By the Renewminder Talent team · Updated 20 October 2026
To hire a virtual assistant: 1) write down the tasks and the hours they take, 2) choose a freelancer, an offshore agency or a managed, dedicated assistant, 3) set a monthly budget, 4) check who will see your customers' data and where they are, 5) agree a trial, 6) give them their own logins with two-step sign-in, never your password, and 7) agree a short daily handover and review after 30 days. A dedicated Renewminder Talent assistant is £690 a month part-time or £1,250 full-time, with a trial week.
1. List the tasks and the hours
The single most useful thing you can do before you talk to anyone.
For one week, write down every task you'd hand over and roughly how long it took: emails, bookings, invoices, customer messages, data entry. Add them up. Under 20 hours a week usually means part-time; around 40 means full-time.
Not sure what to hand over? Here are 60 tasks, grouped by area.
2. Choose the kind of help
- Freelancer: good for a few ad hoc hours or one specialist job. You find them, check their work and cover their holidays yourself.
- Offshore agency: often the lowest hourly price. Check whether you get one named person or whoever is free, and who checks the quality.
- Managed, dedicated assistant: one person who works only for you, in your hours, with a manager behind them, a backup when they're off and one monthly price. That's what Renewminder Talent does.
3. Set the budget
Work out the hours from step 1 and compare like for like. Our virtual assistant cost guide puts freelancers, agencies and us side by side, with sources. If you're weighing up hiring someone yourself, compare the full cost of an employee (pay, employer National Insurance, pension and holidays).
4. Check data protection
If your assistant works for a separate organisation outside the UK and can see your customers' details, UK GDPR treats that as a restricted transfer, and it needs a safeguard. Ask who will see the data, from which country, and which safeguard covers it. What the ICO says, in plain words.
5. Agree a trial
A week on real work tells you more than any interview. Agree up front what happens if it isn't right. With Renewminder Talent, if the trial week isn't right you only pay for the days worked.
6. Set up access safely
Give them their own login for each tool, never your password, and switch on two-step sign-in. The NCSC recommends two-step verification on email in particular. That way you can see what they did and remove access in one click. The first week, day by day.
7. Agree how you'll hear from them
A short written handover at the end of each day (what's done, what's waiting, what needs you) saves meetings. Review together after 30 days: what to add, what to stop, and whether the hours are right.
Sources
Checked 20 October 2026. Rules change, so check the source before you rely on it.
Quick answers
How do I hire a virtual assistant?
List the tasks and hours, choose a freelancer, agency or managed assistant, set a budget, check data protection, agree a trial, give them their own logins with two-step sign-in, and agree a daily handover.
How many hours do I need?
Track the tasks for a week. Under 20 hours a week is usually part-time; around 40 is full-time.
Should I give my assistant my password?
No. Give them their own login for each tool, with two-step sign-in, so you can see what they did and remove access at any time.
How much does a dedicated assistant cost?
A dedicated Renewminder Talent assistant is £690 a month part-time (about 85 hours) or £1,250 full-time, with a trial week. In the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand it's $890 or $1,590 a month.
Is a virtual assistant an employee?
Not if they work for an agency or a provider: you pay the provider, and they employ or contract the person. GOV.UK explains how employment status is decided.