SolidWorks Virtual Assistant: Optimize Your Construction Business

A construction firm in Sydney runs all their designs through SolidWorks. Problem: their in-house drafter works 9–5 Sydney time, but projects land at midnight from overseas clients. They hired a Filipino SolidWorks VA at $35/hour. Now midnight deadlines become 9am handoffs the next morning. That's the real math—not productivity gains in abstract terms, but time zones, output, and cost.

Since 2019, we've placed 500+ offshore professionals into technical roles. SolidWorks VAs are one of the highest-demand placements. Here's why they work, how to hire one, and what to expect.

What is a SolidWorks Virtual Assistant?

A SolidWorks VA is someone who builds 3D models, technical drawings, assemblies, and simulations for your construction or engineering team—remote, full-time or part-time. They sit in front of SolidWorks 8 hours a day while you work on client meetings, bids, and project planning. That's it. They're not a generalist; they know SolidWorks inside out.

Why It Matters

Three reasons:

• Time zone coverage. You sleep. They work. Deadlines move faster.
• Cost. A Filipino SolidWorks VA costs $30–50/hour. A Sydney drafter costs $45–60/hour minimum, plus leave, payroll tax, and office space.
• Focus. Your engineers design. Your managers manage. Your VA drafts. No one context-switches between CAD and everything else.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

SolidWorks VAs own:

• 3D modelling. Building assemblies, parts, and visualizations from sketches or specs.
• Technical drawings. Orthographic views, sections, details—ready for manufacturing or site.
• Design updates. Client feedback comes in. They iterate. You review.
• Bills of materials (BOM). Lists for procurement, costing, and build sequencing.
• Simulations. Stress tests, motion studies, flow analysis—see if the design actually works before you build it.
• File management. PDM setup, naming convention, version control. Nothing gets lost.

How to Hire a SolidWorks Virtual Assistant

1. Know what you need. List the tasks. "Build me 10 assemblies a week" or "redraw all our 2D library into 3D"? Be specific.
2. Check their portfolio. Ask for SolidWorks files they've actually built. Open them. See if they understand assembly constraints, drawing standards, and design intent.
3. Test them. Give them a paid trial project—2 weeks, small scope. Pay $30–40/hour. See if they deliver on time, ask good questions, and fix things without being told twice.
4. Interview for problem-solving. Ask: "You get a 2D sketch that doesn't dimension. What do you do?" If they say "I'll just CAD it," they're guessing. If they ask for clarification, they're thinking.
5. Confirm timezone overlap. Clark is UTC+8. Sydney is UTC+10. You need 2–4 hours of overlap for handoffs. London? 8-hour gap. That's okay if your workflow is async (email, files, Slack updates).

Cost Considerations

As of 2026, Filipino SolidWorks VAs run $30–50/hour depending on experience and specialisation. We've placed specialists at $60/hour for aerospace-grade simulation work. Generalists sit at $35/hour.

The math:

• Full-time (40 hours/week): $1,200–2,000/month all-in. That includes our placement fee baked into the rate. No hidden costs, no payroll software.
• Part-time (20 hours/week): $600–1,000/month. Works for firms with variable project load.
• Project retainer: Some firms pay a flat fee ($2,500–4,000/month) for unlimited minor updates and priority access.

Compare that to hiring an in-house drafter in Australia: you're looking at $55k–70k salary, plus 9.5% super, plus payroll tax, plus leave liability. A SolidWorks VA at $35/hour × 40 weeks × 40 hours = $56k/year. But that's a contractor—no super, no leave payout, no HR overhead. Your actual cost is probably 30% lower.

Why the Philippines and ShoreAgents?

I've hired offshore since 2012 at REMAX. I started ShoreAgents in 2019 from Clark Freeport. Here's what I've learned about Philippine talent:

First, the obvious: cost. Second, less obvious: they don't move. A drafter in Brisbane might leave for a mining job. A VA in the Philippines with a family, a house mortgage, and a school routine stays. Turnover is low. By year two, they know your standard, your clients, your quirks.

Third, they're technical. Philippine engineering schools produce solid graduates. Many studied CAD in university. They're not learning SolidWorks at work—they're learning your process. That's faster.

Fourth, they work. No long lunches, no extended absences. The culture is different. They show up, deliver, ask for feedback. I'm not romanticising it—it's just a different work ethic.

That said: hire from a proper source. Vet them. Check references. Ask for an NBI clearance (like our police check). Don't just grab someone off Fiverr and hope. We've placed VAs across construction, engineering, and architecture firms in Australia, the US, and Europe. It works when you hire right.

Conclusion

A SolidWorks VA doesn't automate your design process. They extend your team's capacity without doubling your cost. You get faster turnarounds, time zone coverage, and focus. Your engineers stay focused on design, not production CAD. That's the win.

If you're spending 20+ hours a week in SolidWorks production work, you're hiring a VA tomorrow. If you're at 10 hours a week, you're hiring one in 6 months when the next project lands. If you're at 5 hours a week, keep watching us and reach out when it's time.

Get started with ShoreAgents or check our pricing page for options.