Quick answer
Pearl Talent's Managed Services start at $3,000 a month per full-time hire, month to month, with Pearl handling recruiting, payroll and compliance. Its pricing page says managed talent cannot be hired outside Pearl during the engagement or for 18 months after. A Team Overseas places a Philippines-based executive, operations or marketing assistant on your own payroll. You pay a $500/month membership plus the assistant directly ($1,200–2,000/month for full-time engagements), and we run check-ins through the first 90 days.
Key differences
| Topic | Pearl Talent | A Team Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Managed Services: Pearl handles recruiting, payroll and compliance for international hires. It also offers Direct Placement for US hires. | Membership. We find and place the assistant, who works on your payroll while you direct the work. We stay involved through the first 90 days. |
| What you pay | Managed Services: "Starting at $3,000/mo per hire", full-time. A one-month reserve credit is held and applied to the final month. Direct Placement (US): a "one-time fee based on 30% of your hire's first-year salary". | $500/month membership, plus your assistant's pay, paid directly: $1,200–2,000/month for full-time engagements, by experience tier, agreed before placement. Optional add-ons, not included in the membership-plus-assistant-pay total: Managed Payments ($150/month) and security covering VPN and MDM tools ($100/month). |
| Where assistants are based | "The Philippines, Latin America, and South Africa" for Managed Services. Many roles, not only assistants. | Philippines. Executive, operations and marketing assistants. |
| Terms | "Month-to-month, cancel anytime." Managed talent cannot be hired, contracted or recruited outside Pearl during the engagement or for 18 months after it ends. | The paid trial month starts on the assistant's first day. The first invoice is issued that day and is due within 7 days. No early-exit fee applies if you leave at the end of the trial month. An annual membership commitment starts in month two. Early exit after the trial requires 30 days' written notice, with fees owed through the notice period, plus an early-exit fee equal to the lesser of 3 months' membership fees or the remaining year's membership fees (a maximum of $1,500 at $500/month). |
| If it isn't a fit | Its pricing table says "90-day replacement". The FAQ on the same page describes a replacement within the first 30 days. | 1 free replacement a year, and up to 3 placements a year. |
| Support after matching | A "dedicated CSM, check-ins and upskilling" after the hire. | Check-ins weekly in month one, then every two weeks or monthly through day 90, then as needed. We do not provide screen monitoring. Assistants send an end-of-day report. Any more detailed time tracking must be agreed between you and your assistant. |
| Working hours | "Remote, on your time zone." | We match working hours to any timezone, including US, Australia, UK and Asia hours. Candidates are told the required hours before meeting you, and we only propose people available for those hours. |
Switching from Pearl Talent
If what you have is working, stay. If you are partway through a term, or your assistant has just left, this is how a move works.
- 1
Find your date.
Pearl's Managed Services are month to month, with a one-month reserve credit applied to your final month.
- 2
Read what your agreement says about your current assistant.
Many providers bar hiring their assistants directly or charge a fee for it (see Terms above). We introduce new candidates. We do not approach or place an assistant who is working for you through another provider.
- 3
Meet candidates before you give notice.
A shortlist of 2–4 candidates (resume, rate, fit notes, intro video), usually in the first week, with a 1–2 week match target. You decide with real people in front of you, and nothing changes with Pearl Talent until you say so.
- 4
Set the start for when your current term ends.
Plan a short overlap for handoff if your agreement allows it. The first month with us is a paid trial, with no early-exit fee if you leave at the end of it. From month two it is an annual membership (terms in the FAQ below).
- 5
Get help through the first 90 days.
Check-ins weekly in month one, then every two weeks or monthly through day 90, then as needed.
You can also keep the assistant you have and hire your next one through us.
Choose Pearl Talent if
- You want month-to-month terms with no annual commitment.
- You want the provider to run payroll and compliance.
- You are hiring in Latin America or South Africa, or for roles beyond executive, operations and marketing.
Choose A Team Overseas if
- You want the assistant on your own payroll, paid directly at a rate you agree before placement.
- You want a more senior assistant. We specialize in more senior talent: mid-level assistants who are resourceful, proactive, reliable and AI-enabled.
- You have a repeatable set of work today and want the same person to grow into owning more of an operational lane, with you setting direction.
- You want someone to own AI and systems inside that lane: rolling out tools, automating recurring steps and helping your team use them.
- You'd like help making the relationship work: what to hand over, how to communicate and how to start. That's common for a first remote hire, or after a past hire or agency didn't work out.
- You'll direct the assistant and give feedback, and you want us coaching both of you through the first 90 days.
A Team Overseas is not a fit if you want
- A part-time "right hand" expected to own strategy across marketing, operations and personal tasks all at once
- A director or manager for a function you haven't defined yet
- Finished deliverables from us without directing anyone (a done-for-you service)
- Agency-provided screen monitoring of an assistant
- A budget below the membership plus the assistant’s pay
FAQ
- How much does Pearl Talent cost?
- Pearl Talent's Managed Services start at $3,000 a month per full-time hire, with a one-month reserve credit applied to the final month. Its Direct Placement service for US hires is a one-time fee of 30% of the hire's first-year salary.
- How much does A Team Overseas cost?
- $500/month membership, plus your assistant's pay, paid directly: $1,200–2,000/month for full-time engagements, by experience tier, agreed before placement. Optional add-ons, not included in the membership-plus-assistant-pay total: Managed Payments ($150/month) and security covering VPN and MDM tools ($100/month). Membership includes up to 3 placements a year and 1 free replacement. The paid trial month starts on the assistant's first day. The first invoice is issued that day and is due within 7 days. No early-exit fee applies if you leave at the end of the trial month. An annual membership commitment starts in month two. Early exit after the trial requires 30 days' written notice, with fees owed through the notice period, plus an early-exit fee equal to the lesser of 3 months' membership fees or the remaining year's membership fees (a maximum of $1,500 at $500/month).
- Can I hire a Pearl Talent assistant directly?
- Pearl's pricing page says Managed Services talent cannot be hired, contracted or recruited outside Pearl during the engagement or for 18 months after it ends. With A Team Overseas, the assistant works on your payroll from the first day.
Sources (checked November 10, 2026)
See also: all comparisons and A Team Overseas pricing.