Last updated on October 30th, 2023
If you are still wondering whether virtual assistant (also known as VA) jobs are legitimate or not, I can tell now yes it is.
As a matter of fact, Virtual assistant skills are one of the most sought after by employers according to Freelancer.com Q3 Fast 50 report (dated 15 Oct 2019). They saw a 55.6% increase in jobs, from 7,925 to 12,329, for VA.
If you are looking for ways to have more time for your family or more freedom. Then the virtual assistant jobs will be a great work-from-home option for you.
No experience? No worries, this guide will show you how to become a virtual assistant and where to source for jobs so you can work from the comfort of your home even if you have no experience.
Do read on if you are keen to explore how to make a consistent $10,000 per month as a VA and list of places you can find VA jobs.
But first, let me talk about what is a virtual assistant and the kind of jobs they offer for my readers who are beginners or new in this industry.
What Is A Virtual Assistant
Definition:
According to wikipedia:
A virtual assistant is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office.
In order to be a successful VA, it is important that you do need to work hard for it, especially at the beginning. Once you are established, it will become easier.
Exactly What Does A Virtual Assistant Do?
A virtual assistant performs various jobs for their clients from a remote location either full-time or part-time basis.
Answering emails, making travel arrangements, social media management, receptionist duties, and researching certain topics for blog posts, and newsletters are some of the services a virtual assistant can provide but are not limited to.
Skills Needed To Become A Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is like an administrative assistant or secretary in a normal office environment but more.
If you are totally new to this and have no experience, you might be thinking there is no way you can start this virtual assistant job from home now, right?
Actually, the basic skills you need to start with and I believe you already have are a basic knowledge of computers, applications, and social media.
If you have added skills such as good organization, communication, time management, problem-solving skills and are resourcefulness, etc. All these added skills will help you stand out from the competition and become a super successful VA.
If you do not have the added skills mentioned above, don’t worry, it can be learned. In fact, you are paid to learn all these new skills, great isn’t it?
What Is The Average Salary For A VA
According to Payscale, Virtual assistant makes about an average salary of $15.79 per hour.
But in fact, the actual amount that the VA could earn greatly depends on their experience, abilities, and workload.
A busy VA who has regular clients and consistent jobs will definitely make more money. If you are just looking for part-time VA jobs during your spare time. Then your earnings will be far less.
How To Become A Virtual Assistant With No Experience
1. Take A Virtual Assistant Training Course:
Yes, it is advisable to get some form of training before you start your Virtual Assistant business from home. The training will help you familiarize yourself with the industry and understand what it takes to be a successful Virtual Assistant.
Taking a course with a coach that actually works as a VA will help you to avoid a lot of mistakes and get your career started on the right foot to grow super fast!
WAIT! Before you start spending money on any VA course, I advise you to check out this “FREE VA Training Course“ to have a better understanding of:
- What is a Virtual Assistant and what a Virtual Assistant is NOT.
- What are the types of Virtual Assistants, what do they do, where they can get trained, and how do they find clients
- The ONLY 3 things you need to run your Virtual Assistant business
- What do Virtual Assistants charge for their services and HOW do they get paid?
About Lisa Wells
Virtual Assistant Trainer’s founder, Lisa Wells, is an avid advocate of people who want to work as virtual assistants. She is aware of the difficulties involved in breaking into this industry, particularly when you don’t know where to start or who to believe. In 2005, Lisa had to make a decision about her profession because her husband’s employment required him to move.
Lisa had a variety of employment alternatives, but none of them really intrigued her until she learned about the realm of virtual support. She started her journey of self-discovery in this field because, at the time, there were few training programs and information on how to become a virtual assistant.
She acquired priceless knowledge over the years, figuring out how to sell her services successfully and how to develop into a highly sought-after virtual assistant. Naturally, she then started mentoring others. A virtual assistant, freelancer, creative, or service provider might benefit from the forms, templates, planners, done-for-you methods, and courses she offers through her business, Virtual Assistant Trainer, which she officially launched in 2012.
Lisa’s passion for the subject and wealth of expertise in the industry set Virtual Assistant Trainer apart from other platforms of a like nature. She acts as a beacon of hope for aspiring virtual assistants, providing them with a multitude of resources and knowledge to succeed in this fast-paced field.
Join her free course if you want to have a better understanding of this industry and find out whether is it a perfect fit for you.
2. Deciding What Services To Offer
There are a lot of services you can offer to your clients as a virtual assistant.
