Templates · Hiring checklist · Free to copy
Virtual assistant hiring checklist
Hiring a VA well comes down to 9 stages: define the job, set the budget, write the ad, screen, interview, run a paid test, check references, make the offer and prepare day one. Tick through them in order below, and skip nothing just because you liked someone on a call. If you'd rather use an agency, there's a question list for that too.
Decide this first: hire yourself, or through an agency
Hiring yourself means running all 9 stages and paying only the person. Using an agency means paying a higher rate and starting from stage 5, with stages 3, 4 and part of 8 done for you. Stages 1, 2 and 9 are yours either way, because nobody else can define your job or set up your accounts.
What to budget for a VA
$5.00–$10.00 an hour, or $600–$1,500 a month full-time
That's what foreign businesses pay a VA they hire directly in the Philippines (OnlineJobs.ph job search results, OnlineJobs.ph blog, checked Oct 2026). A US employee in the same job earns $18.67–$27.89 an hour, before benefits and payroll taxes. For other countries, roles and routes, see what a VA costs or run the calculator.
Virtual assistant hiring checklist
1. Define the job
- Run the one-week time audit and list the tasks you'll hand over
- Add up the hours a week, and pick part-time or full-time
- Write down which hours must overlap with yours, in your time zone
- List the tools they must already know, and the ones they can pick up
- Decide what stays with you: money decisions, key customers, signatures
- Write SOPs for the first two weeks of tasks, or schedule the recordings
2. Set the budget and the route
- Check pay for the role and country on the salary pages
- Budget from direct-hire figures, never from local pay
- Compare the routes in the calculator, with your own hiring hours counted
- Decide: hire yourself, or get quotes from agencies (see the question list below)
- Pick a pay range you'd be happy to publish
3. Write and post the ad
- Start from the job description template for the role
- Include the tasks, the schedule, the pay range and the tools
- Add one small apply task, such as a specific subject line or a short answer
- Post on job boards used by people in your target country
- Set a date to stop accepting applications
4. Screen applications
- Remove anyone who skipped the apply task
- Score the rest against your must-haves, in a simple sheet
- Check written English in their own application
- Ask for work samples relevant to your tasks
- Shortlist the few you'd really hire
5. Interview
- Hold a 20-minute video call: spoken English, schedule, experience
- Use the role's questions from the interview template
- Check their setup: internet, backup power or connection, a private space to work
- Ask about other clients and how many hours they're committed to
- Confirm that they can work the hours you need on an ongoing basis
6. Run a paid test
- Give the top two or three a real, small task, and pay for it
- Write the task like an SOP, with a deadline
- Judge the result, the questions they asked and how they told you it was done
- Note how long it took against what you expected
7. Check before you offer
- Call or email at least two past clients or employers
- Ask what they'd hire this person for again, and what they wouldn't
- Confirm identity on a video call against their documents, in a way that's lawful where you both are
- Look at public profiles for consistency with the CV
8. Make the offer
- Put the hours, pay, payment date and method in writing
- Agree what happens with holidays and sick days
- Agree a review point at day 30, and how either side can end it
- Include confidentiality, and who owns the work they produce
- Ask a local adviser about the right contract for how you're engaging them
9. Prepare day one
- Set up work email, the password manager and the tools
- Give the least access that works, and start the access log
- Keep your bank login and payment details out of it
- Write a first-week plan with one named task a day
- Follow the onboarding checklist from here
Questions to ask any agency
Price
- What's the hourly rate for this role, and where in your range would my hire land?
- What does the rate include: recruiting, contract, payments, tracking, account management?
- Are there setup, recruiting or placement fees?
- Is anything due before I choose someone? Is it refundable, and how?
- Are there fees for card payments or for adding hours?
The person
- How do you screen candidates, and how many will I see?
- Can I interview them and give them a test task?
- Will this person work only for me during our hours?
- How is the person paid, and what share of the rate do they keep? (Many agencies won't say. Ask anyway.)
If it goes wrong
- Is there a trial period, and how do I end it?
- What notice applies after the trial?
- What does replacement really cover, and is there a limit?
- Who do I call when there's a problem?
Access and data
- What are your rules for devices and passwords?
- What happens to my logins and data when someone leaves?
- Can I see all of this in the contract before I sign?
Red flags while hiring
From a candidate
- Skipped the apply task, or sent an obvious copy-paste
- Won't turn on video for any call
- Portfolio samples that they can't talk through
- Asks for a large payment before any work, or to be paid outside what you agreed
- Asks for your personal logins before starting
- Holds several full-time clients at the same hours
From your own process
- You can't say what the first week's tasks are
- You're choosing on price alone
- You skipped the references because you liked the call
- The rate is far below the published direct-hire range and you haven't asked why
Where people go wrong
- Hiring before the job is clear. If you can't list the first week's tasks, wait until you can.
- Reading only the CV. A small paid test tells you more than any interview.
- Treating the lowest rate as the best deal. Add your own time to recruit, manage and redo.
- Skipping references because the call went well. Good interviewers aren't always good assistants.
- Giving broad access on day one. Start small and add access as trust and tasks grow.
- Having no first-week plan. A new hire with nothing to do is a poor start for both of you.
How long should it take?
There's no fixed answer, and it depends on your role and how quickly you move through each stage. Move through the stages promptly, though, because good candidates usually don't wait long. Book your interview slots before the ad goes up, and keep stage 6 small enough to return results within days.
FAQ
What should I look for when hiring a virtual assistant?
Clear written and spoken communication, a reliable setup and hours that fit, experience with your tools, and evidence that they follow instructions and ask good questions. The apply task and the paid test show most of this better than a CV does.
Should I give a virtual assistant a test task?
Yes, a small real one, and pay for it. Judge the result, but also how they asked questions and how they reported it finished. Our interview questions template has a test task for each of 8 roles.
Where can I find a virtual assistant?
Job boards and groups for remote workers in your target country, referrals from other business owners, or an agency that recruits for you. Hiring yourself costs less per hour and takes more of your time. Our VA vs freelancer vs agency guide lays out the trade-off.
Do I need a contract with a virtual assistant?
Put the hours, pay, payment method, confidentiality and how either side can end it in writing, whichever route you take. We can't tell you which type of contract fits your case, so ask a local adviser in your own country.
How much should I budget?
Start from the direct-hire figures on this page and on the salary pages, then add any platform or transfer fees and tools. Don't budget from local pay in the worker's country: remote work for foreign businesses pays more.
Related
- What a virtual assistant costs
- VA vs freelancer vs agency
- Tasks to delegate, with the time audit
- How to give a VA access to your accounts