So a few weeks back I was talking to two new buddies of mine, Christian and Radge about their startups when I asked them a question …
“You being a technical guy and myself not being one, how would you suggest I go about hiring a technical lead for my next project?”
What he said next was both simple and in-genius that I thought I should share it on the blog as I am sure I will not be the only person to not think of this.
He said something along the lines of …
You can hire most Filipinos for a much smaller amount whilst on ‘probationary period’. Put them on lets say 3 months for this period at 10,000 php ($220 USD) as opposed to 30,000 or 40,000 ($880 USD) they would usually be on. This is common practice here and most Filipinos will not mind.
The added benefit of course is that gives extra incentive for them to impress!
Of course if they are a good employee during that time, then be sure not to screw them around and bump them up to what they deserve. Always treat your staff well 
However, if they have not met your expectations then you can let them go before the probation period is up, without being a huge burden / risk on your business. You were very clear from the start and set out expectations so at least you were fair.
The guys went on to tell me about a person they knew here who was willing to take a third of the “usual” salary for a 12 month period! Now I think that is too long and a little cruel to be honest, but it does demonstrate the desire for work here and what Filipinos will do.
I also know a few nurses here and I have heard on multiple occasions that a lot of nurses work an entire year for free, to both get the experience and in hope of locking down a permanent job (which I assume are hard to come by).
This is something you could do whether you were living here in the Philippines or you were hiring them as virtual assistants / remote staff.
So keep that in mind during the hiring process and it could save you big time.
Ragde and Christian run a number of cool startups located here in Manila, check em out. The startup scene is definitely growing here in Manila and these guys are leading the way.
Some of their work …
PS We have had a number years experience with hiring / managing in the Philippines, so we created a service that helps small businesses Hire / Recruit Filipino Remote Staff through our service RemoteStaffRecruit.com.
PPS Fun fact … an eye infection can stop you boarding a flight! … I am stuck in Davao because I was not allowed to board a plane until my eye infection clears up.
PPPS Philippines immigration will not send documentation to its Manila branch hence the reason I had to fly to Davao myself! Only in the Philippines
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