How to hire a virtual assistant: 7 steps (2026)

Contents

• 1. List what you'll hand off
• 2. Write a one-paragraph brief (template)
• 3. Pick where to hire
• 4. Test before you interview: English, typing and a paid task
• 5. Interview: 12 questions and what good answers sound like
• 6. Contract and pay
• 7. The first 30 days
• Questions people ask
• Sources

Three things decide a VA hire: clear tasks, real tests, and a decision made on evidence rather than a pleasant call. Here is how to hire a virtual assistant that way, in seven steps you can follow this week. Each step has something to copy: a task list, a brief, the tests, 12 interview questions, a contract checklist and a 30-day plan.

1. List what you'll hand off

For one week, write down every task you do that doesn't need you. Then group them. Typical tasks for a virtual assistant:

• Inbox and calendar: sorting email, replying from templates, scheduling, reminders.
• Admin: data entry, updating your CRM, formatting documents, research, booking travel.
• Customer-facing: support tickets, live chat, order updates, follow-up calls.
• Finance support: sending invoices, chasing receipts, entering transactions.
• Marketing support: scheduling posts, simple graphics, newsletters.

Next to each task, note how often it happens, how long it takes and what "done" looks like. Then pick three to five recurring tasks to start with. That list becomes your job description, your test and your first month's plan.

If the list is mostly one specialty, such as books or video, hire for that role rather than a generalist. A specialist costs more per hour, but needs less training in that work.

2. Write a one-paragraph brief (template)

A good virtual assistant job description fits in one paragraph. Copy this and fill in the brackets:

We're a [type of business] in [country] looking for a [part-time or full-time] virtual assistant to handle [your three to five tasks]. You'll work [hours] in [time zone], with at least [number] hours overlapping with ours. You'll use [tools]. After 30 days, success looks like [one measurable result]. We pay [rate or range] per [hour or month] in [currency], paid [weekly or monthly]. To apply, [the short task you want them to do].

Put the pay in the brief. A range filters out people who are far off and saves everyone a call. Name the tools too: an applicant who already knows your inbox, project tool and CRM needs less training.

On StaffPick you can start from one sentence instead: describe the job and the AI drafts a brief like this one, which you check and edit before it's used.

3. Pick where to hire

You have four broad routes:

• Marketplaces such as Upwork and Fiverr have the most profiles, but you do the testing, and they add fees: Upwork charges a 5% marketplace fee on its Basic plan (up to 7.99% by its own help pages), and Fiverr adds 5.5% plus $3.50 on orders under $200.
• Job boards such as OnlineJobs.ph, for Filipino remote workers, charge $69 or $99 a month to contact applicants. You hire and pay the person directly.
• Agencies recruit, manage and replace the VA for you, for a higher monthly price.
• Pre-tested marketplaces such as StaffPick show test results on every profile, so you start at the interview.

We compare the prices and the trade-offs in detail in where to hire a virtual assistant.

4. Test before you interview: English, typing and a paid task

A pre-employment assessment saves you from interviewing people who can't do the job. Three short tests cover most VA roles.

English

Use the CEFR, the Council of Europe's six-level scale from A1 to C2. Its global scale describes B2 as able to "interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party", and C1 as able to "use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes."

Our guidance: B2 is enough for back-office work where most writing is internal. Ask for C1 when the VA writes to your customers or speaks for you on calls.

If a candidate has a certificate, each test owner publishes how its scores map to the CEFR. The test owners themselves say the match is approximate:

IELTS puts the C1 threshold between band 6.5 and 7, and 8.5 and above at C2. Most applicants won't have a certificate, though, and one taken years ago tells you less than a fresh check: a short written reply to a real customer email, and a ten-minute call.

Typing

Typing speed is measured in words per minute, where one "word" is five characters, spaces and punctuation included. For a sense of scale: in a study of 168,960 volunteers who took an online typing test, the average was 51.56 words per minute with about 1.2% uncorrected errors. The fastest tenth typed above about 78, the slowest tenth below about 26 (Dhakal and others, CHI 2018). The volunteers chose to take the test, so treat these as rough reference points.

The US Office of Personnel Management asks clerk-typists for 40 words per minute, "based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors", and data transcribers for 20 to 25. For admin and chat work, the federal clerk-typist bar is a sensible floor; accuracy matters as much as speed. You can send candidates our free typing test.

A paid sample task

Give the best three or four candidates one or two hours of realistic work, and pay their normal rate. Write down what a good result looks like before you read any answers, then score each one against that list. It's the closest thing to seeing the job done.

