How to hire a virtual assistant in the UK
To hire a virtual assistant in the UK, write down the tasks, decide the hours, set a budget, choose between an agency, a freelancer and an employee, then put the same questions to each provider and meet the candidates. Start with a small first month. With us, the earliest start is within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate.
Written by the Pro Virtual Assist team. Last reviewed 8 November 2026.
Step 1: write the scope
List the tasks you want off your desk. Be concrete: “reply to supplier emails and book meetings” is a scope, “help with admin” is not. Group the tasks by the kind of person who would do them, because a diary manager and a video editor are different hires.
Decision: one role or several? If your list splits into unrelated groups, plan more than one assistant, or start with the group that costs you most time. What a virtual assistant does maps common tasks to roles.
Step 2: choose the hours
Count the hours the work takes, then pick a pattern. A full time virtual assistant is 40 hours a week, 160 hours a month. A part time virtual assistant is 20 hours a week, 80 hours a month.
Decision: if you cannot fill 20 hours a week with described tasks, you may be hiring too early, or the scope in step 1 is still vague. Tighten the scope before you pay for hours you cannot use.
Step 3: set the budget
With us the sum is an hourly rate multiplied by the hours. Rates are in pounds and rise with experience: the beginner rate is the base, then 1.4 times for intermediate, 1.9 times for expert and 2.5 times for pro, each rounded to the nearest 50p.
A worked example for an admin and support assistant, at the base rate of £4.50 an hour:
| Hours | Beginner | Expert (1.9 times) |
|---|---|---|
| Part time, 80 hours a month | £360 | £680 |
| Full time, 160 hours a month | £720 | £1,360 |
Other roles have other base rates, from £4.50 to £8 an hour for the roles on our pricing page. Billing is monthly, and we confirm the exact price in writing before you commit. Put your own role and hours into the cost calculator to see the figure for your case. Whichever provider you use, ask what the price includes. A low hourly rate that leaves recruitment, payroll or management to you is not the same sum.
Step 4: choose the route
There are three ways to get the work done. Each moves different jobs onto you.
| Agency or managed provider | Freelancer | Employee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds and screens the person | The provider | You | You, or a recruiter you pay |
| Who runs payroll | The provider, where it is part of the service | You arrange payment and check the person’s tax status | You, as the employer |
| Who manages day to day work | You direct the tasks | You | You |
| Where they work | Remotely | Usually remotely | Your office, or remotely if you agree |
| Suits | A steady block of hours with recruitment and payroll taken off you | A defined project or a person you already know | Work that needs someone on site |
With Pro Virtual Assist, we run recruitment, payroll management and quality management. Read virtual assistant or freelancer and virtual assistant or employee before you decide.
Step 5: ask the provider these questions
Put the same questions to every provider, in writing if you can. The second column shows our answers so you can compare them.
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| How do you screen candidates, and in what order? | Four steps: CV screening, a first interview on personality and general benchmark criteria, a technical interview, then a practical task in the field. |
| Is there a recruitment fee, and what does the price include? | No separate recruitment fee. Recruitment, payroll management and quality management are in the package price. |
| How are the hours recorded? | With tracking tools such as Time Doctor. The assistant starts the timer when they begin work and pauses it when they stop or take a break. |
| What if the person is not right? | In the first 3 months you can end an unsuitable hire on one week’s notice. In the first days you can tell us it is not right and we will replace them. After the first 3 months, notice is 1 month. Replacement is included in the ongoing fee while you are paying. |
| When do I know the exact price? | We confirm it in writing before you commit. |
| Can I meet the person first? | You interview the candidates we put forward and choose. |
Add your own questions about data, tools and hours that fit your work. Whatever the answer, get it in writing.
Step 6: meet the candidates
Interview two or three people if the provider offers a choice. Ask each to talk through how they would handle one real task from your list. A practical test of the work tells you more than a CV does, which is why our own screening ends with a practical task.
Decision: choose the person who walks through the task step by step and asks good questions, not only the one with the longest list of tools.
Step 7: plan the first 30 days
A plan for the first month keeps a new arrangement from drifting. This is a suggested pattern, not a fixed process.
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Share access to the tools the assistant needs. Hand over two or three tasks with a written brief each. Ask for a short message at the end of each day. |
| 2 | Review the first outputs. Say what was right and what to change. Hand over one more task. |
| 3 | Move from daily messages to a few short catch ups a week. Note which tasks need less explanation each time. |
| 4 | Review the month against the scope from step 1. Keep the hours, change them or add a task group. |
How to delegate to a virtual assistant gives a brief template you can copy for the handover.
Our route, in short
You book a free call, we talk through the work, and we put forward candidates who have passed our screening. You interview them and choose. Once you have chosen, the earliest start is within 48 to 72 hours. The detail is on how it works. Browse all virtual assistant services, or book a free call.
Questions
How do I hire a virtual assistant in the UK?
Write down the tasks, decide the hours, set a budget, choose between an agency, a freelancer and an employee, then ask each provider the same questions and meet the candidates. With us, you book a free call, interview the candidates we put forward and choose. The seven steps above cover each stage, and the cost calculator helps with the budget.
How long does it take to hire one?
With us, the earliest start is within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate. That assumes we have your details from the discovery call, you have set time aside for interviews and you like a candidate we present. How long the whole process takes depends mostly on how quickly you can interview and decide. See how it works.
What should I ask a provider?
Ask how they screen candidates, what the price includes, how hours are recorded, what happens if the person is not right and when you know the exact price. Get the answers in writing. The table in step 5 lists our answers to each, so you can set other providers beside them.
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Once you know the work, write it down. The virtual assistant job description generator turns the tasks you tick into a draft job description you can copy and edit.
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