Australian trades and construction businesses hire offshore estimators, job schedulers, administrators and bookkeepers through Offshored for A$1,900 to A$3,400 per month, all-inclusive, working full time in their job management and accounting systems in Australian hours.
The tools stay on site. The quoting, scheduling, paperwork and bookkeeping move to a dedicated team member in the Philippines who works only for your business, recruited and managed by Offshored and employed by Australian Pathways OPC.
A plumbing, electrical, building or landscaping business runs on two kinds of work: the licensed work on site, and the office work that wins it, schedules it and gets it paid. The second kind is what swallows the owner's evenings. Takeoffs and quotes, calling customers back, chasing suppliers, keeping simPRO or ServiceM8 current and reconciling Xero at the end of the month all happen after the last job of the day.
Hiring locally for that office work is hard. An experienced estimator in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane is expensive and scarce, and a good admin person is often the first cost to go when a big job finishes. An offshore team member gives you the same function full time, at a fraction of the cost, without adding to the site crew you have to keep busy.
The model is simple. You interview and choose the person, they work in your systems and your hours, and you own the work they produce. Offshored handles recruitment, onboarding, payroll and HR in Manila. Payment authority, licensed sign-offs and site supervision stay with you in Australia.
Most clients start with one person, usually a scheduler who also handles admin, then add an estimator or a bookkeeper as the work grows. Every role below is recruited for your systems and your trade.
A$2,400 to A$3,400 per month
Quantity takeoffs from plans in Bluebeam, PlanSwift, CostX or Cubit, supplier and subcontractor pricing, quotes and tenders assembled in your template, variations priced as they arise and a price library kept current. Your licensed builder or tradesperson reviews and signs the quote; the estimator does the hours behind it.
Offshore estimator role page →A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month
Booking jobs, allocating technicians in simPRO, ServiceM8 or AroFlo, confirming with customers by phone and SMS, ordering materials, tracking purchase orders, and keeping compliance paperwork current: SWMS, inductions, licence and insurance expiries and subcontractor onboarding.
Admin and coordination roles →A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month
Answering the phone in your business name, working the inbox, following up quotes, logging warranty and defect requests, closing out job cards, chasing timesheets and keeping your document control tidy so the site crew never has to.
Admin and customer support roles →A$2,100 to A$2,800 per month
Job costing, progress claims and retentions, supplier bills matched to purchase orders, accounts receivable follow-up, payroll support, BAS workpapers and the contractor records behind your Taxable Payments Annual Report. See also the accounts payable or receivable officer page.
Offshore bookkeeper role page →Builders who run design and documentation in house can add offshore architectural drafting at A$2,400 to A$3,400 per month, the same band as an estimator.
Offshore staff change who does the office work, not who is responsible for it. These are the lines Offshored clients in the sector keep clear from day one.
An estimator prepares; a licensed person signs. State regulators such as NSW Fair Trading, the QBCC and the VBA licence your business and the people on site, and an offshore estimator or scheduler does not change that. Quotes, contracts and certificates go out under your licence holder's review.
The state Security of Payment Acts set strict timeframes for payment claims and payment schedules. Your offshore bookkeeper prepares claims in Payapps or your accounting system on your schedule, and your Australian manager checks and issues them.
Supplier and subcontractor payment batches are prepared offshore and authorised in your bank by you. Your team member never holds banking authority unless you choose to grant it.
Building and construction businesses report contractor payments to the ATO each August. Your bookkeeper keeps subcontractor ABNs, invoices and payment records current so the annual report is a print, not a project.
Everything stays in your systems. Your team member logs in with credentials you control, on a VPN or your own platforms, and every login is removed on their last day. The privacy section of our guide to the legality of offshoring in Australia explains how the Privacy Act applies to offshore staff.
Job management software is where the sector lives, so we shortlist candidates who already use yours. Tell us on the first call whether you run simPRO, ServiceM8, AroFlo or a builder platform such as Buildertrend or Procore, and which estimating tool your quotes come out of.