When people hear about “Virtual Assistant”, they will only think of typing and answering emails. But the truth is, the tasks that a VA can provide are way more than this.
Here are some of the services a VA can offer:
- Social Media management
- Writing
- Pinterest Virtual Assistant
- Calendars management
- Email management
- Travel arrangement
- Researching
- Preparing reports
- Bookkeeping
- Customer Servicing
- Web Designing
- Proofreading
- Editing
- Data entry
- Marketing and promotion
- the list goes on……..
It is basically anything you can do without having to physically be in the same location as your clients.
As a VA, you can choose to offer all the services or specialize in a particular field. You can also offer a package of services that complement each other.
3. Set A Price For Your Services
Once you have decided on the type of services you going to provide. You are ready to set your charges.
Here are some of the ways to price your VA services:
- Base on an hourly rate: You can set an hourly rate for all the services you provide. Your clients will pay you according to the number of hours you work.
- Project Basis: You can set a flat rate for a one-time project. Such as a one-time setup of a social media account for example. Your clients will pay you after you have done so.
- Monthly retainer agreements: Your clients pay you in advance a recurring amount of money for the services that you will provide to them every month.
- Contract basis: Charge your client based on the contract term. It can be a short-term contact such as 3 months or 6 months.
To have a better idea of how much you should charge based on your level of experience and skill, you can do research on how much other VAs charge for their services.
Some virtual assistant does list their pricing on their websites. You can start from there. Facebook groups are another good place to ask questions and do research.
4. Creating a Schedule That Work
As you are building your VA business, you will need to create a schedule that works for you.
Productivity will be important to you as you need to figure out how to get a lot done in a small amount of time as you juggle between multiple clients.
Thus, it is advisable to talk to more experienced VAs for their advice and whether can they share with you how they manage it.
5. Making Your Business Legit
The term “business” simply means a person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade.
This means whether you call your Virtual assistant a job, career, or business it does not matter.
Since you are self-employed as a freelance virtual assistant, it is better to make your business legit right at the beginning.
Building up a business Portfolio, coming out with a marketing and business plan, taxation, deciding how to pay yourself, and defending your workday are some of the things you need to consider.
>>>More Read: 9 Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners To Work From Home
Where To Find Virtual Assistant Jobs Online
As a VA you can choose to work for yourself as a freelancer or work for a VA agency.
As a freelance VA, you can choose to work with as many or a few clients as you want. All the money you make will be yours to keep.
If you work for virtual assistant companies (agency), they’ll keep a cut of the money you earn and they might dictate you to work a certain number of hours per week or work at certain times and days.
Whatever choices you made and whether you are looking for a full-time job or part-time position, here I listed a few places where you can search for Virtual Assistant jobs.
FlexJobs
Flexjobs is an online job search site specializing in the remote, part-time, freelance, and flexible jobs available.
All jobs listed here are screened for scams. So you only get an ad-free, junk-free job search for high-quality remote and flexible jobs.
Do note that it is not free to use their services. To access their full-service you need to pay $14.95 per month.
Remote.co
Remote.co is a resource for companies that see remote work as an opportunity. They are the sister site of Flexjobs.
Just click the “Remote job”, look for “virtual assistant” below the search jobs box, and just click.
Upwork
Upwork is another great place you can search for virtual assistant jobs. They are one of the biggest freelance websites in the world
Browse through their freelance jobs by category. Just click on the jobs you are interested in and submit your details.
Time Etc
Time etc is one of the largest Virtual Assistant companies.
You can sign up as their freelance virtual assistant with the link I provided above.
Once you pass their rigorous selection process, you’ll be able to apply to work with clients who are looking for a VA to work with them on an ongoing basis.
Their clients are made up of entrepreneurs, managers, and everyone in between! They’ll pay you a fee of $11 per hour to start with.
Zirtual
Zirtual is only accepting college-educated virtual assistants who live in the United States at this time. Visit their websites to check which location they are accepting right now.
Boldly
Boldly was founded in 2012 and it is a premium subscription staffing company with team members in North America and Europe.
They are actively hiring for remote executive assistants (VA). You do need to have 7 years of experience in relevant positions.
Byron
Byron is a virtual assistant platform that connects virtual assistants with companies and clients.
As their virtual assistant, you are not required to commit to a certain hour. You can work as much as you want or as little as you want.
You do need to have a PayPal account as Byron pays every two weeks via PayPal.
In Conclusion
VA is not a get-rich-fast way of making money online. It is a legit job that you can work on to make a full-time income from home.
It definitely takes work, but it’s a great way to earn a living.
