I've been working with a VA from the UK for real estate admin work: pulling reports, updating spreadsheets, helping organize transaction docs, following up on basic tasks, and keeping parts of the back office moving. It started pretty casual, just a few tasks here and there.

But now the role is becoming steadier. Same person every week, regular hours, ongoing responsibilities, and honestly, they know our process better than some local vendors we’ve used.

I think we reached a point where it stopped being like a contractor setup and started looking more like an employee relationship. Plus, I would like to get this person even more involved in a couple of other areas of our work.

From what I understood reading this contractor/employee guide, the big difference is control and independence. An employee is more integrated into the company, with regular duties, direction, and a longer-term role. Okay, that much I knew. This part was something I had to look into in more detail: employees are subject to their country's labor laws and receive the benefits and entitlements required by local regulations. So I would be responsible for handling payroll taxes, social security contributions, and other mandatory employment obligations (if I go with this option, I think I will handle them through the EOR).

Now that I put all this in writing, it seems I actually solved my dilemma. I should switch to the employee setup, shouldn't I?

Still, let me ask you all - have you hired overseas real estate admin, transaction coordination, bookkeeping help, or property ops support? Did you keep them as contractors, move to a more formal employment arrangement, or use an EOR?