Becoming a virtual assistant is a great way to leverage ordinary office skills into a career with independence and flexibility.
Virtual assistants work from home with their own equipment and can work full-time or part-time, managing a single client or scaling up their own business. Here’s everything you need to know about starting a virtual assistant business.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant performs the same task that an in-office assistant performs. Just like with real-world assistant jobs, the client may have a range of expectations for the tasks they expect their assistant to perform. While every job is a bit different, a virtual assistant usually performs functions like:
- Managing calendars and schedules
- Making travel arrangements
- Organizing files and documents
- Answering and handling phone calls
- Transcribing documents
- Maintaining financial records and filing expense reports
- Performing online research
To perform these functions, you will need a wide range of skills, including:
- Typing and light transcribing
- Proficiency in scheduling and calendar software
- Professional phone manner
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, including Word and Excel
- Familiarity with major social media platforms
- Ability to organize and coordinate activities
- Proficiency in modern communication methods, including writing professional emails, chat and messaging, voice communication, virtual meetings, etc.
- Ability to work and solve problems independently
Virtual assistants usually either work as employees or contractors directly for their clients or as part of an agency that provides assistance services to clients.
Why Become a Virtual Assistant?
Becoming a virtual assistant is an excellent option if you are looking for a simple way to earn extra money from home. This type of work has several advantages, including:
Work From Anywhere
Virtual assistants have the freedom to work from home (or from a cafe or from a beach) as long as they have a reliable internet connection.
Set Your Own Hours
Virtual assistants need to be reliable and have a predictable schedule (they can’t just drop in and out of work whenever they like), but there is a vast range of scheduling options available, and you can choose the schedule that works best for you.
So, whether you want to work full time, only in the evenings, or only a few mornings a week, there are virtual assistant roles that work perfectly.
Leverage Existing Skills
Most people who have worked successfully in an office environment already have the skills to be a virtual assistant.
So while you may want to brush up on a few things or even earn a virtual assistant certification, for most people, additional training is not necessary to do the work.
Wide Range of Opportunities
Thousands of virtual assistant jobs can be found in hundreds of ways. Virtual assistants can find opportunities everywhere, so they aren’t locked into a single job, site, or agency.
Supplement Your Income
Being a virtual assistant isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Virtual assistants in the US usually earn ~$20/hour, with an annual average of ~$36,000, although there are opportunities to make more. For many people, being a virtual assistant is a simple, flexible, reliable way to supplement their income.
What You Need to Become a Virtual Assistant
A good virtual assistant usually has:
- A computer or laptop with a reliable, highspeed online connection and a keyboard
- A modern mobile phone with a reliable online connection
- A decent webcam for virtual meetings
- A multifunction office machine (or individual devices) that can print, scan, copy, and fax
- A landline phone connection is often helpful
- A quality headset with good audio is recommended
- A quiet working space free from distractions
Some jobs may have other requirements not listed here. For example, some clients may want their assistant to log into or use their network and software, or others may require that you install specific software on your device(s), so there may be requirements regarding your operating system or technology.
You may also need to pass a skills test or quiz to prove your skills for some agency jobs.
Where to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs
Where to look for virtual assistant jobs depends on the type of virtual assistant you want to be. Here are some of the best options:
Work for a Virtual Assistant Agency or Staffing Firm
For beginners, choosing an agency or staffing company is a great way to get started. Working for a staffing firm allows you to:
- Learn the ropes of the business with coaching and feedback. An excellent virtual assistant agency will give you feedback and help you improve your skills over time.
- Established contracts and expectations. Instead of negotiating the scope of your activities, hours, and rates with each individual client, an agency will set up the contract for you. If there are doubts or questions, the agency will support you.
- Get matched with jobs. Agencies usually match their clients with virtual assistants who are the right fit, so you get pre-screened job offers.
- Simpler to get started. With an agency, you don’t have to spend time building a reputation and marketing yourself.
Some great virtual assistant agencies you can apply for include:
To find these jobs, you can search for terms like “virtual assistant agency” or “virtual assistant company” and then see which companies are hiring and what their terms and requirements are.
Find a Virtual Assistant Job
If you want the independence of working for yourself and feel you can negotiate a better deal than an agency offers, you may want to skip ahead to getting your virtual assistant job. There are two ways to go about it:
- Get hired for a virtual assistant job. In this scenario, you would be a regular employee of a company. As a result, you would have taxes withheld from your paychecks, may have regular performance reviews, and may qualify for employee benefits.
- Become a freelance or contract virtual assistant. In this scenario, you would find your own clients who want to hire a virtual assistant. You would negotiate the terms and rates with your clients and be responsible for paying for your own taxes and benefits. Most remote virtual assistants are freelancers, and many balance multiple clients, increasing their income.
Some places to look to get hired as a virtual assistant include:
Some sites where a freelance virtual assistant can connect with clients include:
On these types of platforms, it is crucial that new freelancers get good feedback and build a reputation of success to connect with the best clients and opportunities.
How to Scale a Virtual Assistant Job into Your Own Business
If you want to do more than supplement your income, you can eventually start your own virtual assistant business. In most cases, the best way to do this is to:
- Begin by becoming a professional freelance virtual assistant with an excellent reputation and references
- Use your reviews and reputation to recruit new clients
- Hire and train other freelance virtual assistants to work with your new clients
- Continue to expand
Once you know how to do the work and where to find the clients, there is no obstacle for an ambitious freelance virtual assistant to not start their own agency and compete with other companies.
Naturally, this means more paperwork, administration, and negotiating as you work with clients and employees, but entrepreneurial virtual assistants have a tremendous growth opportunity. The sky is the limit!
Conclusion
Whether you want a simple, part-time, work-at-home job to supplement your income, or you want to become a successful business owner with an agency of your own, being a virtual assistant is a fantastic way to make more money while enjoying greater freedom and flexibility.
There are thousands of job listings on hundreds of websites specializing in these jobs and skills, making it easier to find ways to become a virtual assistant with few initial skills and a low cost of entry.
It is a field that continues to grow and expand, with more daily opportunities, and there has never been a better time to take up this fun and rewarding work.
Have a wonderful day!
