Get your foot in the door through agencies

The honest truth

Why agencies are worth knowing about

For a new EA, the hardest client to land is the first one. Agencies already have the clients. They market, sell, run the contracts and send you the work, which means real international experience and references, often much faster than finding clients alone.

Know your worth

How to negotiate with an agency

Nine times out of ten, an agency will offer you a very low rate. That’s their starting point, not your value. The secret is timing.

1. Don’t accept the first number while you’re still just a CV in their pile. Thank them and keep the conversation open.
2. Wait until the client is interested in you. Once a client has met you and wants you, the power shifts to you.
3. Then put the ball in their court. Share your rate confidently and ask them to make it work.
4. Know your floor before the call: the lowest rate you’ll accept, worked out from your costs and goals.
5. Get everything in writing: rate, currency, payment dates, hours and your right to take on other clients.

Stand out

Record the perfect Loom intro

Nearly every agency and remote role will ask for one: “Please send a short Loom introducing yourself.” It’s often the first time they see and hear you, and many decide in the first 20 seconds whether to keep watching. A great Loom gets you the interview.

The 5-part script

Don’t read a full script or you’ll sound like a robot. Write these as bullet notes, then talk to the camera.

1. Hook (10 sec): your name, what you do, where you’re based and your time zone overlap.
2. Proof (25 sec): two or three specific wins, with numbers if you can.
3. Tools (15 sec): the tools that matter for this role, like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Notion, Asana, Slack and AI tools.
4. Fit (15 sec): something real about the company, the executive or the role. This is the part most people skip.
5. Close (10 sec): your availability and a warm call to action.

Look and sound like a pro

• Camera at eye level. Prop your laptop on books and look at the lens, not at yourself.
• Face the light. Sit facing a window or lamp, never with a window behind you.
• Clear sound. Earphones with a mic, a quiet room, fans off and your phone on Do Not Disturb.
• Calm background. Plain and tidy. No laundry, beds or busy walls.
• Clean screen. If you share your screen, close extra tabs and turn off notifications.
• Show, don’t just tell. Spend 15 seconds showing real work, like a colour-coded calendar or an SOP, using dummy data. Never show a real client’s information.

Stand out even more

Everyone is sending a CV. Always ask yourself how you can stand out these days.

• Post a video on your feed. Record a short intro and post it on your LinkedIn feed, so recruiters and founders can find you before you even apply.
• Pin it to your profile. Add it to your Featured section so it is the first thing people see when they land on your page.
• Make it personal. For cold outreach, record a quick video for that one recruiter and say their name. It takes two minutes and gets remembered.

Before you hit send

• Do three practice takes. The third is almost always the best.
• Trim the start and end, and give it a clear title: “Your Name | EA intro for [Company]”.
• Pick a thumbnail where you’re smiling with your eyes open.
• Check that anyone with the link can view it, then test the link in a private window.
• Turn on captions, then watch it once all the way through. Would you hire this person?

The list

Agencies you can try & apply at

Remote companies that hire for EA and VA, admin, sales, legal support and more. I’ll keep updating this list as I find more, so check back every now and then.

Feel free to share this page with anyone who’s job hunting.