*This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the full disclosure here.
Virtual assistants, otherwise called a VA, is someone that gets paid to provide a service and works remotely.
The services a virtual personal assistant provides can range from scheduling appointments, making phone calls, managing email accounts and even social media management.
You can either do this as a part-time side hustle or work your way to a full-time career from home. It’s entirely up to you to decide how many hours you want to work.
It’s a flexible career that allows you to do the job remotely and help you create your own VA business at home.
**This post may contain affiliate links. Please read disclosure.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is someone that works as a remote administrative assistant. They can offer a vast range of services to clients ranging from email management, content creation, bookkeeping, graphic designing and social media promotion. There are virtual assistants that also work as Pinterest VA’s, which pays really well – up to $50 an hour.
Read more about how you can become a Pinterest virtual assistant here.
VA’s work online and they can do this either part-time or full-time, which makes it a flexible career option for stay-at-home moms.
Virtual assistant salary
A virtual assistant can earn anywhere between $25 to $40 an hour depends on various factors including experience and skill set. If you can provide specialised services your rate of pay can go up to $100 per hour.
According to this Payscale report, a virtual assistant can average $46k a year.
Virtual assistant services
Small business owners, bloggers and online entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for virtual assistants to help manage their business accounts. They outsource specific services they need help with, so they can concentrate on other aspects of their business.
Here are just some of the many services you can offer as a VA.
- Admin tasks
- Handling sales and refunds of clients products
- Content creation for blogs
- Editing content
- Editing and proofreading articles
- Blog post research
- Social media management
- Email management
- Sales and promotion
- Handling outreach
The list doesn’t stop here. There are over 150 services you can choose to offer as a virtual assistant. You are free to download the entire list right here.
What makes a good virtual assistant
A good virtual assistant is someone that is well organised, can multitask and is reliable. Someone that can complete tasks ahead of time and someone that can work within time-lines.
Equipment needed:
A virtual assistant will need to have a computer with reliable internet and a quiet working environment. You don’t require any fancy programs or applications as most clients give you access to their own programs and software to complete their work.
Virtual assistant jobs online
The 3 best ways to find work is by using social media, networking and building your own website to sell your services.
I found social media to be one of the fastest ways to find work for new virtual assistants with Facebook and LinkedIn being the most popular platforms.
Facebook groups for bloggers can land you more work opportunities as bloggers often outsource virtual assistants to handle some aspects of their business.
Here are some online companies that often hire VA’s;
How to become a virtual assistant
Gina Horkey’s popular course – 30 Days to Virtual Assistant Success, is one of the best online VA courses out there. It is a thorough course that takes you through a step-by-step process to help you set a strong business foundation, select your niche and even help find prospective clients.
**Bonus:
For a limited time, use this link to get Gina’s virtual assistant mini-course for just $99!
Advanced virtual assistant jobs from home
Below are some of the advanced careers and courses for virtual assistants. The course guides included below have all been created by Gina Horkey.
1. Pinterest virtual assistant
A Pinterest VA is someone that handles Pinterest accounts for business owners. This can either involve just creating and promoting pins or more in-depth services like Pinterest auditing.
Pay: Pinterest virtual assistants can earn up to $50 an hour. While a Pinterest managers salary can go up to $100 an hour.
Starter Course: How to Become a Pinterest VA (Free video training)
2. Real estate virtual assistant
Here you will work remotely, helping real estate agents with booking appointments and following up clients. You will work behind the scenes to help cover the admin tasks of real estate agents.
You get to help your clients run a successful business by managing social media, keeping up with email, listing preparation and more.
Salary: $25 an hour
How to get started: Real estate virtual assistant course
3. Project management virtual assistant
If you have extreme organizational skills, this could be the job for you. To be honest most moms are naturally inclined to staying organised – school activities, meal planning or staying on top of laundry!
Its when you are able to complete a set of tasks one of the other.
Here are more details about the job description of a project management virtual assistant.
4. Email Management VA
A lot of bloggers/business owners never get time to bring their inbox to zero! There are always a bunch of emails left unread, emails that needed to be deleted, unsubscribed and replied to!
Help manage your clients overflowing inbox by becoming an email management virtual assistant and work from home.
5. Podcast Virtual assistant
This is for those who have good editing skills. Here are some of the services you will provide as a podcast VA.
- Edit audios
- Episode distribution
- Show Note Creation
- Guest Management
- Content Repurposing
- Marketing and Promotion
- Working With Clients – packages and pricing.
Read here on how to become a podcast virtual assistant from scratch
Pay: $35/hour
