looking to hire an assistant

[elec88]

I'm looking to hire an assistant for my move to the philippines
 Duties shall include...
Hiring process of staff... house workers and cook
Assistance in finding lodging
Provide professional onsite
Assistance in finding a lawyer, finding a certified translator for legal documents

Any insight is appreciated

[JoeLP]

If there is a business for these "experts", I do not know of it/them.  Each location has it's own hurdles/culture/system.  Trying to move to say Manila would require a whole different person than say trying to move to a very rural area in northern Cebu or southern Leyte or Eastern Samar. 

What you are looking for is really not a thing as far as I know.  You'll have to just make friends in the area you are wanting to move to online.  Via facebook groups or yahoo groups(if they still exist) or some other setup.  Then use there knowledge as a resource.  Maybe find one of them to be your expert. 

[codefreeze]

I'm looking to hire an assistant for my move to the philippines
 Duties shall include...
Hiring process of staff... house workers and cook
Assistance in finding lodging
Provide professional onsite
Assistance in finding a lawyer, finding a certified translator for legal documents

Any insight is appreciated

I guess my first reaction is you seem to be going "all in" at the outset. I'm not sure that's necessary, although you don't provide much context, for example, are you moving to a reasonable-sized city, or a remote island?

Maybe your requirements are necessary, and apologies for my seeming contrariness if that's so. You do say "for my move to Philippines" so I assume you're not there now.

You asked for insight so here are my 2 cents (and that's how much they are worth really)...

The only assistant I would trust is myself. My M.O. in Philippines has always been - baby steps.

Why do you need a cook?? Eating out is cheap and widely available. Head to your local foodcourt. I've found Jolibee in the most far-flung corner of Phils - it will keep you alive at least. In the really remote places there are local restaurants, or failing that a 7/11.

Why do you need house workers? Laundry service is everywhere (and dirt cheap).  Serviced apartments are widely available and cheap. Assistance in finding lodging? Just use AirBnB initially - it's cheap and widely available, not only in Manila but in decent sized places. I've found places to stay in very remote areas with a simple Google search on my phone. If that doesn't show up anything, just ask around. I found one of the best places I've ever stayed at on the recommendation of one lodging owner who happened to be full! p.s. Don't sign a lease on an apartment/house until you are familiar with the area.

You should only need a lawyer if you're doing something serious like buying (or starting) a business or buying a house. And well, you shouldn't need to do that, at least until you've had "boots on the ground" long enough to have built up a network of trusted individuals. I would argue you almost never need to buy a business or house/land/condo (although, sure, not everyone will agree with that - it *does* depend on your situation granted). But you should only do those things when you have a lot of experience with Philippines.

But to answer your question...it takes time, you need to build up your trusted network, and be careful who you choose.

Good luck and do let us know how you get on!

[M.C.A.]

Interesting set of requests so it sounds like a business and I wish you the best of luck.

Everything requested is everything I avoid now and I want very little interaction with any Philippine citizen unless absolutely necessary when it comes to hiring or help, if I can do it myself I will.