In the past articles we have covered what a virtual assistance office is and why company owners and businesses the world over are outsourcing this type of profession. But now it’s time to get to know a little more about the people who make this run – the Virtual Assistants.
Virtual assistance requires the highly-skilled professionalism that VAs (Virtual Assistants) can offer. Among the things that a VA provides is administrative, technical and even creative business support to their clients from a virtual office. It’s called virtual because everything takes place through a remote computer network. Each and every task is delegated and submitted for evaluation through the use of computers. That’s why a highly reliable Internet connection is vital for someone who dreams of working as a VA.
An In-Depth Look
You might be thinking that a Virtual Assistant is just like a home-based secretary. She works in her tiny office and does an online-based job. While that may be true, that doesn’t paint the entire picture. The difference lies entirely on the scale and scope of the contractor’s relationship with her clients. Read on to get an in-depth look at the differences:
A VA:
- Has an on-going, continuous relationship with her clients. She may have the same number of clients as she has fingers on one hand but she works with them daily and for as long as the projects need to get done. Should a project end, the client is more than likely to give her an entirely new project to handle
- Acts as the main go-to guy of her client. This means she practically assists the client on his business and/or with his customers. The success of a client is just about dependent on the VA.
- May do secretarial work but can later on evolve as a project manager, with more in-depth knowledge about the “way the system goes” thus she proves to be more valuable to her client.
A Home-Based Secretary:
- Only does piece work for clients. There is no guarantee that the client will get back to you for further work.
- Is only given task-oriented work. This means that the probability of you becoming a project manager is highly unlikely because the client will not be using you for future tasks or assignments.
Working as a VA offers flexibility to one. Also, although computer literacy is important, one doesn’t have to be an expert on a certain field. Oftentimes, quick learning ability is all that’s needed to pull one through as a VA.
Some might think that generally, a VA’s primary practice mainly revolves around administrative and clerical tasks but a VA’s job description is much more extensive than that. The scope of a virtual assistant’s work may vary depending on her capabilities and expertise. But then, even those can be bypassed as long as a potential VA is a fast learner and is willing to ingest knowledge through proper training. Reading between the lines, you can deduce that not everyone is cut out to work as a VA, much less run a virtual assistance office. What you need to keep in mind is that in essence, working as a VA is tantamount to being an administrative expert. Clients are not really going to pay much attention on your educational or business background so long as you have the skill sets and always welcome further knowledge. If you have the right way of thinking and you have self discipline, then you will be well on your way to becoming a good virtual assistant.
How Much Does a VA Earn?
Whatever a VA makes would be dependent on her skills, what she’s capable of doing, what she is willing to do, her experiences and practically how much value she puts on her abilities. Generally speaking, a person with much experience but is new in the virtual assistance profession can make up to $5-10 per hour. On the other hand, a VA who has already established a name for herself in the field can make roughly around $40 to $70 per hour. However, if a virtual assistant has gained professional certifications, she can charge more than the above-mentioned hourly rates. That goes to show that being a VA can be a very rewarding and profitable profession.