How to hire creative talent in Philippines
The Philippines is the most established remote-work market in this list, with an entire economy built around long-term working relationships with clients in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
What the creative pool in Philippines actually looks like.
Very strong in video editing, social content and graphic design, with a large population experienced in working to a Western brief on Western hours. Motion design is widely available. High-end 3D and art direction are thinner.
- Video editing
- Social content
- Graphic design
- Motion design
Language, hours, contracts and getting paid.
- English is an official language and is used throughout professional work. This is the least friction of any market here.
- Seven to eight hours ahead of London, though a large part of the workforce deliberately works night shifts to overlap with clients abroad.
- Payment through Wise and Payoneer is routine and the norms around long-term remote contracts are well established.
- Long-term contractor arrangements are the established pattern and require no local entity. Expectations around notice, holidays and thirteenth-month pay are worth discussing openly, as they are cultural norms rather than legal requirements for contractors.
The boards people in Philippines actually use.
Job hunting is local. The global boards you already know have almost no audience here, and the sites that do are not in English and mostly will not take a posting from a company without a local presence.
The dominant professional job board in the Philippines.
Modern applicant platform popular with digital and support roles.
Remote-first marketplace built around long-term offshore hiring.
What catches foreign agencies out.
Because the market is used to Western clients, it is also used to being underpaid by them. Being straightforwardly fair is a competitive advantage.
Volume of applications is high. A portfolio requirement is essential.
Or skip all of it and post once.
Everything above is doable on your own. It takes a local number, a local entity on some boards, a translated description and somebody to read applications in English. Elsewhere does that part for you. You write the role once in English, pick your markets, and upload examples of the work you want. We translate it, post it to the local boards, pay the posting fees, and score every applicant’s portfolio against your references before you see them.
- One job description in English, plus examples of the work you are looking for.
- Translation into English, posting to the local boards, and the fees they charge.
- Applicants ranked by how closely their portfolio matches the work you uploaded.
Do I need a local entity to hire someone in Philippines?
Not to engage a contractor. Long-term contractor arrangements are the established pattern and require no local entity. Expectations around notice, holidays and thirteenth-month pay are worth discussing openly, as they are cultural norms rather than legal requirements for contractors. Employing someone on a local payroll is a different question and does normally require an entity or an employer of record.
What language should I write the job description in?
English is an official language and is used throughout professional work. This is the least friction of any market here. Elsewhere translates your English description into the local language automatically, so you write it once.
Which job boards should I post on in Philippines?
The boards that matter locally are JobStreet Philippines, Kalibrr, OnlineJobs.ph. Elsewhere posts to them for you and covers the posting fees.
How much overlap will I get with my working day?
Seven to eight hours ahead of London, though a large part of the workforce deliberately works night shifts to overlap with clients abroad.
How do I pay someone in Philippines?
Payment through Wise and Payoneer is routine and the norms around long-term remote contracts are well established.