One flat, all-inclusive monthly fee per full-time team member, invoiced monthly in advance by Offshored Pty Ltd. The band depends on the role.
| Role or item | Offshore team member |
|---|---|
| Estimator | A$2,400 to A$3,400 per month |
| Bookkeeper or construction accounts officer | A$2,100 to A$2,800 per month |
| Job scheduler, admin assistant or office coordinator | A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month |
| What is included | Everything: recruitment and vetting, employment in the Philippines by Australian Pathways OPC, salary, Philippine income tax and statutory contributions (SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG), 13th month pay, paid leave, HMO health insurance, payroll, timekeeping, HR and performance management, office space and equipment for office based team members, and replacement at our cost if the person leaves |
| What is not included | Your software subscriptions, plan and pricing data services, and any hardware you choose to supply beyond what Offshored provides |
| Fees | No recruitment, placement or setup fees. One monthly invoice from Offshored Pty Ltd, an Australian company |
The 2026 offshore staff cost guide compares these fees with the full cost of a local hire, including superannuation, leave, payroll tax and recruitment. Every band is listed on the pricing page.
Yes. The Philippines produces civil engineering, architecture and quantity surveying graduates who measure in metric and are used to Australian drawing conventions, and Offshored shortlists candidates who have already priced Australian work. You supply your rate library, supplier pricing and quote template, and your licensed person reviews every quote before it goes out. Within a few weeks the estimator knows your margins and your suppliers as well as anyone in the office.
Through your phone system and your job management software, exactly as a local scheduler would. They answer and make calls on an Australian number, send SMS confirmations from simPRO or ServiceM8, and message technicians on the tools you already use. They work your hours, so a customer ringing at 7:30am in Brisbane gets a person, not voicemail.
That is the size of business where it makes the biggest difference. The first hire is usually one scheduler and admin person who also keeps the bookkeeping current, for A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month through Offshored, with no recruitment fee and no lock-in. The owner gets the evenings back and the phone gets answered. An estimator or a dedicated bookkeeper comes later, when the quoting volume justifies it.
Typically one to two weeks from your first call with Offshored. Shortlisting takes three to four days, then you interview the shortlisted candidates and choose the person yourself. Because the Philippine employing entity, payroll and onboarding are already in place, your team member can start as soon as the paperwork is signed and their job management software login is ready.
Australian Pathways OPC, a registered Philippine company, is the legal employer of every team member recruited by Offshored. It holds the employment contract, runs payroll and pays the Philippine statutory contributions, while Offshored recruits and manages the person and is the Australian company you contract with. You direct the daily work, and because the team member is not your employee under Australian law, superannuation, PAYG withholding and payroll tax do not apply, although you should confirm your own position with your accountant.
Offshored replaces the team member at our cost, with no re-recruitment fee. During the six month probation Offshored formally asks for your feedback at the end of month one, month three and month six, so a poor fit is picked up early. There is no lock-in contract either: you pay month to month and can end the arrangement with 30 days' notice and no exit fee.
A$2,400 to A$3,400 per month through Offshored, all inclusive: salary, statutory contributions, HMO after probation, payroll and HR, with no recruitment fee. Offshored's cost benchmark shows a Sydney estimator advertised on Seek at A$120,000 to A$140,000, which is A$134,400 to A$156,800 with 12 percent superannuation, against A$28,800 to A$40,800 a year, a 76 percent saving at the midpoint.
Yes. Offshored recruits offshore drafters for architectural and building design practices at A$2,400 to A$3,400 per month: working drawings, construction details and council sets in your CAD or BIM software to your standards, with your registered architect or building designer reviewing and issuing. Estimators, schedulers and bookkeepers for the construction side are recruited the same way, one dedicated person per role.
Book a 20-minute call with Offshored, describe the role and the software you run (simPRO, ServiceM8, AroFlo, Bluebeam or your own), and Offshored shortlists in three to four days. You interview the shortlist, choose the person, and they start one to two weeks from the first call, employed in the Philippines by Australian Pathways OPC and working your hours. No recruitment fee, no lock-in contract, 30 days' notice to end.
Pick a time and William Smith, Offshored's co-founder, phones you. We scope the role, give you the monthly cost band and tell you honestly whether offshore staff will work for your business. No lock-in, no obligation.
Book a 20-minute call Call +61 485 065 141Prefer to type? Message us on WhatsApp or send the enquiry form. We reply within one business hour, 8am to 6pm AEST, Monday to Friday.