How To Overcome The 9 Biggest Challenges With Filipino VAs

I’ve been outsourcing my work to the Philippines for years and teaching others to do the same. There’s no better place to find talented, hard-working Online Filipino Specialists.

However, that doesn’t mean you won’t encounter some challenges when working with your OFS.

Before diving into the potential issues, here’s something important to keep in mind:

Your OFS is probably more excited about having this job than you are about hiring them.

They WANT to work for you.

If something isn’t working out, it’s probably not because they’re lazy or don’t want the job. It’s more likely due to how you’re treating them or the expectations you’ve set.

With that in mind, here are the challenges you might encounter:

1. Vanishing OFS

2. Slow, unreliable internet

3. Power outages

4. Not enough work for them to do

5. Hiring someone to do everything

6. Hiring multiple Filipino OFSs right away

7. Ignoring your OFS/not providing feedback

8. Expecting immediate results

9. Unproductive worker

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1. Vanishing OFS

The biggest challenge I’ve encountered when working with Filipinos is their occasional disappearing acts.

One moment, everything seems to be going smoothly, but then suddenly, they stop communicating with you. This can happen to anyone outsourcing to the Philippines at some point.

A disappearing OFS is usually the result of:

• Poor training (or no training at all)
• Lack of feedback
• Failure to follow up
• Assuming you’re a good boss when you’re not
• Unrealistic expectations

Addressing these issues can be embarrassing for them. They often assume it’s their fault when things go wrong.

There are warning signs before your OFS vanishes. Here’s how it typically unfolds:

• They get stuck on an assignment.
• They feel embarrassed because they don’t know what to do.
• They’re too shy to admit they’re struggling.
• Instead of reaching out, they avoid you, fearing you’ll be upset or fire them.
• They blame themselves for not understanding the task.
• Because they’re shy and non-confrontational, they simply disappear.

What can you do to avoid this problem? Communication.

From day one, make it clear that disappearing is not an option. Reassure them that if they have questions, face challenges, or struggle with an assignment, they should reach out to you. Let them know that you’re always available for support and guidance. This will help ease their concerns and make them feel safe asking for help.

Then, follow through on your promise—be there when they need assistance.

2. Slow, unreliable internet

For the most part, this won’t be a major issue. Internet connectivity in the Philippines has improved significantly over the past few years, and outages are now pretty rare.

Internet access is widely available, even in rural areas and remote islands. Most people on OnlineJobs.ph have a good connection and can do their work without any issues.

However, if you hire an OFS without reliable internet at home or with a slow, inconsistent connection, it can make their job difficult. This can also lead to communication problems, which can be frustrating for you.

Thankfully, this one’s pretty easy to solve. During the recruitment process, make sure to ask all candidates if they have fast, dependable internet at home—and make this a requirement.

Once you’ve narrowed down your candidates, double-check their internet connection again. Choose an OFS who has the tools, equipment, and resources needed to do the job smoothly.

3. Power outages

It might sound surprising, but power outages are common in the Philippines.

Unlike in the U.S., where outages are infrequent and usually short, power can go out in the Philippines more often and for longer periods. Interestingly, many of these outages are planned. It’s how the government manages the limited power supply, especially during the summer months.

These planned outages are called rotating brownouts. One area goes without power for a set amount of time. Once power is restored there, another area experiences a blackout. This is standard practice, and Filipinos receive schedules for upcoming outages through text messages, social media, or their electricity provider’s website.

I know—it’s frustrating. I have an OFS who went through daily outages, five hours at a time, for several months each year.

You basically have two choices:

• Don’t worry about it—Focus your energy on more important aspects of your business, or…
• Worry and stress out about it—But honestly, that’ll just drive you nuts.

If you hire good workers, train them well, and build mutual trust, you can be confident that your OFS will stay productive and complete their tasks, even with frequent power outages.

4. Not enough work for them to do

The last thing you want is to go through the effort of finding, recruiting, and hiring Online Filipino Specialists, only to have them sitting around with nothing to do for most of the workday.

How can you ensure you have enough tasks to keep your OFS busy and productive?

Start by taking a good look at your own business. Make a list of all the tasks you’re currently doing yourself.

Then, decide which tasks you could delegate to a virtual assistant. Don’t assume that just because a task is complex, an OFS won’t be able to handle it. With proper training, you’ll be surprised at how well a Filipino worker can take on the responsibilities you assign.

Another advantage of working with Filipino workers is their loyalty. Because of this, you can train them to do tasks you might not have originally considered delegating.

5. Hiring someone to do everything

Would you hire a local U.S. employee to handle every task your business needs? Would you want someone to hire you to do this? Just imagine how overwhelmed and exhausted you’d be.

This is no way to run a business—and it’s definitely not the way to work with an OFS.

I once knew a business owner who wanted to hire an OFS to do all of the following:

• Build a WordPress blog
• Create headers and logos
• Write articles
• Create videos
• Reply to 20 forum posts per day and provide tips to the forum community
• Create an opt-in page on a blog
• Write a pre-sell sales letter
• Write a 30-page e-book, design the cover, and convert it to a PDF
• Write 10 autoresponder emails with tips and tricks
• Submit a daily report for review

This person was looking for an OFS who could be a programmer, graphic designer, writer, social media expert, webmaster, and more—all rolled into one. There must be plenty of people in the Philippines who can do all this, right?

