Use Upwork for a short project, an employer of record when you already have the person, and a staffing agency when you want someone sourced and vetted. Rekruuto places full-time people in the Philippines. Most roles start at $1,800 a month, with a start of about 14 days.
Write the choice down before you interview anyone. This article is not legal, tax, or employment advice. Confirm the structure with the provider and, if the sums are large, with a lawyer who covers both countries. The roles page is the catalogue. A separate comparison of regions is on Philippines vs Latin America.
What’s the difference between an EOR and an offshore staffing agency?
An employer of record becomes the legal employer of a person you already chose. A staffing agency finds the person, employs them or contracts them through its own entity, and presents you with a monthly fee.
With an EOR, recruiting is your job. You interview, you select, and the EOR runs payroll, the local contract, and the statutory filings in that country. You still manage the work. The EOR is not your project manager. You pay the wage plus the EOR’s fee. Ask each vendor for that fee in writing, and ask whether it includes the employer contributions in the Philippines.
With a staffing agency, recruiting is part of the service. You describe the seat. They send people who have been screened. You manage the day-to-day work. They remain the employer or the contracting party, which is a question to ask in plain language: “Who is on the employment contract, and who do they call if they are not paid?” Rekruuto’s public offer is the placement, the 14-day start, and a 1-week risk-free trial. Ask on the call who the legal employer is. Do not assume a blog has completed that sentence for you.
The freelancer-versus-managed choice, without the EOR detail, is already covered in freelance virtual assistant vs managed service. This article stays on the compliance split. A wider look at agencies is in virtual assistant staffing agency options.
Is it legal to hire a Filipino worker directly as a contractor?
It can be done, and it can also be the wrong structure. Whether a person in the Philippines can work for you as an independent contractor depends on Philippine rules, your country’s rules, and the real working relationship. A contract that says “contractor” does not decide the question if you set their hours, their tools, and their only client.
If you hire direct, ask a Philippine adviser whether the relationship is employment, and ask your own accountant how you should pay and what you must report at home. UK readers should also read hiring from the UK, which covers IR35 carefully and tells you where the popular shortcut is wrong.
Direct contracting feels simpler because there is no middle fee. The cost comes back as admin: contracts, invoices, leave, a replacement search, and the argument about who owns the work product. Put intellectual property and confidentiality in the contract before any files move. If you will not maintain that paperwork, you want an EOR or a staffing agency, not a handshake on a marketplace.
Who handles payroll, 13th-month pay, and SSS, PhilHealth, or Pag-IBIG?
In a proper employment setup, the Philippine employer handles pay and the statutory contributions. In a pure contractor setup, that burden is not automatically someone else’s. Confirm which setup you are in before you hire.
The Philippines has mandatory contributions that employers and workers know as SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, and employees expect a 13th-month payment. The official agencies are SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG. This article does not quote contribution rates or a statute number, because those figures change and a secondary blog is a bad place to copy them from. Ask the employer of record, or the staffing agency, for a one-page note that says who remits each item and whether 13th-month pay is inside your monthly fee or billed on top.
If you are the direct contractor’s only client, do not assume those items are “included” because nobody mentioned them. Ask. If the person is employed by the agency, ask whether your fee rises in the month the 13th-month payment is due. Either answer can be fair. Silence is the problem.
Rekruuto’s published price for most roles is $1,800 a month, and the AI specialist starts at $2,500. Those are staffing prices. They are not a statement that every statutory line is itemised the same way. Get the inclusion list in writing.
When is Upwork the right choice?
Upwork is the right choice when the work has an edge: a fixed deliverable, a short calendar, and an output you can accept or reject.
A landing-page build, a one-off data clean, or a trial design is a marketplace job. You are not promising ongoing hours, benefits, or a career. The person may have several clients the same week. That is a feature for a project and a bug for an executive assistant who needs your context.
Upwork is the wrong choice when you want the same person in your tools every day, under a process you direct, for a year. You will keep re-buying context. You will also keep the risk that the freelancer’s account, not yours, holds the zaps and the files. The managed path costs more than a single Upwork invoice and less than rebuilding the role every quarter.
If you use Upwork anyway, pay through the platform, keep the brief written, and move finished files into your drive before the contract closes. Do not send a company password to a personal email to “make it easier”.
Which model has the lowest total cost and the lowest turnover risk?
The lowest invoice is usually the direct freelancer. The lowest total cost, once you count searching, gaps, and your own admin, is often the model that already includes a replacement path. Turnover risk is lowest when the work is documented and more than one person can do it, regardless of the contract.
| Responsibility | Upwork freelancer | Employer of record | Staffing agency (Rekruuto’s model) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sourcing | You search and invite | You have already chosen | The agency sends vetted people |
| Vetting | You, from profiles and a call | You | The agency, then you interview |
| Contract | Platform terms plus your brief | Local employment via the EOR | Ask who employs them. Get it in writing |
| Payroll | You pay the platform invoice | The EOR runs payroll | The agency bills you a monthly fee |
| Statutory contributions | Not the platform’s job. Ask an adviser | The EOR, if they are the employer | Ask the agency for the inclusion list |
| Equipment | Usually the freelancer’s | Agree it | Agree it. Do not assume a laptop is included |
| Replacement | You hire again | You recruit again. The EOR employs the next person | Ask what the trial and any replacement actually cover |
| IP and confidentiality | Only if your contract says so | In the employment terms. Read them | In your contract with the agency. Read them |
| Ending the relationship | Close the contract | Follow local employment rules | Follow the notice in your agreement |
| Published price for this path | Upwork’s fees | The EOR’s fee, on their proposal | Most roles from $1,800 a month. AI specialist from $2,500 |
Write the process down, name a second person who knows the login map, and use the 1-week risk-free trial to test communication before a longer commitment.
A freelance virtual assistant versus a managed VA service compares those two ways to hire.
Frequently asked questions
Is an EOR the same as a staffing agency?
No. An EOR employs a person you found. A staffing agency finds the person and bills you a monthly fee. Ask which contract you are signing.
Can I hire a Filipino contractor directly?
Sometimes, and sometimes the relationship is really employment. This is not legal advice. Ask a local adviser before you rely on a contractor label.
Who pays SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and 13th-month pay?
The Philippine employer, when the person is employed. Ask the EOR or the agency which contributions the monthly fee includes, and get that list in the proposal.
When should I use Upwork?
For a short job with a clear deliverable. Not for a full-time seat you expect to last the year.
What does Rekruuto publish on price and risk?
Most full-time roles start at $1,800 a month. AI Implementation Specialists start at $2,500. The published start is about 14 days, with a 1-week risk-free trial. Confirm employment structure on the call.
Book a call
If you want the agency path, book a strategy call, browse roles, and read the 1-week risk-free trial before you compare an EOR quote. Bring the responsibility table and ask who sits in each cell.