UK/Europe Virtual Assistants

The virtual assistant industry is growing in Europe and in the UK in particular. There are a variety of task-based and dedicated services available.

Advantages of Virtual Assistants in Europe

With a population of over 700 million people, there’s no shortage of talent in the UK and Europe.

You’ll find a well-educated workforce that’s becoming more and more open to the idea of remote work arrangements.

There are several big advantages to working with a European virtual assistant or VA company.

First, if you’ll be able to find support for your business from someone in the same (or nearby) time-zone. The bulk of the continent shares a common time zone, with the UK and Portugal an hour behind, and the Eastern European countries an hour ahead.

Hiring the best Europe and UK Virtual Assistants close to home also eliminates the language barrier you might find with virtual assistants in India or the Philippines.

But perhaps the biggest advantages are the speed of implementation and avoiding bureaucratic headaches and employer burdens that often come with hiring traditional staff in Europe.

By hiring freelancers or contracting with virtual assistant companies, you can on-board qualified new assistants quickly and account for them as a simple line-item expense. A friend of mine in France built his remote team in that way, explaining that employment regulations for hiring staff locally were prohibitively complex and expensive.

And one final thing to note is that while many UK and European assistants command premium rates, Eastern Europe is home to many talented and affordable options.

Drawbacks to Hiring Europe and UK Virtual Assistants

As you know, European virtual assistants are almost universally more expensive than their Asian counterparts.

The exception is in Eastern Europe, where the cost of living is lower, education is still strong, and you can find more affordable virtual support. In fact, one of my first hires was a freelancer from Macedonia!

Certain companies are also required to charge VAT at 20% or more, which is a significant additional cost of doing business. It pays to double check before signing up.

And if you’re hiring across borders, the language difference could be an issue, though from my experience, English seems to be a common denominator.

How Much Do The Best Europe and UK Virtual Assistants Cost?

In Eastern Europe, you’ll find rates as low as $7 (around 6€ or £5.50) an hour.

In the UK and Western Europe, those are going to be much higher. Think in the range of £20-30 an hour or more.

Naturally, hires through virtual assistant companies tend to cost a little more than work-from-home freelancers, just due to the additional company support and overhead.

My Experience Working with Virtual Assistants in Europe

As an American, my experience with VAs in Europe is somewhat limited. Like I mentioned, I worked with an awesome freelance virtual assistant from Macedonia for a couple years. We originally connected through Elance (now Upwork).

When I posted the job, I was surprised to get any responses or bids back from Europe, but her cover letter really impressed me. Her rate was probably double what I might have paid in the Philippines, but it was still in my budget and well worth it.

In the UK, I’ve worked with freelance writers, book editors, and even a web developer for a quick project.

I’ve also turned to countries like Ukraine in attempting to recruit technical assistants like web developers and software developers.

Which European Virtual Assistant Company Should You Choose?

Choosing “the best” European virtual assistant service is always going to be a bit subjective. The best option for you will depend on your specific needs, budget, and growth strategy.

You can go the premium route, and hire through well-established firms like Time Etc or Worldwide 101. These companies have been around for a long time, and have proven processes in place for both vetting assistants and placing them with clients. In particular, Worldwide 101 specializes in dual-language support.

You can go the budget route, opting for a VA company in Eastern Europe like Baltic Assist. This will have a lot of the same advantages of working through an agency, but at a lower cost.

Or you can you go for more of the do-it-yourself method, hiring through a freelance platform like Upwork or FreeeUp. In the case of FreeeUp, they also pre-vet applicants and claim to only accept “the top 1%”.

If you’re based in Europe or just need some local help, here are the top-rated VA companies I would check out first.