Every StaffPick profile shows the first two tests and a role quiz up front, as a scorecard like this:

English C1

84

Typing

72wpm

Virtual assistant quiz

89

5. Interview: 12 questions and what good answers sound like

Ask about real situations, not strengths and weaknesses. These virtual assistant interview questions work for most roles:

1. "Walk me through a typical day in your last remote job." Listen for named tools, routines, and how they plan the day.
2. "Which tasks on our list have you done before, and which would be new?" You want honesty about the gaps.
3. "Tell me about a mistake you made with a client's work. What happened next?" Good answers own it, fix it and change something so it doesn't happen again.
4. "How do you keep track of tasks and deadlines?" A system, a tool or a list, not "I remember".
5. "What do you do when instructions are unclear?" They ask early, suggest what they think you meant, and confirm.
6. "What happens when you can't finish something on time?" They warn you early and give a new time.
7. "Which tools have you used for email, calendars and documents?" Either your tools, or concrete examples of learning a new one quickly.
8. "How would you answer this email?" Hand them a real one. Look at tone, accuracy and length.
9. "What hours can you work in our time zone, and what's your backup if your power or internet goes down?" Specific hours and a real backup, such as mobile data or a second location.
10. "How do you keep client data and passwords safe?" A password manager, two-factor sign-in, and never sharing logins.
11. "What would you need from me in the first week?" Access, examples and priorities. It shows how they think about getting started.
12. "What rate are you looking for, and how do you like to be paid?" A clear number that matches their profile, and a payment method that works for both of you.

6. Contract and pay

A virtual assistant contract template should cover, at minimum: the scope of work, hours and availability, the rate, currency and pay schedule, how invoices or timesheets work, notice periods on both sides, confidentiality and data handling, who owns the work, and how the arrangement ends. Use a template a lawyer in your country has reviewed.

Three paperwork basics when the VA lives and works abroad:

• US: for work done entirely outside the US, the IRS says foreign persons who give you a valid Form W-8 are exempt from backup withholding and 1099 reporting. The W-8BEN goes to you, not the IRS, so keep it on file.
• UK: HMRC's guidance says someone who isn't UK-resident and works outside the UK "is unlikely to fall within the charge to UK tax or NICs", in which case the off-payroll rules (IR35) don't apply.
• Australia: the ATO says foreign resident suppliers generally don't need to quote an ABN unless they carry on an enterprise in Australia. Keep a record of why you didn't withhold.

Our guide to paying overseas contractors goes through each country, and the payment options, in detail.

7. The first 30 days

• Week 1: set up access through a password manager and delegated accounts, start the three to five tasks from step 1, and ask for a short wrap-up at the end of each day.
• Week 2: add tasks as the first ones settle. Ask the VA to write each process down as they learn it, so you get documentation for free.
• Week 3: hand over one recurring process end to end, including the parts that touch customers.
• Week 4: review against the success measure in your brief. Decide together what to keep, change or add.

Keep a weekly 20-minute check-in after the first month. A short call fixes unclear instructions before they grow.

Questions people ask

How much is a virtual assistant paid in the US?

The closest official figure is the Bureau of Labor Statistics median for secretaries and administrative assistants: $23.23 an hour, or $48,310 a year (May 2025 data). Freelance VAs set their own rates; Upwork puts typical virtual assistant rates at $10 to $20 an hour, with a $13 median.

What do virtual assistants do?

Remote admin and support work: email and calendar management, data entry, research, customer support, bookkeeping support, social media scheduling and travel booking. List the repeatable tasks in your own week, then hand off the ones that don't need you.

What should I ask in a virtual assistant interview?

Ask about real situations rather than strengths: a typical day in their last remote job, a mistake they made and fixed, what they do when instructions are unclear, how they keep client data safe, and what happens if their power or internet fails. Then give them one of your real emails to answer.

Should I pay for a test task?

Yes. Pay the candidate's normal rate for a task of an hour or two. It's fair, and you see the quality you'd actually get. Keep it realistic but not live, so nothing breaks if it goes wrong.

Sources

Each figure in this guide comes from one of these pages, checked on 27 Oct 2026. Prices and rules change, so open the source before you rely on a number.

1. 1Council of Europe: CEFR common reference levels, global scalecoe.int
2. 2IELTS: IELTS and the CEFRielts.org
3. 3ETS: TOEFL iBT score scale update (1 to 6 scale, from 21 Jan 2026)ets.org
4. 4Duolingo English Test: scoring guide for teachers (2026)englishtest-static.duolingo.com
5. 5Pearson: Global Scale of English and the CEFR (used by Versant)pearson.com
6. 6EF SET: scores and the CEFRefset.org
7. 7Dhakal et al., CHI 2018: observations on typing from 136 million keystrokesuserinterfaces.aalto.fi
8. 8US Office of Personnel Management: qualification standards, typing and data transcriber testsopm.gov
9. 9MacKenzie, York University: a note on calculating text entry speedyorku.ca
10. 10Upwork: client pricing and feesupwork.com
11. 11Fiverr Help Center: paying for orders (service fee)help.fiverr.com
12. 12OnlineJobs.ph: employer pricingonlinejobs.ph
13. 13US Bureau of Labor Statistics: secretaries and administrative assistants (pay, May 2025)bls.gov
14. 14Upwork: hire virtual assistants in the Philippines (typical VA rates and median)upwork.com
15. 15IRS: Instructions for Form W-8BENirs.gov
16. 16IRS Publication 515: withholding of tax on nonresident aliensirs.gov
17. 17HMRC Employment Status Manual ESM10025: workers outside the UKgov.uk
18. 18ATO: withholding from suppliers who don't quote an ABNato.gov.au