Your Remote Team, Managed.

A managed virtual assistant is a remote assistant sourced, vetted and supervised by a service provider rather than hired directly by you. The provider handles recruitment, onboarding and payroll. You direct the daily work; the provider owns the employment relationship and steps in if issues arise.

On a marketplace you select, contract, manage and replace the freelancer yourself, and you carry more of the responsibility for screening, data security, access control and the risk of scams or data breaches. With a managed service, the provider vets candidates before you meet them, manages payroll and HR, provides ongoing oversight, and arranges a replacement when a placement does not work out. A structured managed setup also gives you more control over who can reach your systems, processes and sensitive business information. Marketplaces can cost less, while managed services reduce the hiring, admin, security and management burden.

Managed placement is usually measured in days rather than the weeks or months a local hire takes, because candidates are pre-screened before you are introduced. Actual timing depends on how specialised the role is. Broad admin support fills fastest; niche technical or industry-specific roles take longer to source.

No. DesertVA is based in Dubai and that is where the company's own operating experience comes from, but the assistants work remotely, so your location is not a constraint. The working window is agreed per role during scoping rather than assumed, which is what makes a client outside Gulf Standard Time a scheduling question instead of a barrier.

Managed virtual assistant services are typically priced as a monthly subscription covering the assistant plus recruitment, payroll and oversight, rather than an hourly freelancer rate. Cost varies with hours, seniority and specialisation. DesertVA quotes per role after scoping the work, so there is no fixed published rate to compare against.

The Philippines has a large English speaking professional workforce with experience supporting international clients. DesertVA looks beyond previous job experience: we assess each assistant's capability, communication skills, attitude and personality to find the best fit for your business and company culture.