Virtual Assistants for UK Businesses

The Philippines is seven or eight hours ahead of the UK, depending on the season. That produces something more useful than most UK businesses expect.

The overlap is better than people assume

Your assistant’s afternoon is your morning. A typical Philippine working day runs to roughly 5pm local, which is around 9 or 10am in London.

That gives you two to four genuinely shared hours every day — enough for a stand-up, a call, and anything needing a same-day answer — plus a full Philippine working day that happens before you arrive.

For most UK support roles this is the ideal arrangement: work waiting when you start, and a live window when you need one. Full UK-hours coverage is available where a role genuinely needs it.

UK GDPR, plainly

If your assistant processes personal data of people in the UK, you remain the controller and we are a processor. That means a written processing agreement, appropriate safeguards for the transfer, and controls that make those safeguards real rather than contractual.

What we provide: NDA before access, individually named logins, access logging, minimum-necessary permissions, and office-based work with controlled screens. We will sign your data processing agreement, or provide one.

What we will not do is tell you the arrangement is “GDPR compliant” as if that were a product feature. Compliance is yours, it depends on your own basis for processing and your transfer mechanism, and any provider claiming otherwise is selling you comfort rather than accuracy.

Bookkeeping in a VAT world

This is a real skills distinction that generic “bookkeeping experience” hides. VAT returns, Making Tax Digital, the flat rate scheme and reverse charge are specific knowledge. A bookkeeper trained on US sales tax does not transfer.

We recruit for it explicitly — see Xero bookkeepers — and Xero and QuickBooks fluency in a UK context is something we screen for, not assume.

Roles UK clients hire most

• Executive assistants for founders and directors
• Xero bookkeepers with UK VAT experience
• Live chat and customer support
• E-commerce and marketplace operations and Shopify support
• Appointment setting and LinkedIn lead generation
• Property management support for letting agents

Frequently asked questions

Are they employed by us?

No. We are the employer in the Philippines. No PAYE, no pension auto-enrolment, no employment rights exposure, no IR35 question. You receive an invoice for services.

Will their English be right for UK customers?

For written work, yes, straightforwardly. For customer-facing voice work with UK callers, the Philippine accent is oriented toward North American English — some UK businesses are entirely comfortable with it and some are not. We would rather you listened to recorded introductions and decided than took our word for it.

Can they work full UK hours?

Yes, where the role needs it. Most UK clients find the natural overlap sufficient and cheaper.

What about UK bank holidays?

We work your calendar. Tell us which days you observe.

Do you sign a DPA?

Yes. Send yours or ask us for one.