Hi you awesome guys!! I have questions for ya –
My husband and I run a small realtor team (I know you love us realtors and we appreciate you advising and looking out for our industry 
We want to bring on a virtual assistant from the Philippines to help with various aspects of our administrative jobs.
I understand, for my benefit, they should ideally be an independent contractor and we are setting things up this way so I’m trying to make sure I understand how to structure our agreement.
I shouldn’t dictate work hours and the less supervision/specific tasks is important, right?
Can I offer bonuses in the contract? A week of pay for time they take off? Holidays I won’t need their services? What if they want to step away from work (for a day or a week as in if they were to take a vacation or illness and I won’t be paying for that time.) Can that be spelled out in the contract?
Do I send them a 1099 form?
Also, am I correct in in my understanding that a main difference between employment and an independent contractor is the idea of employment “at will”? An employee can be terminated and can quit any time but an independent contractor both sides are committed to the end of a contract is that right? If so why is that? If so I guess a contract should have specific dates that they are tied to work together, right?
What if I did want to bring them on as an employee? Would I treat them just like I do my US employees (withhold taxes, give them a W-2?) Can I pay them less than what a US employee would get paid to do the same job? Where do I find the rules on how a tiny main street employer in Ohio pays a someone in the Philippines?
Hope my blabber makes sense – please guess what all I mean to ask but don’t have the proper words for, you are bright, intelligent humans so I’m sure you’ll get me!
We appreciate your help so we don’t end up in the poor house with our little budget and big ideas 
You’re both THE BEST!