For UK companies · Dedicated teams in the Philippines
Outsourcing to the Philippines for UK companies
A Philippine team is seven to eight hours ahead of the UK — which gives you two useful shapes: work that’s finished before you log on, or a shift that overlaps your morning and early afternoon. Here’s how UK companies set it up, and what to check first.
Time zones
How the hours line up
The Philippines is UTC+8 with no daylight saving, so it sits eight hours ahead of GMT and seven hours ahead of BST. Three shift patterns cover almost every UK use case.
A standard Philippine day ends around 10am UK time. Yesterday’s tickets, reconciliations, listings and reports are done when you arrive, and there’s an hour of overlap for questions before the team signs off.
An afternoon shift in the Philippines runs to 2–3pm UK time — enough for daily stand-ups, live support until mid-afternoon and real-time collaboration for most of your day, without a full night shift.
| Shift pattern | Philippine hours | UK hours (GMT / BST) | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Philippine day | 9am–6pm PH | 1am–10am / 2am–11am | Bookkeeping, back office, overnight ticket clearance — done before you start |
| Afternoon shift | 1pm–10pm PH | 5am–2pm / 6am–3pm | Support, admin and assistants with a full-morning overlap |
| UK-hours shift | 4–5pm to 1–2am PH | 9am–6pm both seasons | Phone support, sales and roles that need your whole day live |
The Philippines is UTC+8 all year. Ranges reflect your own daylight-saving change. More on working across the time difference.
Why the Philippines
Why UK companies outsource here
English as a working language
English is an official language and the medium of instruction in the Philippines, and it consistently ranks among the top Asian countries on the EF English Proficiency Index. For client-facing roles, ask for a live call and judge it yourself.
Back-office and finance depth
Bookkeeping, accounts payable, payroll preparation and administrative work are established professions here. Xero and QuickBooks experience is common; Sage less so, but trainable.
The cost gap, honestly
Third-party industry guides report savings of 50–70% against equivalent local hires once UK salaries and on-costs are included. The gap is real; the reason to do it should still be capability, not just price.
A useful time difference
For async work, the Philippines is a night shift you don’t have to staff. For live work, an afternoon shift covers most of your day. Few UK companies need a full Philippine night shift.
What gets outsourced
The roles UK companies place most
Dedicated, full-time, exclusively yours. See every role we provide.
Bookkeepers, AP/AR and management accounts in Xero or QuickBooks, with review and filing staying with your accountant.
Outsource accounting Customer SupportEmail, chat and phone support that overlaps your morning, or clears the overnight queue.
Outsource customer support Back Office & OperationsProcessing, data entry, order administration and operations support — finished before your day starts.
Outsource back office Virtual Assistants & AdminExecutive and administrative assistants on an afternoon shift that covers your morning.
Outsource virtual assistants Marketing & CreativeContent, social media, design and campaign coordinators working async with a daily overlap.
Outsource marketing IT & TechnologyDevelopers, QA and help-desk technicians who work with a morning overlap window.
Outsource itHow it works from the United Kingdom
Five steps, no entity, no upfront fee
- 01
Tell us who you need
We learn the role, the experience level, the schedule and the way you like to work.
- 02
We source & screen
Our Philippine sourcing team finds and screens candidates specifically for you — not a shared pool.
- 03
You interview & select
You meet the shortlist and make the final choice. The decision is always yours.
- 04
We engage & onboard
BuildNextTeam handles Philippine payroll, HR, statutory contributions and local onboarding, in a professional office.
- 05
You lead. We support.
Your team member works exclusively for you, while we provide ongoing local HR and account management.
Before you start
What UK companies should check
The practical points that come up in almost every first conversation. Plain answers, not legal advice.
- How the team is engaged
Your team member is engaged through BuildNextTeam in the Philippines. The person is on our local payroll, not your contractor, so the off-payroll (IR35) questions that come with UK freelancers don’t apply in the same way — your relationship with us is a monthly service agreement. Confirm the treatment with your adviser; this isn’t legal or tax advice.
- UK GDPR and data transfers
A provider handling personal data on your behalf is a processor, and an international transfer needs appropriate safeguards. Ask how a provider supports that: contractual terms, least-privilege access, an office environment rather than home networks, and documented offboarding. The Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 applies locally.
- Public holidays
The Philippines has roughly 18–20 public holidays a year, and they don’t match UK bank holidays. Decide before the first month whether your team follows Philippine holidays, UK holidays or a blend.
- Management, not delegation
You lead the work: tasks, training, priorities and KPIs. If nobody on your side can own that, a managed BPO service may fit better — and we’ll tell you so.
Office-first, in Bohol
Remote from you. Not remote from everyone.
Your team works from a professional office in Bohol with local HR on hand — reliable infrastructure, real colleagues, and somewhere you can visit.
Bohol has its own international airport (Bohol–Panglao), a short domestic hop from Manila after the long-haul flight from London. Most UK clients plan a visit once the team is established.
See the offices
Read before you decide
Questions
UK companies ask
Can a Philippine team work UK business hours?
Yes. A UK-hours shift starts late afternoon in the Philippines and runs to the small hours. It’s common for phone-first support and sales, and we run it from the office. Most UK clients find an afternoon shift with a full-morning overlap is enough.
Do I need a UK or Philippine entity?
No. Your team member is engaged through BuildNextTeam in the Philippines, and you contract with us. There is no local company, payroll registration or filing on your side.
How does UK GDPR work with an offshore team?
The provider acts as a processor and the transfer needs appropriate safeguards. We put contractual terms in place, restrict access to what the role needs, and keep staff in an office environment. Tell us your specific requirements and we’ll walk through them before you commit.
Does IR35 apply to Philippine staff?
The person is engaged through BuildNextTeam in the Philippines, not as your contractor, so the off-payroll rules that apply to UK freelancers don’t arise in the same way. Confirm the treatment for your business with your own adviser.
What does it cost a UK business?
One all-inclusive monthly rate per person and no upfront fee. We don’t publish prices because the rate depends on the role, seniority and shift. See how pricing works, then tell us the role and we’ll quote it.
Not in the United Kingdom? For US companies · For Australian companies
Ready to outsource to the Philippines from the United Kingdom?
Tell us the role. We’ll source, engage and support the person in Bohol — you lead the work.