Trades & construction
Stop doing the paperwork at 9pm
Most trades owners run the business twice: once on the tools during the day, once at the kitchen table at night doing quotes, invoices and compliance. A remote assistant takes the second shift.
What is a trades and construction virtual assistant?
A trades virtual assistant from Remote Talent Hub is a remote employee based in the Philippines working Australian hours who handles quoting, job scheduling and dispatch, supplier ordering, variation and progress claim tracking, compliance and safety paperwork, invoicing and debtor follow-up. The cost is between $1,200 and $2,500 a month depending on scope, hours and experience level, with no recruitment fee and a 6-month replacement guarantee.
The problems this actually solves
Quotes go out late and jobs go to whoever answered first
In trades, the fastest quote often wins. If quotes wait for your evening, you lose work you already priced. An assistant turns them around the same day.
Invoices go out late and cash sits with the customer
Nobody chases debtors after a twelve-hour day. A dedicated assistant runs the invoice and follow-up cycle on a schedule, which changes your cash position without changing your revenue.
Compliance paperwork is a risk you keep deferring
SWMS, inductions, certificates of currency, licences and safety records. All of it is administrative, all of it matters when something goes wrong.
You cannot justify a full-time office person
For a lot of trades businesses a $70,000 local admin does not stack up. A part-time scope at the lower end of our range usually does.
What they take off your plate
Start with the repeatable work. Add judgement work once they have earned it, which for most clients is somewhere around week six.
- Quote preparation and follow-up
- Job scheduling and dispatch
- Supplier ordering and delivery tracking
- Variation and progress claim tracking
- Invoicing and debtor follow-up
- SWMS, inductions and safety documentation
- Licence, insurance and certificate registers
- Customer enquiry and booking handling
- Timesheet collection and payroll preparation
- Job costing and margin reporting
Software they already work in
- simPRO
- ServiceM8
- AroFlo
- Tradify
- Xero
- MYOB
- Microsoft 365
- Asana
If your stack is not listed, say so on the brief call. We screen candidates against your systems before you interview anyone.
“Great company to work with, always responsive, reliable, and helpful. Their team consistently delivers quality support and is easy to communicate with.”
We remove the admin so the expensive people can work on growth.
What it costs against hiring locally
| What you would otherwise do | Time to start | Year-one cost | What you carry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire locally | 28.1 days average | ~$101,400 | Advertising, interviews, super, leave, payroll tax, desk, equipment, and the risk if it does not work out |
| Use a recruitment agency | 3 to 6 weeks | ~$101,400 plus a 12–18% placement fee | Same salary and overheads, plus a one-off fee, plus a short replacement window |
| Post on a VA marketplace | Days | $12,000–$30,000 | You do the vetting, the training, the HR, the payroll and the cover when they disappear |
| Remote Talent Hub | 7 to 10 business days | $14,400–$30,000 | Nothing. We employ them, pay them, manage HR and replace them free for six months |
What a dedicated assistant costs
One monthly fee covers the assistant's pay and entitlements, recruitment and screening, employment contracting and payroll, equipment, your Australian account manager and the guarantee.
- Hours. Part-time scope sits at the lower end, full time at the upper.
- Seniority. A senior or specialist assistant costs more and needs less supervision.
- Industry experience. Someone who already knows strata or building management software starts producing sooner.
- Software and coverage. Unusual systems or extended hours move the number.
Where you land depends on hours, seniority, industry experience and the software the role needs. No recruitment fee, no setup fee, 30 days notice.
What the same role costs offshore
Change the numbers to match your business. Everything is calculated in your browser.
Local cost in year one $101,400. Remote Talent Hub $21,600. Saving of 79 percent. Super is calculated at 12 percent. This is an estimate based on the figures you entered.
From brief to first day in 7 to 10 business days
Brief call
Thirty minutes on the role, the hours, the systems and the budget.
Shortlist in 72 hours
Three screened candidates with profiles and test work.
You interview and choose
If none fit, we go again at no cost.
We employ and onboard
Contract, payroll, compliance, equipment, system access.
Thirty-day success path
Structured onboarding with your account manager, then weekly rhythm.
Trades & construction questions
Do your assistants know simPRO, ServiceM8 or AroFlo?
We place assistants with experience in the common Australian trades platforms including simPRO, ServiceM8, AroFlo, Tradify and Xero. If your stack is unusual, tell us on the brief call and we screen specifically for it.
Can I start with a smaller scope and see how it goes?
Yes, and most trades businesses do. A part-time scope sits at the lower end of the $1,200 to $2,500 range. You can widen the role whenever the workload justifies it, and there is no fee to change.
Will they answer the phone for my business?
Yes. They can take booking calls, confirm jobs with customers and chase suppliers during Australian business hours.
What does it cost?
Between $1,200 and $2,500 a month in Australian dollars. Where you land depends on the hours, how senior the person needs to be and which job management software they have to know. There is no recruitment fee and no lock-in beyond 30 days notice.
How is this different from an answering service?
An answering service takes messages. A dedicated assistant learns your business, works inside your job management system, and owns the whole administrative cycle from quote to paid invoice.
Tell us the role. We will send you three shortlisted people within 72 hours.
A 30-minute call, no obligation and no recruitment fee. You will leave it knowing exactly what the role costs, who we would put forward and how fast they can start.