EA Agency vs Direct Hire: Pros, Cons and Total Cost

Once you've decided you need an executive assistant, the next question is how to get one. You can hire directly onto your payroll, use a recruiting agency to find a direct hire, or engage a staffing or managed service that provides the assistant. Each route trades off cost, speed, control and risk differently.

The three routes

1. Direct hire, self-recruited. You write the job ad, screen, interview and hire onto your payroll.
2. Direct hire via recruiter. A recruiting firm finds candidates; you hire them as employees and typically pay a placement fee.
3. Agency or managed service. The provider engages the assistant and places them with you for a recurring fee. Some providers allow you to hire the assistant later for a buyout fee.

Cost

Direct hire

You pay salary plus benefits and employer taxes. BLS reports a median wage of $76,590 for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (May 2025) and benefits averaging 31.5% of total compensation for full-time private-industry workers (June 2026) (BLS OOH; BLS ECEC). Add equipment, software and your recruiting time.

Via recruiter

The same employment costs, plus a placement fee. Recruiter fees are commonly structured as a percentage of first-year salary; terms vary by firm, so get them in writing, including any replacement guarantee.

Agency or managed service

One recurring fee covering the assistant's pay and the provider's services. Onshore agencies charge premium rates; offshore managed services such as ExecWing charge $1,900–$2,700 per month for a dedicated, full-time assistant (pricing).

Speed

• Self-recruited direct hire: often the slowest — writing the ad, screening, multiple interview rounds, notice periods.
• Recruiter: faster shortlist, but the same notice periods and onboarding.
• Managed service: typically fastest if the provider has a pre-vetted bench; ExecWing aims for 1–2 weeks from fit call to first day.

Control

Direct hires give you maximum control over who you hire, how they're managed and what they work on. They're fully part of your culture and systems.

With a managed service, you control the day-to-day work but the provider handles employment matters. You trade some control for less administrative burden.

Risk and continuity

Fit with the work

Hire directly when:

• The role requires in-person presence in your office.
• The assistant will handle highly sensitive matters where you need them as an employee.
• You're building a long-term chief-of-staff track.

Use a managed service when:

• The work is mostly digital.
• You want to start quickly and avoid recruiting overhead.
• You value flexibility: month-to-month terms rather than an employment commitment.
• You want a path to hire: some providers let you convert the assistant to a direct hire later. ExecWing's buyout is a flat $3,000.

A hybrid path many leaders take

Start with a managed, dedicated assistant to prove the value of delegation quickly. If the relationship works and you want the assistant on your own payroll, use the buyout. If your needs change, scale up, down or out with notice. This sequence reduces the risk of a costly mis-hire while you learn what you need.

Questions to ask a provider

• Is the assistant dedicated full-time to me?
• What's the replacement policy and timeline?
• What are the notice period and buyout terms?
• How do you vet candidates — including skills tests?
• How do you handle security, devices and offboarding?
• Who is my point of contact for quality issues?

Questions to ask yourself

• How much of this role requires physical presence?
• How many hours can I give to recruiting and onboarding in the next month?
• How confident am I about exactly what this role needs?
• What's my tolerance for a long-term employment commitment right now?

A worked example: total first-year cost

Here's an illustrative first-year comparison for one full-time role. The direct-hire figures use placeholders. Fill them in from BLS data for your metro and from your own benefits costs.

The point isn't that one option always wins. It's that the base salary is rarely the full cost.

Checklist: questions to ask an agency or provider

• [ ] Who employs the assistant, and in which country?
• [ ] Is the person dedicated to me full time?
• [ ] Can I interview and choose from several candidates?
• [ ] What's included: equipment, backup internet, training, management?
• [ ] What's the replacement policy and timeline?
• [ ] What's the notice period to cancel?
• [ ] Is there a fee to hire the person directly later, and how much?
• [ ] What security controls apply to devices and accounts?

Questions to ask yourself before deciding

• Do I need someone physically in the office some days? If yes, that points to a local hire.
• Does the work require US-only data access under a contract or regulation?
• How much time can I spend recruiting and managing a new hire in the next 60 days?
• Would I rather own the employment relationship or have someone else carry it?
• How quickly do I need help?

A hybrid that works for many leaders

Some leaders keep an in-office coordinator or office manager for physical tasks, such as mail, visitors and events. They add a remote dedicated assistant for calendar, inbox, CRM and research. That splits the work along the line where location actually matters.

The bottom line

Direct hiring maximizes control; agencies and managed services maximize speed and reduce risk and admin. For digital, ongoing executive support, a managed service with a clean buyout path offers a low-risk way to start — and a route to a direct hire if that's what you want later.

Explore our Executive Assistant service or read the EA vs VA cost breakdown.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation. ---SOURCES---