The short answer is: You don’t. You can’t.
You can’t trust people, in general. Not everyone in the Philippines is honest. But the reason we go to the Philippines is because there’s a culture of honesty. Most Filipinos are honest. They’re good people who just want to provide for their families.
They’re also more likely to be honest with you, their employer. There’s this culture there where they look up to foreigners. They see working for foreigners as something good for them. They don’t want to lose that job. They don’t want to do anything that would make you lose your trust in them. They don’t want to ruin their reputation.
And if you don’t believe that most people are honest by nature, let’s look at it from a different perspective.
They don’t have a lot to gain from stealing your information or business. They’ll make more money working for you.
Another deterrent is the strict cybercrime laws in the Philippines. Stealing information or money online brings in twice the punishment they would normally receive from committing theft in real life.
And in my experience over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of business owners hire Filipino workers. We see VERY FEW cases where Filipinos stole something from an employer. And in most of those cases, the employer didn’t pay.
Yes, there are cases of theft. But it’s so rare.
When you really think about it, you expose yourself to the same risk when you hire a local employee. You can run all the background checks you want, there’s always going to be the risk that they’re going to steal from you.
It’s mostly up to you to protect yourself. Exercise some common sense when you hire someone. Like, you shouldn’t give a new hire unlimited access. And watch out for red flags when they start working for you. If they’re not getting any work done and there’s always the excuse that they’re having internet problems, that can be a red flag. But if they go out of their way to make up for it, that means they’re good workers. They just want to earn their paycheck. They just want to do their best work so they can get a raise or a promotion faster.
That’s what I did when I started outsourcing. I was super careful. I gave my workers limited access, only what I felt comfortable sharing. They never took advantage. The longer they worked for me that’s when I realized it’s hard for them to do their jobs without it. So I gave them access to everything they needed.
They could have walked away with the money and be set for life. Over the years, I’ve given my VAs access to thousands of dollars. They’ve never done it. I’ve never had to worry about it because of the quality of the people.
I have more tips like this in my book Outsourcing Lever. You can get a physical copy for free, just pay for shipping. But if you want me to help you through the process of hiring a virtual assistant, just take my hiring challenge at OneVAAway.com. I’ll show you the hiring process I use to find Filipino workers you can trust.
You can also check out how to get started on hiring Rockstar Virtual Assistants.
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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The content is interesting,especially that I am a Filipino.I am proud of being one.
Hi Maria,
Thank you for your comment. Our support team has emailed you regarding your ID Proof score, this affects your ability to apply to job posts. Kindly check your inbox
I have read your content and it’s great…but does this mean you only hire people from the Philippines? Will I subscribe for nothing?
I am from Uganda and a Ugandan who has picked interest in being a virtual assistant.
Hi Martha,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I’m sorry if there is any confusion but we only allow Philippine citizens to be workers on our site. Unfortunately, at the moment we’re focusing in providing jobs mainly for Filipinos based in the Philippines
For online jobs within your country, you can try signing up for UpWork or Freelancer.
I love the content and i find it that it was interesting.
Can you help me
Hi, I’m from the Philippines. The content was great! As an aspiring VA, it is a great opportunity to have an access given by employers and yes, I agree with the trust issues, it must’ve earned by the employer first before they can fully trust someone.
I am looking forward to be a VA, hope I can find one.
I am blown away with how professional your website, app, and customer service response times are! If your pool of VAs are committed to the same standards as your company is, I know I’ll only get VAs from you for now on! You’ve made a great first impression.
Hello there,
Thank you for the acknowledge. And trusting Filipino’s skills.
And that is a 100% true. Filipino’s do help clients businesses and we are trustworthy.
I love reading this blog.
More power.
Diana
Hi. Good morning. I am new in this battle, hope you can help me find a job here. I wanted to have an employer. Thank you. God bless.
Hi Maricar,
Thank you for your comment. Our support team has emailed you regarding your ID Proof score, this affects your ability to apply. Kindly check your inbox
Hi. Good morning. I am new in this battle, hope you can help me find a job here. Thankyouu and godbles you all
Hi Mhaery,
Thank you for your comment. You can apply for any of the jobs posted here by signing up for an Onlinejobs.ph jobseeker account. It’s completely free and takes only minutes to apply, though we only allow Philippine workers on the site -> http://www.onlinejobs.ph/register
Proud Filipino here.
This really good article I looking forward for your next article blog.
Hi, I love what you created here! I have few questions please
What’s the longevity rate? What’s the accountability for a freelancer VA?
Whats the work environment like? At home? What about background noise when making calls?
What kind of equipment they have? Strong internet? Reliable computer? Scanner? IT support?
What makes a freelancer better then being part of a company?
I really need a VA and there are so many choices out there however I love your concept and the fact the VA gain much more for all their hard work. I’m just apprehensive about the accountability, longevity, equipment, experience and training.
Sorry for the long comment but I really appreciate it. Thank you very much
Hi GG,
Thank you for your email. You can check John’s videos about your concerns:
✔ Hiring an OFS without making a mistake ?? https://tinyurl.com/27cembdm
✔ OFS Hiring Advice for you ?? https://tinyurl.com/34hm5hrk
✔ Hire a Rockstar VA in 2 Hours or Less! ?? https://tinyurl.com/4vfxsadz
Thanks you for the quick response!! The videos really helped!!
Thank you very much !
I’m just starting out and need help creating YouTube videos and working on Instagram and Pinterest. When the salary is under their photo, is that for 160 hrs/month? Can we hire part time for starters and then would that be pro-rated? How does that work? Thank you and I’m looking forward to working with your group.
Hi Denice,
Thank you for your comment. You may clarify with the worker regarding their availability (example: 40 hours/week would mean they can work 8 hours/day). You can negotiate with the worker regarding your inquiries during your interview process with them