, your team changes too.
Direct hire means the person is part of your business from day one. You define their role, their tools and their development. Once the recruitment fee is paid, your ongoing cost is just their salary. Our direct hire vs offshore staffing agency comparison sets out the differences side by side.
Is Tarino the Right Fit?
Tarino helps Australian businesses hire directly in the Philippines, without the ongoing monthly margin that agency models charge.
We run the search: writing the brief with you, advertising, headhunting and referrals through vetted local networks, screening candidates, structured video and interview stages, and practical tasks. Of the starting pool, 40% pass CV and quality screening, 20% video screening, 10% the practical assessment, 5% the structured interview and 2% reach finalist review. We present you with a shortlist of 3–4, and you choose who you hire. You then hire and pay them directly. One fee per hire, $5,000 excl. GST, with no monthly markup, no lock-in and no ongoing fees, plus 6-month replacement cover for the same role under the conditions in your Scope of Work. See pricing.
If you’re an accounting firm, financial advice practice, legal practice or consulting business looking to add a capable offshore team member without tying yourself to a managed service contract, that’s exactly what we do.
Book a 30-minute call to talk through your situation. No pitch, no pressure.
This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Check your situation with a qualified adviser.