Nope.

If you’re looking for someone who can jump in and handle all these different tasks, you’ll be searching for a long time. That’s because no such person exists—anywhere.

Instead, start by hiring your OFS to do one specific task. You can always train them to expand their skills and take on more responsibilities over time. You’ll get much better productivity this way.

6. Hiring multiple Filipino OFSs right away

Working with someone on the other side of the world is a lot different than working with a local employee in the U.S. There are unique challenges that take some getting used to.

That’s why it’s best to start your outsourcing journey to the Philippines by hiring just one OFS.

I’ve seen business owners hire multiple OFSs at once, only to complain that it didn’t work out.

One guy told me, “I hired 20 people to do SEO, and nothing ever happened. It was terrible!”

I replied, “Of course it didn’t work! Why complicate things by hiring a bunch of workers at the same time? Would you ever hire 20 people in the U.S. all at once and expect them to be productive?”

After thinking about it, he realized what he did was pretty silly.

Hiring multiple workers at once will only overwhelm you. Plus, their productivity will likely be low.

You might need a lot of help in your business, but instead of hiring several workers at once, start with one person doing one task. As they get better, gradually teach them to do more. Within a few months, you’ll probably be ready to hire another OFS.

7. Ignoring your OFS/not providing feedback

The biggest mistakes you can make when outsourcing are:

• Not making yourself available
• Not giving your OFS clear direction

Your OFS might have never worked for an American before. This is a completely new experience for them. They might be nervous and worried about disappointing you.

If you ignore them or fail to provide the tools and resources they need, they might disappear.

But if they know they can count on you to answer their questions, they’ll be more comfortable working things out independently and coming to you for help. When you communicate clearly and consistently with your OFS, their work will often exceed your expectations.

Along the way, make sure to give your OFS valuable feedback:

• Acknowledge their achievements—Tell them what they did well on a project.
• Show appreciation—Let them know you value the time and effort they put into their tasks.
• Offer constructive advice—Share what improvements they can make and how they can better approach their assignments.

Doing these things shows that you care about their development and are genuinely invested in their growth.

When you hire an OFS, approach it as a long-term partnership. Ideally, you want to work with this person for years to come. If you have this mindset and commitment, you’re more likely to treat the relationship seriously and provide the support they need to succeed.

8. Expecting immediate results

Patience is key when you start working with your OFS.

I’ve hired workers whose first tasks were downright terrible. But I didn’t give up on them. I kept teaching and training them, and eventually, they started delivering excellent work.

Your OFS isn’t perfect, and rock-star results won’t always come right away. And honestly, they don’t need to.

Remember, you’re building a long-term partnership. Work closely with your OFS and take things one step at a time. If you invest the time and effort, you’ll create a successful, long-lasting business relationship.

Some of my best workers were far from great when they first started. Today, they’re fantastic.

9. Unproductive worker

If your OFS isn’t working as much as they should (or not working at all), there could be several reasons.

First, don’t berate your OFS. Instead, talk to them.

Don’t jump to conclusions and fire them without knowing what’s going on.

Find out what’s happening. Ask if there’s anything in their personal life that’s affecting their work. Or maybe the tasks themselves are causing problems.

To better understand the situation and figure out how to help, ask questions like:

• What are you struggling with?
• What don’t you understand?
• What’s confusing you?
• Why is this taking longer than expected?
• What are you stuck on?
• What do I need to explain better?

Once you identify the problem, you can work on solving it.

I’ve faced this situation twice with the same OFS recently. She’s a great programmer, but I noticed her productivity dipped for a couple of months. When I asked her about it, she explained that her daughter’s nanny had quit, and she was struggling to find a replacement. She was also having financial difficulties keeping a nanny. I increased her pay by $50, and she hired a new nanny. Problem solved.

Then, a few weeks later, her productivity dropped again. When I asked what was going on, she admitted that the task required more advanced database skills than she had. She’s a great programmer, but this was beyond her expertise.

I only found out the truth because she trusted me not to fire her for struggling with a task.

Another possible reason for low productivity? Your OFS might be working for someone else on the side.

I can usually tell when this is happening. If you suspect it, have a frank conversation and call them out.

You can do this

When things don’t go well—or when there are hiccups along the way (and trust me, there will be)—don’t get frustrated or give up.

Like anything meaningful, this requires hard work. But the effort you put in will be well worth it.

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About John Jonas

John Jonas is a long-time outsourcing expert and the creator of OnlineJobs.ph.

Since 2005, John has taught hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs how to profitably delegate to VAs in the Philippines (and get their lives back in the process).

With help from his own VAs based in the Philippines, John has created an outsourcing empire that allows him to work 17 hours/week and to spend most of his time with his wife and 5 kids.

Find John at JohnJonas.com and Facebook.

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