How Much Does It Cost to Hire Overseas Staff in Australia?
Hiring remote staff through Simkul costs a one-time $3,500 for recruitment and integration, plus the salary you pay your hire directly each month. Most clients still come out 40 to 70 per cent cheaper than an equivalent local role, even after that fee. Here's where the money goes.
What you pay Simkul: one fee, paid once
The $3,500 investment covers candidate sourcing from our Philippines talent network, skills and communication assessment, reference and background checks, a shortlist of three to four qualified candidates, role scoping, and full onboarding and integration. Three months of post-placement support is built in, with check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days. No retainer. No percentage of salary. Nothing further once the hire is settled in.
What you pay your hire: their salary, paid directly
This part is separate, and it's between you and the person you hire. There are two ways to structure it: as an independent contractor, or as a direct hire. Which one's right depends on your business and how much risk you want to carry, and it's worth getting that decision settled before any money starts moving. Most clients pay through Wise for a fair exchange rate and low transfer fees. Common roles include virtual assistants, bookkeepers, and customer support staff, and the figure depends on the role, the skill level, and the experience you need, much the same way a local salary would.
Why this beats going through a BPO
Business process outsourcing firms typically mark up what they charge you by three to five times what the worker receives. You're paying for a layer of management you may not need, and the relationship sits with the BPO, not with you. With a flat-fee model, you own the relationship and the hire is yours from day one.
Why this beats doing it yourself
DIY offshore hiring isn't expensive in fees. It's expensive in time and risk. Most DIY hires that fail don't fail because of the candidate. They fail because of poor integration, no documented processes, no systems access, no communication structure. Rebuilding a failed hire and starting again costs more than the fee would have.
The real comparison
A Perth-based hire on $65,000 a year costs roughly that much again in super, leave, and overheads before they've answered a single email. The same skill set delivered overseas, recruited and integrated properly, typically runs well under half that. The $3,500 is a one-off cost set against years of ongoing salary difference.
We're Simkul Solutions, a Perth-based consultancy handling overseas staffing for small business owners across Australia. If you want to know whether the numbers work for your business specifically, book a call and we'll walk through it honestly, including telling you if overseas hiring isn't the right move yet.